Design Guardian (RIBA/ARB) - Masterplanning / Design Coordination (London-Based)

Description

• Act as the primary interface between UK-based consultants and the international design leadership.
• Support the global team in upholding project vision, design principles and strategic objectives.
• Review consultant outputs, identify design implications, and report risks or required decisions back to the design principal.
• Participate in coordination sessions, technical discussions and design reviews across multiple time zones.
• Lead the flow of information, track decisions, and coordinate across disciplines to maintain consistency and clarity.
• Work 2 to 3 days per week on-site within the consultant team in London, acting as the project’s design guardian and ensuring the masterplan intent is upheld through all coordination activities.
• Act as a trusted ambassador for the practice, establishing strong working relationships with senior consultant teams.
• You become the key voice ensuring the integrity of the masterplan vision.

Requirements

If you thrive in high-level coordination, love complex urban-scale problems, and enjoy being trusted with real responsibility, this role will give you unparalleled exposure.

Given that the design team is distributed globally, you will need to be comfortable working across time zones, with occasional early-morning or out-of-hours coordination.

• Ability to work autonomously, represent a design principal, and act with clarity, maturity and confidence.
• Experience working across multiple time zones.
• A genuine passion for ambitious, visionary design projects.
• Experience reviewing consultant work across engineering, mobility, infrastructure, environmental or urban systems.
• Familiarity with Revit or ability to liaise with technical support teams working in BIM.
• Demonstrable experience on large-scale, complex development projects… ideally masterplans or multi-building sites.
• Self-motivated and dependable.
• Strong understanding of design coordination, interfaces, and the knock-on effects of multidisciplinary decisions.
• Some exposure to construction-stage realities or value-engineering processes.
• 8 to 10 years of experience (minimum 5) in architecture, urban design or masterplanning.
• Strong organisational ability: tracking issues, managing actions, ensuring alignment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills… calm, articulate, ego-free.

Benefits

• Hybrid model: part-week in consultant offices, part-remote, with high autonomy.
• You gain exposure to complex urban systems, cutting-edge design thinking, and major international stakeholders.
• Full-time role via a consultancy-style engagement.
• Competitive senior-level compensation aligned with experience.
• You work directly with the global leadership of a renowned design studio.
• Long-term commitment: initial 2+ years of guaranteed work, with potential involvement extending to 2030.

Training + Development

Interview process

Visa Sponsorship

Security clearance