Building Design - Practice Manager NSNI - Architecture

SNC-Lavalin; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis seeks a Practice Manager in Architecture for their Manchester office. The successful candidate will lead a talented team, driving architectural excellence across projects in various sectors. The role emphasizes collaboration, leadership, and strategic influence in a dynamic environment committed to sustainability and innovation.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Continuous professional development

Diversity and inclusion programs

Qualifications

• Experience in leading architectural teams and major design projects.
• Strong commercial acumen and technical authority in architecture.
• Willingness to undertake security clearance processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture team, ensuring technical excellence and project delivery.
• Collaborate with other practice managers and stakeholders for resource planning.
• Support and mentor team members for career and performance development.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Problem-solving

Interpersonal skills

Education

Relevant Degree in Architecture or related field

Job description

Job Description

Our purpose is to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.By connecting people, data and technology to design, deliver and operate the most complex projects we can create solutions that lead the world on the right path through the most pressing of challenges – energy resilience, security & defence, net zero carbon, sustainability.

Join our Building Design practice, a multi-disciplinary practice leading innovation in the creation, design and delivery of high-performance buildings. We work for clients in the UK and internationally providing multi-disciplinary services for new build, retrofit and repurposing building design projects.

You’ll make a tangible difference to our future in projects across our key sectors of Buildings & Places, Energy, Defence, Transportation.

As the Practice Manager for our Architecture team covering the region of the North, Scotland and Northern Ireland you will be based in one of our key offices of Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds reporting to the Regional Practice Director and responsible for leading a practice of talented architectural professionals.

The regional senior leadership team are a tight knit, hardworking, friendly, passionate and collaborative group. We would welcome an individual who would fit into this team quickly and seamlessly, engaging effectively with counterparts in other regions, while also playing a key role, integrating with the other disciplines, as we forge a new multi-disciplinary leadership approach for the North, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

We want you to get the most out of life inside and outside of work, and our flexible working culture can support your priorities. You won't need to sign up for a full-time contract. Our office spaces are set up for quieter individual working or for teamworking where you can connect and socialise. Our IT systems will make home-working easy and just as effective for you. So, if you have important personal responsibilities, AtkinsRéalis’ flexible working will work for you.

Your objectives will be to:

• Lead a regional practice team recognised for technical excellence and ability to flexibly respond to business needs.
• Build and maintain productivity within the team through efficient resource management whilst facilitating the flow of work to the Global Technology Centre (GTC).
• Liaise with the other Regional Practice Managers to ensure we have sufficient resources with the right skills to develop our current and future market strategies.
• Support the technical development of staff within the team and be accountable for technical assurance of deliverables.
• Enthuse our people through effective performance and development plans that align to their career preferences and organisation goals.
• Support practice wide and business initiatives and innovations such as GTC first, ED&I, wellbeing, digital and others.
• Manage practice performance with focus on meeting or exceeding all targets.

Responsibilities:

Strategy:

• Work collaboratively with the senior leadership team to ensure that the Practice operates as a co-ordinated national discipline and strategically influence the Building Design business.
• Sharing information, lessons learnt and resources as required across all teams.
• Support and encourage a culture of high-quality multi-disciplinary design focused project delivery, driving technical best practice and process standardisation or optimisation.

Technical Excellence:

Drive the teams reputation for technical excellence.

• Work closely with the other discipline Practice Managers in region and nationally (and their teams) to develop a collaborative and integrated multi-discipline delivery of our projects.
• Take ownership of project performance in the region to ensure suitable Architectural leads are in place to provide predictability for quality, programme.
• Be accountable for the project performance and cost delivery of all projects, acting collaboratively as a One Building Design practice.
• Support PM/PDs and Project Design Leads in ensuring that business activity conforms to the Company Management System (CMS) and does not present an unacceptable risk.
• Act as a Project Manager or Project Director and undertake technical delivery as required, taking responsibility for the financial performance and delivery of projects and/or frameworks.
• Ability to develop/maintain strong client relationships.
• Responsible for QSSE compliance and leadership in the region.

Work winning:

• Accountable for winning work in the region and nationally, via direct client relationships and via bidding on opportunities across all Markets, maximising additional/repeat/follow-on work from clients.
• Support and lead on project opportunities, acting as Bid manager or Bid Director as required, ensuring all governance requirements are met as part of the process.
• Service line transformation.
• Create an awareness of technical and digital innovation across the region and proactively support the Design Transformation programme including the implementation of new tools and products.
• Guide the team through technical and behavioural change necessitated by advances in information management, automation, intelligent systems and the Net Zero Carbon and sustainability agendas.

Workforce planning and resourcing:

• Working with the Professional Head of Discipline and Technical Authorities in the Practice, support the Regional Practice Director with workforce planning including skills development and recruitment. Achievement of headcount and diversity targets.
• Develop the people resources required to meet our clients’ requirements, build an agile and flexible team through permanent and contingent staff, supply chain and our Global Technology Centre in India, based on pipeline of opportunities and workload.

People leadership:

• Provide the focus for business communications and pastoral support to the regional practice teams and proactively support career and talent development.
• Provide line management for local team leaders, be accountable for career and talent development and manage employee performance.

Requirements:

• Experience of leading an architectural team to successfully win and deliver major buildings/infrastructure design projects.
• Ability to build and motivate a team through great leadership qualities - collaborative, self-motivated, enthusiastic, committed to delivering sustainable outcomes.
• Strong and effective communicator and listener, always promoting inclusivity.
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, showing empathy and understanding in meeting business needs. Able to build a culture of trust through transparency, diplomacy and collaboration.
• Strong collaborative behaviours to interface and engage with other practices, market teams and wider stakeholders.
• Excellent technical reputation and ability to work as a technical authority, Project Director, Project Manager or design manager, to interface with clients ensuring the team delivers on, and is recognised for, technical excellence and design quality.
• Knowledge of our markets, ability to build on current client relationships and a desire to establish new client contacts.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of corporate operations and levers available to maximise performance.
• Open to new taking on new opportunities and stretch experiences that support career progression or personal growth.

Qualities of the successful candidate:

• Role model – collaborative multi-disciplinary ways of working.
• Motivational – to build and motivate a team and demonstrate good management qualities.
• A high expectation of performance – both for themselves and other members of the team, coupled with a drive for continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication – both interpersonal and organisational skills, verbally and in writing.
• Approachable – to be supportive and encouraging to all members of the team, coupled with a passion for staff development.
• Professional – to lead the practice team so that it has a reputation for technical excellence and quality of delivery in a relevant discipline.
• Flexible – be able to travel throughout the UK where required, while maintaining a beneficial balance.
• Hard working – someone who is reliable, proactive and innovative, whilst able to keep calm under pressure and when working to often demanding deadlines.
• Adaptive –able to adapt to different cultures and working environments to build rapport with both clients and practice teams.

What we offer:

We're ranked as one of LinkedIn's Top 25 Companies, where UK professionals want to work and stay once, they join. We've also made the Times Top 50 employers for women.

Our Infrastructure team uses innovation, new approaches and the power of data to help our clients deliver end-to-end projects and programmes for essential future infrastructure. And as the work becomes ever more complex, our employees continue to challenge the status quo.

We're committed to engineering better for people and our planet, from our global Engineering Net-Zero programme to creating social value through EDAROTH community housing. We're proud of our active employee networks creating awareness and allyship for our under-represented groups. Not to mention programmes supporting communities outside AtkinsRéalis, including schools, charities, ex-forces and professionals returning after career breaks.

Why work for AtkinsRéalis?

We're ranked as one of LinkedIn's Top 25 Companies, where UK professionals want to work and stay once, they join. We've also made the Times Top 50 employers for women.

Our Infrastructure team uses innovation, new approaches and the power of data to help our clients deliver end-to-end projects and programmes for essential future infrastructure. And as the work becomes ever more complex, our employees continue to challenge the status quo.

We're committed to engineering better for people and our planet, from our global Engineering Net-Zero programme to creating social value through EDAROTH community housing. We're proud of our active employee networks creating awareness and allyship for our under-represented groups. Not to mention programmes supporting communities outside AtkinsRéalis, including schools, charities, ex-forces and professionals returning after career breaks.

Security clearance:

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop. To help embed inclusion for all, from day one, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee networks to support staff from different backgrounds. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.

#LI-INFRASTRUCTURE | #LI-UK

Worker Type Employee Job Type Regular

At AtkinsRéalis , we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.