Associate Director

Architype Limited; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary aligned to RIBA bands

33 days holiday

37.5-hour week

3.25% pension contribution

Health scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

Architype in Edinburgh is seeking an Associate Director to join our senior management team. You will lead the local office, oversee a portfolio of projects across sectors, and drive design quality, fees, resourcing and programming.

The successful candidate will have ARB Part 3 registration with at least 10 years' experience, proven leadership, and a track record in work winning and team development. We champion low-carbon Passivhaus standards and offer hybrid working from our Custom Lane studio

Qualifications

• Chartered architect with ARB Part 3 and at least 10 years' experience.
• Proven ability to lead multiple projects and manage a team.
• Experience in design and technical delivery with strong leadership.
• Strong communication and collaborative leadership aligned to core values.
• Experience with Passivhaus or low-carbon projects desirable.

Responsibilities

• Participate in local board and manage the local office.
• Take responsibility for a key area (design/technical/financial).
• Manage a portfolio of projects.
• Deliver design quality and profitability.
• Manage and motivate teams and staff.
• Support staff development and ISO systems.
• Collaborate with other local management teams.

Skills

Leadership

Project leadership

People management

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Design leadership

Team coordination

Education

ARB Part 3 Architect

Job description

Architype is seeking a new member of our senior management team who shares our passion for high-quality design, to help us deliver a growing portfolio of projects in Scotland.

Architype offers exceptional opportunities to be involved in projects at the cutting edge of zero carbon and genuine sustainability, building on our unrivalled 42 years of experience in this area.

Architype is the UK’s leading Passivhaus Architect and widely recognised for our innovative approach including multiple RIBA National, RIAS, CIBSE Building Performance and BCO Awards. Our talented co-owners are often recognised by the Architects' Journal including the New Talent List and Sustainability Champions of the Year.

Our approach is inclusive and collaborative.

We are looking for the following role: Associate Director for our Edinburgh studio.

The ideal candidate will have experience of leading and delivering a wide range of projects across different scales and sectors, including large and complex schemes and retrofit, and will have a proven track record for writing successful fee proposals.

They will possess excellent design skills and leadership, have excellent technical ability and have a passion for work winning, business development and networking. Knowledge of delivering projects to the Passivhaus standard, or other technically challenging projects such as laboratories, is desirable.

They will have experience of overseeing and managing the strategic direction of a number of projects concurrently, including design, fees, resourcing and programming.

In addition, they will have experience of managing a team of people, providing pastoral support and managing HR issues.

About Architype

Architype has an open and collaborative ethos with a common purpose – to deliver fantastic architecture that performs exceptionally. We are a practice of almost 50 people, collaborating across three studios in Edinburgh, Hereford, and London.

Architype has a rich history of pioneering low carbon design and a clear focus on how buildings work for people and the planet. We masterplan and design a wide range of buildings across the education, university, housing, community, and cultural sectors. Our consultancy service PERFORM+ enables us to offer insight and cutting-edge technical expertise to clients.

Working culture at Architype is creative and caring. We work in a collaborative and supportive way that encourages fresh ideas and career progression, and we support flexible working for all.

We are 30% owned by the staff through an Employee Benefit Trust and are committed to becoming 100% employee owned in the future – it is why we call ourselves “co-owners”.

Architype is currently operating a hybrid working policy to enable staff to work flexibly from both home and from our studios. Our Edinburgh studio is located within the creative hub of Custom Lane on The Shore in Leith. All co-owners are fully supported with equipment to enable hybrid working and are integrated into our collaborative team culture both on and offline.

Benefits

• A competitive salary which is aligned to the annual RIBA salary bandings survey/industry standards. This is currently in the following range: £60,690 - £77,450.
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays)
• 37.5-hour week – flexible/hybrid working possible
• Pension benefits of 3.25% employer contribution and access to a company health scheme and cycle to work scheme.

Architype is an Equal Opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and staff engagement forums, to support staff from different backgrounds.

Please note:

• We welcome applications from all nationalities; however, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, so before you apply for this post, please ensure that you have the right to work in the UK. For more details on eligibility to work in the UK, please visit https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
• Note: You must state, in the subject line of your email, the office location (Edinburgh), and the job role you are interested in (Associate Director). Without this information in the subject heading, we will be unable to sift your application correctly and it may be missed.
• If shortlisted for interview, you will be asked to prepare a 7-minute presentation to give at your interview
• The interview will be in person, last approximately 1.5 hours, and will be made up of two parts. The first being a chance to meet some of our team in the studio and a chance to experience our studio dynamic (1/2hr), and the second will be your presentation and the main interview/discussion itself (1hr).
• If you are shortlisted for interview and you would like to make contact with Architype during the application process to ask any questions, a contact email address will be provided for you.

This post will be offered on a permanent basis, with a 4-month probation period.

The closing date for applications is 6pm on Friday 13th November 2026.

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 1st or Wednesday 2nd December.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we are sorry we cannot respond to all applicants, so if you do not hear from us by Friday 20th November 2026, please assume that you have been unsuccessful.

Note that all applications will be treated in accordance with our GDPR policy. For more information, please visit our website.

Associate Director Job Description and Specification

The overall mission of each office Associate Director is to deliver effective local management to achieve company aspirations.

Core purpose

Each Associate Director’s core purpose is the day-to-day management of the office to:

• Support the local Director to deliver Architype’s business plan, including vision, strategy and direction
• Support the local Director in ensuring effective management and a dynamic local culture
• Support the local Director to ensure financial, technical and design performance

Key responsibilities

• Participate in the local board of directors and assist in management of the local office
• Take responsibility for a key area of local management (design / technical / financial)
• Manage a portfolio of projects
• Deliver individual project design quality and profitability
• Manage and motivate teams and staff
• Support staff development and training
• Develop office systems within ISO 9001 and 14001
• Collaborate effectively with the other local management team

Required experience and skills

An Associate director will be expected to have the majority of these experiences and skills:

• qualified part 3 Architect registered with the ARB and with a minimum of 10 years experience
• capable of taking responsibility for designing and delivering a number of separate projects and managing a team of architects and assistants
• 5 years experience of managing people and teams
• the ability to deliver leadership behaviours in line with our core values, in particular the ability to lead collaboratively
• ability to apply critical thinking, identify and foresee problems and suggest solutions
• strong communication skills