Senior Architect

GRØ CAREERS; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

GRØ Careers is partnering with the London studio of an established architectural practice to recruit a Senior/Project Architect for Central London. The role offers a clear pathway toward Associate and provides genuine ownership of key client relationships and major residential projects.

Ideal candidates will be ready to contribute immediately, bring mature judgement, and develop further under senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Be the No.2 to a senior leader in the London studio and help drive project outcomes.
• Take increasing project ownership and work toward client ownership.
• Participate in client meetings, contribute to project strategy, and coordinate consultants.

Job description

Senior / Project Architect - Central London

Clear pathway to Associate | Major residential projects | Genuine client ownership

There comes a point in an architect’s career where another good project on the CV is not enough.

You may already be working on large, complex schemes, leading packages and managing junior colleagues but… perhaps the client still calls the Director, the programme sits with someone above you, and the bigger commercial decisions happen in meetings you are not yet part of.

This opportunity has been created for someone who wants to change that.

GRØ Careers is partnering with the London studio of an established multi-office architectural practice entering the next phase of a deliberately planned growth strategy.

They are looking for a Project Architect / Senior Architect to become the No.2 to one of the senior leaders of the London studio, with a genuine pathway towards Associate.

This is not reactive recruitment. The projects are secured, the growth plan is mapped and the position is signed off.

The next 2-3 years could materially change your career…

One of the Directors described the ideal starting point simply: “80% cooked would be great”

They are not looking for somebody who arrives knowing everything. They want someone with enough experience, judgement and maturity to contribute immediately, while still having meaningful room to develop.

The trajectory is clear: Project / Senior Architect → increasing project ownership → client ownership → Associate

The leadership team is heavily invested in helping the right person make that journey, and they already have evidence that this model works, with people who joined at Architect / Project Architect level progressing into senior positions.

Clients will know who you are…

One of the biggest differentiators is how the senior team thinks about client relationships.

They do not believe those relationships should remain permanently locked at Director level. Their intention is to develop the next generation of people who can own them themselves.

As one senior leader put it: “The client should be phoning that person”

That means genuine exposure to client meetings, project strategy, consultant coordination, programme discussions, design decisions, commercial conversations and team leadership.

For architects who have hit a glass ceiling in a top-heavy practice, that is a very different proposition.

Major projects - but genuine ownership…

The immediate workload includes large-scale residential and living-sector projects involving major developer/client interfaces, complex consultant teams and significant programme demands.

They are open to somebody who has worked at genuine scale within a larger practice… perhaps leading substantial packages or workstreams… and is now ready to step into broader ownership.

The key is being able to see beyond your own package and understand how the whole project fits together: design + programme + people + consultants + client + commercial reality

At GRØ, we also felt architects who have spent time in Design Management, Project Management or wider project delivery roles, and are now considering a move back into practice, could be particularly interesting. That experience can bring valuable whole-project perspective and stronger commercial awareness.

Autonomy - without being left on your own…

One of the Directors summed it up well: “There’s a vast difference between autonomy and isolation”

You will not be micromanaged. The team will agree strategy, programme and direction together, then trust you to drive the process.

But you are not being dropped into a project and left to struggle. You will have access to experienced senior leadership, sector specialists, wider practice resource and established technical expertise.

They value people who can “pick things up quickly” … self-aware architects who understand where their gaps are and know how to close them.

Design matters. Commercial judgement matters just as much.

This is not a practice where architecture exists in isolation from the realities of the client.

You need a good design eye and the ability to contribute across feasibility, concept and early-stage work… but the design also has to land commercially.

The studio works with sophisticated commercial clients and developers who expect architects to understand viability, programme, deliverability, value, stakeholder requirements and commercial objectives.

The business has a strong track record of reviewing schemes that may not be landing with a client, understanding why, and tactfully reshaping the approach into something that works better.

If you see design through a commercial lens, you will probably enjoy this environment.

Bring ideas. Improve the studio.

The London model is proven. The next stage is about making it better.

The leadership team actively wants somebody who brings ideas around process, technology, AI, workflow and how project teams operate.

They are already exploring AI, digital workflows and new internal tools, while remaining conscious that innovation must sit alongside strong architectural fundamentals.

This is a platform for somebody who wants to influence how the studio evolves rather than simply inherit the way things have always been done.

Flexibility when you need it. Presence when it matters.

The practice operates a 3:2 office / home-working policy, so genuine flexibility is built into the business.

For this role, we envisage something closer to a 4:1 office / home-working rhythm for much of the time because the position is about managing people, influencing the studio, developing client relationships, leading projects and learning directly from senior leadership.

That said, this is not a rigid environment. One Director described the culture as operating on “a trust model.”

If flexibility is needed around family commitments, nursery/school runs, appointments or life outside work, the business is accommodating.

The practice has also recently invested in a brand-new central London studio and actively encourages people to use it.

If you see the next 2-3 years as an opportunity to accelerate into genuine leadership, this is likely to suit you better than a predominantly remote role.

A practice that respects your time…

The standard working week is approximately 35 hours.

Where genuine additional hours are required and agreed with the Directors, the business has a framework in place to pay overtime.

The leadership team expects people to work hard and take ownership, but also recognises that people’s time has value.

The influence of a smaller studio. The stability of a larger practice.

The London studio is around 12 people, sitting within a long-established multi-office architectural business of approximately 110 plus staff.

That means the visibility, access to Directors, client exposure and influence of a smaller studio, alongside the infrastructure of a larger practice: established technical resource, repeat clients, cross-office support, Part III support, structured development frameworks and financial resilience.

The growth taking place in London is being driven by secured projects and an established client base, NOT simply optimism about projects that might be won.

Who is likely to thrive here?

This may resonate if:

• you are already performing above your title;
• client relationships remain locked at Director level;
• you lead substantial packages but do not yet own the whole process;
• progression feels dependent on somebody above you leaving;
• you want more exposure to programme, commercial thinking and client strategy;
• you want to manage people and become a genuine voice in the room;
• you want enough support to develop, but enough autonomy to prove what you can do.

If any of those feel familiar, this opportunity is worth exploring.

The essentials…

• Location: Central London
• Level: Project Architect / Senior Architect
• Progression: Clear pathway towards client-facing Associate
• Working week: Approx. 35 hours
• Hybrid: Formal 3:2 model; this leadership role is likely to operate closer to 4:1 while retaining genuine flexibility when needed
• Project exposure: Large-scale residential, PBSA, mixed-use and regeneration
• Practice: Established multi-office UK architectural business, approx. 120 staff
• London studio: Approx. 12 people, entering a planned phase of growth
• Salary: Open and dependent on experience; the leadership team will pay appropriately for the right person

About this search…

GRØ Careers is working directly with the senior leadership team on this appointment.

We have successfully recruited into this London studio previously, including people who have subsequently progressed into key senior positions, so we can give interested architects a detailed and candid view of the culture, projects, expectations and progression opportunity.

Confidential applications welcomed.