Associate - Landscape Architect

AECOM; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AECOM is seeking an Associate – Landscape in Dubai to lead the design and delivery of landscape architecture projects. The role blends hands-on leadership with team management, technical oversight, and client engagement.

You will drive strategy, innovation, and excellence across projects to meet scope, budget, and schedule requirements. The position emphasizes mentorship of staff, coordination with multi-disciplinary teams, and development of proposals and bids, while upholding landscape

Job description

Associate – Landscape

The Associate – Landscape operates as a senior design professional responsible for driving strategy, innovation, and excellence in the design and delivery of landscape architecture projects. This role combines hands‑on project leadership with team management, technical oversight, and client engagement.

• May be required to act as a line manager and should be able to mentor, monitor timekeeping, conduct performance reviews, and provide feedback to assigned technical staff.
• Play an active role in the technical development of the allocated team. Acts in a supporting role to the Team Leader / Manager / Associate Director / Director by delegating work and directing less experienced staff to complete assigned projects’ technical tasks.
• Able to monitor and track the budget for specific tasks within the project.
• Take the lead on multiple landscape architecture projects and define roles and responsibilities.
• Lead client interface and manage projects’ contractual requirements.
• Planned and conducted design and creative review sessions for ongoing projects and competitions.
• Identify skills gaps, source, interview, and recruit new joiners.
• Present market research outcomes and develop a thought leadership presentation for the wider team.
• Well aware of landscape architecture standards generally applied across landscape architecture projects sourced from landscape architecture authorities and regulatory guidelines.
• Drive and conduct site opportunity and constraint studies for projects, present proposals internally and externally, and derive design ideas for implementation and further consideration.
• Contribute to discussions and design drivers within the studio's ethos. Establish innovative visions for the projects that align with the studio ethos, the site's potential, and the project brief.
• Lead landscape architecture project deliverables with applicable landscape architecture authorities and client requirements.
• Ensure the compliance of deliverables with the scope of work and contracts.
• Clearly understand the scopes of Architecture, urban planning, and landscape, as well as the synergies and overlaps between them, on projects and in the studio.
• Able to develop new landscape architecture and building typologies applicable to projects and sites with conditions.
• Able to tailor design responses to project‑specific conditions.
• Narrate landscape architecture ideas clearly through literature in reports and presentations, and guide/mentor direct reports in effective report writing.
• Bridge between delivering design ideas and delivering to budget.
• Understand client objectives and steer design thinking accordingly.
• Actively promote innovative landscape architecture attributes and influence peers and reports.
• Promote the use of innovative digital tools in landscape architecture projects and engage in internal research and development.
• Identify new potential areas of innovation and improvement in design ideation and presentation that the landscape architecture team can benefit from.
• Manage, coordinate, and deliver landscape architecture bids and proposals, tailoring technical approaches, methodologies, and delivery structures as needed. Prepare and coordinate the commercial aspects of bids in accordance with project expectations.
• Structure teams for landscape architecture projects with a clear understanding of project roles and responsibilities.
• Advocate for quality procedures applicable to the landscape architecture technical practice group and continuously apply thorough self-checks and reviews of deliverables before sharing them.
• Implement safety in design standards and procedures, and report on safety within and outside the work environment, including any incidents or near misses that may impact staff.
• Contribute to and participate in one of the U+P steering committees that promote integration, knowledge sharing, digital integration, or diversity and inclusion.
• Organise internal libraries and update the internal landscape architecture capabilities statement.
• Promote innovation and change in landscape architecture graphics across projects and document these changes for broader team use.
• Lead and present internal and external workshops, driving outcomes that benefit projects and the studio.
• May be required to act as Project Manager on small to medium-sized discipline-specific projects. Has an excellent understanding of project delivery requirements and is well-versed with the company’s procedures. Should be well-versed in using Earned Value Management to assess design progress against budget.
• Has the ability to build and maintain client relationships. Attend client meetings as the technical lead to gather information, discuss project requirements, and explain/defend work. Participates in the development and preparation of bids and proposals—the ability to present solutions to clients professionally and technically competently.
• Understand bid requirements and be able to support putting together the 'technical approach and methodologies' while supporting the delivery structure, coordinating input, and implementing the commercial aspects of bids.
• Supports business development and selling initiatives to expand work assignments, including managing client relationships and expectations. Assists with proposal development and participates in creating bids and technical write-ups for proposals. Leads communication with clients to discuss work scope, requests information to support project execution and receives client comments on draft work products.
• Presents to clients, senior leadership and other project stakeholders to demonstrate progress and clearly explain design principles.
• Responsible for coordinating with the other disciplines to ensure no design gaps and provide fully coordinated design deliverables.

Benefits

AECOM offers comprehensive benefits to meet the diverse needs of its employees. Benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absence, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well‑being resources, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in your potential and are here to help you achieve it. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.