Executive Director for Design

LUC; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

London allowance

Employee-owned company

Hybrid working

Job summary

LUC is seeking an Executive Director for Design to lead the Landscape Design Team and sit on the Management Board. The role provides strategic direction and an opportunity to shape a market-leading practice within an employee-owned company.

Based in the UK with hybrid working, you will influence across disciplines, drive growth, manage budgets, and collaborate with senior leaders to deliver sustainable and valuable outcomes for clients and communities.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in Landscape Architecture or equivalent.
• Extensive leadership experience delivering landscape design projects.
• Proven track record in strategy development and operational delivery.
• Strong business development, client engagement and winning work.
• Experience with budgets, profitability and project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provide compelling leadership for LUC’s Landscape Design Team.
• Develop and implement strategy for future success and growth.
• Lead across multi-disciplinary teams and enterprise leadership.
• Drive client engagement and secure new work in the design sector.
• Deliver operational excellence and financial contribution.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy

Business development

Client engagement

Team management

Executive presence

Mentoring

Education

Degree in Landscape Architecture

Chartered status

Tools

Geospatial/digital tools

Job description

The Executive Director for Design leads LUC’s multi-award-winning Landscape Design Team – and holds a key executive role at LUC; which is both inwardly and outwardly facing. The role sits alongside our Technical Team and Central Team Executive Directors on LUC’s Management Board (LUC’s most senior executive committee) and operates as part of our broader enterprise leadership team.

The Executive Director for Design leads LUC’s multi-award-winning Landscape Design Team – and holds a key executive role at LUC; which is both inwardly and outwardly facing. The role sits alongside our Technical Team and Central Team Executive Directors on LUC’s Management Board (LUC’s most senior executive committee) and operates as part of our broader enterprise leadership team.

The Executive Director for Design will provide compelling and effective leadership for LUC’s Landscape Design Team, and a clear vision to enable its future success as a market-leading practice. That success will be defined by maximising the positive impact that LUC delivers, working collaboratively across LUC’s multi-disciplinary business and helping to solve the most complex land use issues of our time.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the Executive Director for Design will be a full voting member of the Management Board and will also support the work of LUC’s Company Board. Together with the Management Board, they will be responsible for delivering LUC’s strategy, in alignment with its Charter and in furtherance of its Mission.

They will support the Management Board in driving the clear strategic development of the Landscape Design Team. Working alongside Management Board colleagues, they will ensure that our landscape design services are positioned and developed for ongoing and future success, while also delivering operational excellence and a strong contribution to LUC’s overall success, both financially and in relation to its broader impact.

This is a strategic appointment, playing a key role in the growth and evolution of our services, both in relation to landscape design and for LUC. The role would be suited to an individual who has tried and tested leadership capabilities and a strong track record in delivering landscape architecture across the construction and property sectors. They will deliver active and effective leadership for our team, generating sustainable growth, optimising our delivery, innovating in the face of change and responding to the challenges we face in our markets.

The role offers the opportunity to be part of an authentic and mission led, employee-owned company, with strong values and a clear focus on addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies. It will also enable you to lead a business that is owned through our Employee Ownership Trust, which places full beneficial ownership of the company with its employees.

The role is based in LUC’s offices in Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester or Sheffield. We work in a hybrid model with people being in the office a minimum of two days per week. There will also be travel required to visit sites, client offices and other office locations.

A full-time role is based on 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday). However, LUC has a strong track record in flexible working, and we have been recognised for our flexible working culture, so we are happy to discuss a range of flexible working options for this role including part time hours (minimum 30 hours per week) if desired.

Salary: £95,000 FTE (plus London allowance if applicable)

Experience and qualifications

• Educated to degree level in Landscape Architecture, Landscape Design or a relevant discipline, or have a blend of knowledge and qualifications reflecting a similar level of expertise.
• Extensive experience delivering landscape architecture and design projects, including experience across the construction and property sectors.
• Proven experience of leading and developing a high-performing design team within a professional services environment.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering strategy, with the ability to translate strategic objectives into successful operational delivery.
• Strong experience of business development, client engagement and winning new work within the design and landscape sector.
• Proven commercial experience, including responsibility for budgets, profitability, utilisation and project delivery.
• Extensive experience of developing major projects through the RIBA work stages, navigating the planning system and coordinating multidisciplinary teams.
• A strong understanding of landscape design fee models and the commercial drivers of a professional services business.
• Demonstrable experience of providing senior-level leadership, including mentoring and line management of senior professionals.
• Strong understanding of the landscape design market, with an established network of relevant clients, partners and professional contacts.
• Experience of operating at executive or board level within a professional services, landscape architecture, architecture or related design practice.
• Experience of working across a multi-disciplinary consultancy or professional services organisation.
• Experience of contributing to wider organisational strategy and enterprise-level decision making.
• Chartered status or equivalent professional accreditation.
• Experience of working within an employee-owned or values-led organisation.
• Experience of using technology and digital approaches to innovate and improve professional services delivery.

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

LUC is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. We value the differences, needs and contributions a diverse workforce represents, and we strive to embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all our people related activities

About LUC:

LUC is an award-winning environmental consultancy celebrating 60 years of impact. Since 1966, we have been dedicated to a single mission: delivering better futures for nature, people, and places.

As an independent, employee-owned business, we combine a rich heritage with a forward-looking approach. Our multidisciplinary teams – spanning planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology, and geospatial services – collaborate to tackle complex land-use challenges across the UK.

From restoring historic environments to driving climate resilience and nature recovery, we are proud of our past. But in our 60th year, our focus is firmly on the future and driving positive change for the next generation.

Our Mission is to deliver better futures for nature, people and places.

Just like our founders, we’re dedicated to leaving this world in a better place. And we believe we have the power to create a positive legacy through all our projects. We do this by guiding our clients, as well as influencing national and local policy.

Of course, we recognise that change is inevitable. But we also recognise that cities, towns and landscapes of the future must work to help nature recover and to create a fairer society for all. We are committed to creating beautiful, inclusive places that support the health and wellbeing of the people and environments impacted by such inevitable change.

Our Values are what make us.

They reflect our heritage, express the attitudes of our people, and capture what our clients tell us we’re like to work with. Our values are timeless, informing the actions of every generation of LUC.

They guide our big thinking as much as our daily working lives – from the projects we pursue, to how we manage people, to how we resolve conflicting interests.

• We act with professionalism and integrity
• We have the courage and openness to lead
• We collaborate to achieve shared goals
• We act with passion, insight and creativity