Architecture Lead

Arup; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit Share

Learning opportunities

Health and wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Arup seeks a distinguished architectural leader to drive market-facing initiatives for Science, Industry & Technology across Australia and New Zealand. You will build client relationships, secure major commissions, and guide design excellence in mission-critical environments.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, mentor staff, and contribute to industry thought leadership while upholding Arup’s Total Design principles and sustainable, human-centered outcomes.

Qualifications

• Registered Architect status with the Architects Registration Board of NSW and/or Victoria; recognised bachelor’s and master’s qualifications in architecture.
• 25+ years of professional experience across architectural design, project delivery, business development and commercial management.
• Established client networks across Australia and New Zealand with strong work-winning capability.
• Proven expertise delivering complex projects in transport, science and industry, sport, and large-scale urban or master planning environments.
• Strong strategic, commercial and communication skills with the ability to influence clients and lead multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead market-facing architectural initiatives across Science, Industry & Technology.
• Develop and sustain a robust project pipeline by identifying opportunities and securing major commissions across Australia and New Zealand.
• Provide subject matter insight into mission-critical environments focusing on uptime, resilience, and performance.
• Deliver design leadership on complex, high-performance projects with a focus on sustainability and technical excellence.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated solutions aligned with One Arup and Total Design principles.
• Mentor and grow high-performing teams and contribute to industry forums and thought leadership.

Skills

Client leadership

Business development

Strategic leadership

Mentoring teams

Education

Bachelor/Master Architecture

Registered Architect status

Job description

Joining Arup

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

Joining Arup

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.
We are expanding our architecture leadership in Australia and New Zealand to shape a new generation of Science, Industry and Technology (SIT) environments and mission-critical facilities. These are some of the most demanding buildings in the built environment – from laboratories and cleanrooms to advanced manufacturing, hyperscale and enterprise data centres, and technology infrastructure environments, where performance, resilience and adaptability are critical.
At Arup, we bring together architecture, engineering and specialist expertise to design high-performing environments that are efficient, resilient and adaptable, while still being inspiring places to work. We design beyond pure form-making – bringing context, technical depth and clarity to complex challenges to deliver architecture that is both high-performing and meaningful.

The Opportunity

• Lead market-facing architectural initiatives across Science, Industry & Technology building strong client relationships and industry presence.
• Develop and sustain a robust project pipeline by identifying opportunities, leading pursuits and securing major commissions across Australia and New Zealand and supporting across the broader Asia Pacific region.
• Provide subject matter insight into mission-critical and high-availability environments ensuring design solutions respond to uptime, resilience, redundancy and operational performance requirements.
• Deliver design leadership on complex, high-performance projects, ensuring excellence in architectural quality, sustainability and technical performance.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated solutions aligned with One Arup and Total Design principles, achieving outstanding client outcomes.
• Mentor and grow high-performing teams through inclusive leadership, capability development and succession planning, while actively contributing to industry forums and thought leadership, including emerging trends in digital infrastructure and mission-critical design.

Shaping complex, high performance environments

You will be leading projects where performance is critical – where buildings must function as precisely as the science or technology they support.This includes mission-critical facilities, where architectural decisions directly influence operational performance, resilience, scalability and lifecycle efficiency, alongside laboratories, manufacturing and research campuses.

Is this role right for you?

• We anticipate this role will be based in our Sydney or Melbourne office, leading work across Australia and New Zealand and supporting opportunities more broadly across the APAC region.
• Registered Architect status with the Architects Registration Board of NSW and/or Victoria , supported by recognised bachelor’s and master’s qualifications in architecture.
• More than 25 years of professional experience across architectural design, project delivery, business development, and commercial management.
• Established client networks within across the Australia and New Zealand, with strong work-winning capability and deep understanding of market dynamics.
• Proven expertise delivering complex projects within transport, science and industry, sport, and large-scale urban or master planning environments.
• Strong strategic, commercial, and communication skills, with the ability to influence clients, lead multidisciplinary teams, and champion sustainable, human-centred design outcomes.

What We Offer You

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.
Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.
We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

Different people, shared values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.
Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion – we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.
We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please contact Helen Pakhomov to let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.