Workplace Designer

Government Recruitment Service; Leeds; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service in Leeds seeks a dedicated Workplace Designer to join the Government Property Agency project teams on a permanent, full-time basis. You will ensure compliance with the Government Workplace Design Guide, provide day-to-day design guidance, and support the Workplace Design Manager in delivering flexible, inclusive spaces that meet client requirements.

You will collaborate across partners and internal teams to minimise costs, manage design risks, and promote smarter,

Responsibilities

• Reporting to a Workplace Design Manager, the Workplace Designer is responsible for ensuring designs align with the Government Workplace Design Guide and GPA requirements.
• Providing professional advice and guidance to the project team and escalating design risks as appropriate.
• Technically assuring designs produced by GPA partners and developers to ensure compliance.
• Implementing the Government Workplace Design Guide in full and managing exceptions into briefing material for Cat A and Cat B stages.
• Collaborating with project teams to minimise costs and ensure best value.
• Providing information for briefings, options analysis and stakeholder communications.
• Monitoring and reporting on design progress and supporting smarter ways of working.

Job description

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with morethan £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work,leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbonemissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we arelooking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leadingsignificant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme,Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplaceservices.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning,where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heartof everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and growtogether:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity,and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just aboutdriving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet theneeds of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensurethat we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularlyinviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, andpeople who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability,nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth.

We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningfulimpact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape ourfuture direction.

The Workplace Designer (WD) is responsible for ensuring the Government Workplace Design Guide and supporting technical handbooks are applied consistently across specific projects. They also provide day to day advice and guidance to the project team on design matters.

Supporting the Workplace Design Manager, and acting as the tactical Intelligent Client on specific projects, the WD interprets the Government Workplace Design Guide, GPA’s Employer Requirements and any client specialist requirements, informing design briefs for developers and GPA’s consulting design partners to produce designs for each RIBA stage.

The WD provides assurance that all designs support the GPA’s commitment to create workplaces that are safe, inclusive and accessible and as flexible as possible to support smarter and hybrid working practices.

Working as part of a wider team, the WD provides ad-hoc support on other projects as required, including the development and maintenance of our guides and standards to ensure our projects are at the forefront of sustainable and inclusive workplace design.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to a Workplace Design Manager, the Workplace Designer is responsible for:

• Advising the Workplace Design Manager on the status of the project’s design, ensuring they are aligned to the Government Workplace Design Guide and supporting technical handbooks.
• Providing professional advice and guidance to the project team, escalating design related risks and issues as appropriate to the Workplace Design Manager.
• Technically assuring the designs produced by the GPA’s consulting design partners and developer’s architects, to ensure compliance with GPA’s requirements.
• Implementing the Government Workplace Design Guide in full, as far as is reasonably practicable, and managing exceptions (client specialist requirements) into appropriate briefing material for designers to use during Cat A and Cat B RIBA stages, minimising the need for bespoke spaces.
• Work with the Project Manager to review client specialist requirements to minimise costs and unnecessary derogation from the Government Workplace Design Guide and technical annexes.
• Providing information to inform detailed briefings, options analysis and information on design for senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Monitoring and reporting on the project specific design progress.
• Supporting the GPA Customer Experience team to advocate smarter ways of working.
• Supporting the GPA’s Chief Technology Office team to deliver interoperable AV/IT solutions.
• Supporting the GPA Business Readiness team to design customer focussed products and services.
• Working with subject matter experts in design-related areas across government, and private sector professionals including the property industry.
• Acting as a client design point of contact for designers, contractors, consultant partners and their supply chains on specific projects.

The Workplace Designer is directly accountable to the Workplace Design Manager for the status of their allocated project’s design

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Workplace Designer

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £43,936 to £48,268 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Leeds

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 6 Nov 2026

Closing date: 23 Nov 2026

Summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with morethan £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work,leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbonemissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we arelooking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leadingsignificant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme,Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplaceservices.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning,where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heartof everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and growtogether:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity,and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just aboutdriving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet theneeds of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensurethat we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularlyinviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, andpeople who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability,nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth.

We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningfulimpact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape ourfuture direction.

The Workplace Designer (WD) is responsible for ensuring the Government Workplace Design Guide and supporting technical handbooks are applied consistently across specific projects. They also provide day to day advice and guidance to the project team on design matters.

Supporting the Workplace Design Manager, and acting as the tactical Intelligent Client on specific projects, the WD interprets the Government Workplace Design Guide, GPA’s Employer Requirements and any client specialist requirements, informing design briefs for developers and GPA’s consulting design partners to produce designs for each RIBA stage.

The WD provides assurance that all designs support the GPA’s commitment to create workplaces that are safe, inclusive and accessible and as flexible as possible to support smarter and hybrid working practices.

Working as part of a wider team, the WD provides ad-hoc support on other projects as required, including the development and maintenance of our guides and standards to ensure our projects are at the forefront of sustainable and inclusive workplace design.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to a Workplace Design Manager, the Workplace Designer is responsible for:

• Advising the Workplace Design Manager on the status of the project’s design, ensuring they are aligned to the Government Workplace Design Guide and supporting technical handbooks.
• Providing professional advice and guidance to the project team, escalating design related risks and issues as appropriate to the Workplace Design Manager.
• Technically assuring the designs produced by the GPA’s consulting design partners and developer’s architects, to ensure compliance with GPA’s requirements.
• Supporting client engagement on all design matters.
• Implementing the Government Workplace Design Guide in full, as far as is reasonably practicable, and managing exceptions (client specialist requirements) into appropriate briefing material for designers to use during Cat A and Cat B RIBA stages, minimising the need for bespoke spaces.
• Work with the Project Manager to review client specialist requirements to minimise costs and unnecessary derogation from the Government Workplace Design Guide and technical annexes.
• Providing information to inform detailed briefings, options analysis and information on design for senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Monitoring and reporting on the project specific design progress.
• Supporting the GPA Customer Experience team to advocate smarter ways of working.
• Supporting the GPA’s Chief Technology Office team to deliver interoperable AV/IT solutions.
• Supporting the GPA Business Readiness team to design customer focussed products and services.
• Working with subject matter experts in design-related areas across government, and private sector professionals including the property industry.
• Acting as a client design point of contact for designers, contractors, consultant partners and their supply chains on specific projects.

The Workplace Designer is directly accountable to the Workplace Design Manager for the status of their allocated project’s design

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.