Architectural 2IC - Sydney at Populous

Populous; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Populous in Sydney seeks an Architectural 2IC to support leadership and delivery of a complex city-defining project on-site in Chippendale. You will coordinate planning, façade & roof, bowl, and structural/MEP workstreams and ensure interfaces stay aligned with the architectural vision.

The role requires a Master’s in Architecture and 5+ years of professional experience, with strong BIM/Revit capabilities and ability to guide multidisciplinary teams across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Architecture is required.
• 5+ years' professional experience in architectural practice.
• Strong design and technical documentation capability.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary project teams and complex interfaces.
• Good understanding of architectural, planning, structural, MEP and technical interactions.
• Strong BIM and Revit capability; Rhino/Grasshopper desirable.
• Knowledge of NCC and Australian standards.
• Strong problem-solving and coordination skills.
• Ability to influence and coordinate with discipline leads and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support Project Leads in coordination and delivery of complex architectural projects.
• Act as a coordination point across Planning, Facade & Roof, Bowl and Structural/MEP packages.
• Ensure key interfaces and decisions are identified and managed.
• Maintain overall project understanding to align outcomes with architectural vision and programme.
• Lead/distribute multidisciplinary coordination meetings and design reviews.
• Develop and review architectural drawings, models and project information.

Skills

Architectural coordination

BIM & Revit

Rhino & Grasshopper

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Problem-solving

Stakeholder communication

Leadership

Coordination of interfaces

Education

Master's degree in Architecture

Tools

BIM

Revit

Rhino

Grasshopper

Job description

Apply for Architectural 2IC - Sydney at Populous in Chippendale, NSW, AU. This Full time on site position offers great opportunities for career growth.

About the Role

As an Architectural 2IC, you will play a key role in supporting the leadership and delivery of a complex city defining project, working closely with Package Leads across either.

• Planning
• Façade & Roof
• Bowl
• Structural & MEP

These roles are focused on ensuring that the different project workstreams are effectively coordinated, integrated and aligned with the overall architectural vision, project requirements and programme. You will work across disciplines to identify issues, facilitate resolution and help maintain momentum across the project. As a key member of the project leadership team, you will provide strong architectural, technical and coordination capability while supporting the various discipline leads in delivering their respective workstreams. You will help connect design, planning, technical and engineering requirements, ensuring that decisions and interfaces are understood and coordinated across the project. This is a collaborative leadership role suited to an experienced graduate or architect who can operate across disciplines, understand the broader project picture and provide the coordination, challenge and support required to bring complex projects together.

About us at Populous

At Populous, our teams design the places where people love to be together. From stadiums and arenas to convention centres, airports, mixed-use developments, and entertainment precincts, we have delivered many of the world’s most iconic and community-defining projects. With projects spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas, we bring global expertise and local insight to every design. Our Sydney team is central to this network, delivering impactful projects locally and across the region with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and community.

Why Populous

We don’t consider ourselves just another architecture and design practice. At Populous, we believe our strength lies in our people and their diversity of experiences. Across APAC, our team represents over 35 nationalities, and we actively celebrate and support this.

• The opportunity to contribute to projects of global significance in Sydney and across APAC
• A collaborative international network of experts and design leaders
• Career development opportunities, including leadership training, mentorship, and global mobility
• A vibrant workplace culture where creativity, collaboration, and innovation are valued
• An environment where everyone can be themselves and grow their careers in any direction they want, all while being in an inclusive and supportive workplace
• Oh, and we’re recognised as one of the best places to work in Australia! We’ve been recognised as a Work180 Top 101 Employer for Women two years in a row, winners of two Work180 Workplace awards and recognised as a HRD 5 Star Employer!

What will you be engaged in?

As an Architectural 2IC, you will:

• Support the relevant Project Leads in the overall coordination and delivery of complex architectural projects.
• Act as a key architectural coordination point across the project's Planning, Roof & Facade, Bowl or Structural and MEP packages and other specialist disciplines.
• Support discipline leads in coordinating their respective workstreams and ensure key interfaces, dependencies and decisions are identified and managed.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the overall project to ensure individual discipline outcomes remain aligned with the architectural vision, project objectives and programme.
• For Planning 2IC - understand planning requirements, authority matters and planning risks and ensure these are appropriately reflected in the architectural design and project programme.
• For Façade & Roof 2IC - support the development, coordination and delivery of façade and roof design solutions, documentation and package requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
• For Bowl 2IC - support the development and coordination of seating bowl layouts, sightlines, spectator experience, documentation and package delivery requirements.
• For Structural and MEP 2IC - coordinate engineering requirements and resolve interfaces between architectural and engineering systems.
• Identify potential conflicts, gaps, dependencies and coordination issues across disciplines at an early stage and facilitate their resolution.
• Support the Project Leads and discipline leads in establishing priorities, resolving issues and maintaining progress against key project milestones.
• Review architectural and multidisciplinary information to identify issues that may impact design quality, programme, constructability or project outcomes.
• Facilitate coordination between internal teams, consultants, specialist advisers, contractors and other project stakeholders.
• Lead or participate in multidisciplinary coordination meetings, design reviews, workshops and project discussions.
• Support the development and review of architectural drawings, models, documentation and project information.
• Help ensure that technical and engineering requirements are appropriately integrated without compromising the overall architectural intent.
• Maintain visibility of key project risks, issues and dependencies and elevate matters to the appropriate project leader where required.
• Provide architectural input into project planning, sequencing, resourcing and delivery strategies.
• Support the Project Lead in maintaining clear responsibilities, priorities and expectations across the project team.
• Provide guidance, mentoring and support to architects, designers and other project team members.
• Promote effective collaboration between architectural and specialist discipline teams.
• Take ownership of specific architectural workstreams or packages as required, while maintaining a broader project-wide perspective.
• Step into broader project coordination responsibilities when required to support the Project Lead and wider leadership team.
• Contribute to broader studio, design and project delivery initiatives as required.

What we are looking for

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• A Master's degree in Architecture from a recognised university.
• 5+ years' professional experience, or equivalent, within an architectural practice.
• Demonstrated experience working on complex architectural projects through design, documentation and delivery.
• Strong architectural design, technical and documentation capability.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multidisciplinary project teams and complex interfaces.
• A strong understanding of how architectural, planning, structural, MEP and technical requirements interact within complex projects.
• Strong BIM and Revit capability, with Rhino and Grasshopper experience desirable.
• Good understanding of the NCC and relevant Australian standards.
• Strong problem-solving and coordination skills, with the ability to identify issues and facilitate practical solutions.
• Ability to work effectively with discipline leads, consultants, clients and contractors.
• Confidence communicating complex design and technical matters to a range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and coordinate without relying solely on formal authority.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple workstreams.
• Experience supporting project or discipline leadership teams would be highly desirable.
• Experience working on complex or large-scale sports, entertainment, aviation or major public projects would be beneficial.

At Populous, we’re not only looking for technical skills but also for people who share our passion for creating places where communities come together. We design the places that bring people together — and we know that happens best when our own team reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage people of all identities, abilities, and lived experiences to apply and join us in shaping the future of design.