Lead Architectural Technologist

BSBG (Brewer Smith Brewer Group); Dubai; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

BSBG (Brewer Smith Brewer Group) seeks a Lead Architectural Technologist to manage a portfolio of projects independently, ensuring adherence to agreed standards and assisting Associates and Managing Partner to improve performance. The role is an active member of the management structure at BSBG.

The candidate will lead design development, coordinate sub-consultants, and ensure compliance with local authorities while maintaining project schedules and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Assist senior management team in providing information for fee proposals.
• Review fee proposals to understand scope and deliverables.
• Provide full appraisal of project requirements as issued by client.
• Take ownership of draft design brief and present for comment and approval.
• Set up full project programme with Senior Architect.
• Coordinate sub-consultants and seniors to produce stage deliverables.
• Oversee submissions for building permit and Civil Defence.
• Write specifications with assistance from the Seniors.
• Assist with handover of design projects to post-contract teams.
• Chair quarterly cascade meetings and weekly senior/job captain meetings.

Job description

Reporting to:Technical Manager, Associate

Role

The role of Lead Architectural Technologist is required to run a portfolio of projects independently, adhere, enforce and maintain agreed standards within the project teams, and provide assistance to the Associates and Managing Partner to improve the overall performance of the practice. The Lead Architect Technologist is an active and integral member of the management structure at BSBG.

Responsibilities

Enquiries and proposals

• Assist senior management team in providing all necessary information required in order to submit fee proposals
• Review fee proposals to understand and be fully aware of scope and deliverables

Appraisals and brief

• Provide full and detailed appraisal of project requirements as issued by client
• Take sole ownership of draft design brief and present for comment and approval prior to beginning next stage.

Concept and Schematic

• Set up full project programme with Senior Architect
• Work with concept department to realise deliverables on time and within budget
• Work with Associate to develop cost/time chart based on project deliverables, required resources and agreed programme
• Sub-consultant liaison, agreeing deliverables, scope and timescales
• Present concept in PowerPoint format
• Attend meetings and file notes and actions of meetings
• Coordinate sub-consultants and Seniors/Job Captain to produce stage deliverables
• Brief specialist sub-consultants and soil investigators
• Track client approvals
• Take ownership of schematic design development with design team
• Ensure local authority compliance
• Ensure project tracking schedule is current, monitored and submitted on a weekly basis
• Manage any value engineering and make client aware of potential variations to consultancy agreement
• Orchestrate detailed design package, review progress daily with Senior Architect, and resolve all outstanding issues where client input is required

Detailed Design

• Oversee submissions for building permit and Civil Defence
• Take responsibility for writing specifications, assisted by the Seniors
• Take responsibility for issued information for each stage of the project
• Ensure Technical excellence is being delivered on the project
• Select a suitable procurement route to suit client’s requirements
• Propose tender list, pre-qualify all tenderers
• Work with QS regarding BOQ and tender documents
• Agree procurement strategy and compile a procurement programme
• Attend mid-bid interviews/contractor interviews
• Technical compliance review of all tenders
• Review tender report and propose successful tenderer to client
• Arrange for contract documentation to be signed
• Liaise with post-contract staff to agree resources
• Arrange and chair pre-commencement meeting

Post Contract

• Act as continuous link to pre-contract staff, client and sub-consultants
• Administrate FIDC contract
• Assist with the handing over of design projects from the design teams to the post contract teams
• Ensure constant communication with the post contract team and advise on site related issues
• Ensure Technical review and advice on specialist sub contractors design and shop drawings is being provided
• Liaise with post contract team to ensure any alterations or amendments on site are as per local authority regulations
• Ensure issuance of relevant ‘For Construction’ drawings and documents at the appropriate time to the site team and Contractor
• Assist the Technical Manager & Technical Co-ordinator in monitoring lessons learnt from all projects and ensure these items are immediately fed back in to the pre and post contract teams

Leadership

• Decide objectives for Senior Architects and Job Captains and track
• Set and maintain acceptable efficiency levels and ‘lead’ by example
• Adopt BSBG’s leadership style - based on teamwork, helpfulness and hard work
• Provide support & direction to Senior Technologists

Quality

• Ensure that all staff are aware of Company’s Quality Policy and Quality Objectives
• Ensure that the Company Quality Management System is effectively implemented
• Ensure that corrective/preventive actions are implemented effectively as required
• Ensure the operational standards are understood, adhered to and maintained by Job Captains, architects, Technicians & Senior Technologists. The QMS drawing checklists are to be maintained and checked on a regular basis. A report to be issued following each check and circulated to Senior Management
• Ensure teams are fully conversant with the relevant standards and approved relevant local authority regulations
• Ensure that Job Captains/Seniors correctly prepare the local authority submissions in accordance with the relevant local authority requirements
• Support Technical Co-ordinator in the development of Standards and enforce these across the business
• Coordinate design team meetings with the relevant sub consultants. Chair and Minute the meetings with actions and pending dates
• Ensure drawings and documentation carefully coordinated with sub consultants prior to submissions
• Ensure all sub consultants review and agree to programme of deliverables
• Track drawing issues to sub consultants and their issue of information to BSBG
• Ensure the sub consultant’s scope of work is complete at each stage in order for the Lead to certify payment
• Responsible for ensuring sub consultants have applied for NOC’s and maintain the NOC Tracking Schedules

Communication

• Chair quarterly cascade meeting
• Chair weekly senior/job captain meeting to formally track project programmes
• Track development of staff communication
• Responsible for meeting with local authorities and expediently processing submissions. Any problems must be alerted to Senior Management

Management

• Responsibility for the management of the project deliverables
• Responsibility for communicating all aspects of project deliverables to Job Captains, Architects and Seniors
• Motivation of project team
• Ensure soft and hard project files are maintained to BSBG standards
• Staff appraisals and interviews of Job Captains and Architects
• Assist the Technical Manager & Technical Co-ordinator by providing ideas relating to project implementation to enable work to become more efficient, better coordinated etc.
• Attend monthly technical meetings and respond to any actions noted in the Minutes
• Assist the Technical Co-ordinator in maintaining and developing office technical standards and details in accordance with local and International building codes
• Become an active member of the Technical team and assist with developing others by acting as a mentor
• Manage/Complete actions on Technical Action Tracker
• Complete Red Pen Reviews assigned

Delegation

• Provide opportunities for all staff members to develop through delegating responsibility
• Provide adequate support and an appropriate reporting structure to enable successful delegation

Motivation

• Help staff to achieve their professional ambition
• Encourage staff to take responsibility
• Provide opportunities for staff including Technical CPD’s

General

• General performance of staff to be constantly reviewed
• Review standard of drafting, letter writing and report writing
• Ensure all time sheets are reviewed and signed off at end of each week
• Agree staff leave and authorise through Associates
• Track sick leave/absenteeism through administrator and report to Associate
• Ensure timekeeping, punctuality, professionalism and appearance of staff on a daily basis

Resources

• Must constantly review resources available against those required for successful project implementation
• Review Job Captains/Seniors drawing schedules and approve
• Ensure reference material from suppliers is updated and handed to the Librarian. This responsibility must be handed down to Job Captains, Architects & Senior Technologists
• Ensure Project is sufficiently resourced

Finance

• Complete awareness of consultancy agreements with clients and sub-consultants
• Detailed awareness of payment terms and invoicing
• Agree invoicing strategy with finance department
• Certify invoices from sub consultants
• Instruct finance to invoice to clients

Profitability

• Track profitability of projects and report to Associate in charge
• Understand key financial objectives of each project

Expenditure

• All expenditure for equipment to be fully substantiated and presented within a proposal to Director for approval
• All expenditure on consumables to be referred to Director prior to purchase

Marketing

• Actively market the practice in all professional situations
• Feedback any potential leads to Associate and ensure follow up

Appraisals and Feedback

• Responsibility to appraise each team member annually

Practice Management

• Communicate ideas and project implementations to enable work to become more efficient
• and better coordinated
• Ensure reference material is available for staff members to use
• Ensure all staff members have the correct tools for the project
• Provide support in office CPD’s for other junior staff
• Attend monthly technical meetings
• Manage/Action Technical Meeting minutes
• Manage/Maintain Technical folder.
• Support and report Practice Development tasks back to Technical Manager & Technical Co-ordinator

a) Client

b) Sub-consultant

c) Contractor

d) Supplier

e) Manufacturer

f) Statutory Authority g) All staff members

h) Senior management

BIM

• Assist with BIM strategy and approve proposal
• Ensure all set up standards have been implemented BEP/Model Breakdown Diagrams etc.
• Ensure BIM co-ordination is taking place on projects
• Obtain required BIM information from sub-consultants
• Obtain Approval of strategies with BIM manager and Technical Co-ordinator