Senior Residential Layout Feasibility Designer

PENGUIN RECRUITMENT LTD; St Albans; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Penguin Recruitment Ltd in St Albans is seeking a Senior Layout and Feasibility Designer to own residential layout and feasibility work, shaping how sites are planned, tested and brought forward. You’ll steer the process from inception to submission and contribute to the practice’s strategic growth.

Taking the lead on schemes of varying scale—from infill plots to masterplans—you’ll collaborate with planning and technical colleagues across the Southeast, with a clear path toward senior management

Qualifications

• Significant experience in residential design and feasibility studies.
• Knowledge of UK planning policy and legislation.
• Understanding of development potential and site constraints.
• Client-focused with ability to liaise with developers and landowners.

Responsibilities

• Develop residential layouts from concept to feasible schemes.
• Review schemes from other teams and optimize for cost and value.
• Manage projects from infill plots to masterplans, mainly in St Albans and the wider Southeast.
• Collaborate with planning and technical colleagues from concept to submission.
• Support planning applications to secure approvals.

Skills

Residential design

Feasibility studies

Space planning

Development potential

UK planning policy

Interpersonal skills

Job description

Senior Layout and Feasibility Designer

Salary: £38-48,000(dependent on experience)

Location: St Albans

An established architectural practice in the St Albans area is looking for a senior designer to take ownership of its residential layout and feasibility work. You’ll shape how sites are planned, tested and brought forward, and for the right person this role offers a genuine path into the practice’s senior management team.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Developing residential layouts from a blank sheet, turning raw sites into viable, well-considered schemes


• Reviewing schemes drawn up by other teams or consultants and reworking them where needed to cut cost, improve quality and unlock extra value for the client


• Handling projects of every size, from compact infill plots to large-scale masterplans, mainly across St Albans and the wider Southeast


• Working closely with technical and planning colleagues from concept through to submission, keeping designs practical, efficient and quick to turn around


• Helping to secure planning approval through strong, thoughtfully designed applications

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience in residential design, with a background in feasibility studies, space planning and assessing development potential


• Solid, up-to-date knowledge of UK planning policy and legislation


• A good grasp of residential design standards, site constraints and the commercial drivers behind development


• A clear understanding of how the property development process works, from acquisition to delivery


• A client-focused approach, with the interpersonal skills to understand what developers and landowners need