AddressOverview
Project Architect / BIM Manager
Location : London
Our mission
We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive. To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out ‘CARE’, which is what we think public service is all about.
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced Project Architect / BIM Manager to join the Islington Architects team within Islington council’s Property Services.
Main duties of the job
Reporting to the Design Team Leader within Islington Architects, the responsibility of the Project Architect will be to:
- Provide architectural services in relation to design and construction projects.
- Maintain the highest possible architectural standards, delivering projects and programmes on time, to budget and to the required quality.
- Establish and maintain clear communication with clients and project team members.
- Work in a professional, co-operative and collaborative way with other council officers.
Working for our organisation
Islington Architects is a multi-disciplinary design group of architects, landscape architects and surveyors within Property Services, providing high quality design services to clients in Islington and beyond. A RIBA chartered practice, Islington Architects has won national design awards, and is a showcase for Property Services Division.
The work undertaken by the group comprises mainly of the design, procurement and delivery of:
- new build housing projects
- schools and other education buildings
- urban design and estate regeneration projects
- office projects
Closing date: Friday 11th February 2024 at 23:59
Interviews: To be confirmed
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To provide full architectural services in relation to design and construction projects.
To lead on the establishment and implementation of BIM processes within the practice, with particular emphasis on use of Revit software.
To undertake site appraisals, investigations, and feasibility studies to assess the suitability of sites for development.
To develop design proposals, in conjunction with other members of the design team, and in liaison with the client.
To obtain planning permission, approvals under the building acts or regulations, listed building approval, and any other approvals required to progress architectural projects.
To ensure that schemes meet the client’s sustainability requirements and to prepare the necessary information to enable cost benefit analysis of the proposed environmental design features.
To act as Designer, as defined in the CDM regulations, and take all actions necessary to ensure that projects comply in full with health and safety requirements.
In carrying out design work, liaise and consult closely with colleagues in other divisions, around future maintenance requirements.
To prepare drawings, schedules, and specifications in sufficient detail to enable contractors to prepare accurate tenders.
When acting as contract administrator during the construction stages of projects:
- advise on the appraisal, selection, appointment and performance of contractors and sub-contractors.
- examine tenders, invoices, accounts and claims rendered by contractors and respond appropriately.
- provide effective project management, ensuring delivery to required cost, quality, and timescale
To provide full architectural services in accordance with recognised professional standards, i.e., ARB, RIBA, except insofar as the duties and responsibilities are modified by Islington Council’s internal regulations and procedures.
To prepare reports to senior management to procure expenditure approvals as necessary.
To attend public meetings (sometimes held in the evenings), to communicate design proposals to residents and other interested parties. To prepare drawings and other presentation material to explain architectural projects to members of the public.
To ensure the highest standard of design, budget control and contract management on all projects, paying regard to health and safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, sustainability and maintenance.
To exercise appropriate knowledge and skill concerning contract procurement, design, specification writing and project and contract management.
To lead multi-disciplinary design teams on small architectural projects, and to provide assistance to senior colleagues on large complex design projects.
To undertake investigation and practical research concerning new techniques within the building industry, where required.
To support the group’s managers by submitting timesheets and monitoring fee income against salary expenditure to ensure that fee costs are contained within budget.
To use information technology systems and specialist design software (AutoCAD, Sketchup, Photoshop, InDesign, NBS Building) to deliver projects in the most efficient and effective manner.
To provide innovative design responses to the client’s brief, producing high quality, durable buildings that are delivered on programme and within budget.
Undertake Continued Professional Development.
Person specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential criteria
- Registered Architect with demonstrable relevant experience in building design and project management.
- Extensive demonstrable experience of high quality building design, preferably in relation to public sector buildings and/or new build housing, from inception to completion.
- Extensive demonstrable experience of design team leadership and project management of construction projects.
- Extensive demonstrable experience in the use and implementation of BIM processes within architectural practice, with particular emphasis on the use of Revit software.
Desirable criteria
- REVIT
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to write technical reports.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with other members of staff, council departments, external clients and agencies, councillors and committees, tenants, contractors and consultants.
- Must be able to illustrate creativity in order to solve building design technical problems.
- Ability to plan and deliver projects to a programme within budgets and fees and to monitor and control costs at all stages.
- Ability to contribute to budget preparations, to monitor and control costs and to ensure that services are provided in a cost effective and competitive manner in accordance with quality plans and within a framework of Best Value.
- Ability to lead design teams and co-ordinate the work of technical staff within a team, both inside and outside the service.
- Knowledge of building construction and specification, planning approvals and project management.
- Knowledge of building legislation, Building Regulations and building contracts.
- Ability to attend evening meetings.
- Ability to advise on the appraisal, selection, appointment and monitoring of contractors and sub-contractors.
- Ability to operate within agreed fee levels and time allocations.
- Good working knowledge of specialist design and specification writing software such as Autocad, Sketchup, Photoshop, Indesign & NBS Building.
- Ability to deliver services to the public within Islington Council’s Equality and Diversity strategy
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Apply online now
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Fiona Monkman
- Job title
- Head of Architecture
- Email address
- fiona.monkman@islington.gov.uk
- Telephone number
- 07905106354
