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About the Role

SOM London seeks an Associate Designer with over 8 years of experience to lead design on complex projects from inception through schematic design. This senior studio role focuses on hands-on design leadership, guiding teams, and refining design direction rather than management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and sustain design direction on large, complex projects from first principles through schematic design.
• Recognise and strengthen emerging design ideas, and help test and communicate them.
• Set the cadence across teams with clarity, momentum and consistency.
• Lead teams and workstreams while staying hands-on in the design itself.
• Build design narratives connecting concept, context, programme, structure, material and experience.
• Shape presentations with a strong editorial eye and persuasive visual storytelling.
• Translate design ambition into coherent spatial, structural, environmental and material strategies.
• Guide senior clients and collaborators through complex design decisions.
• Lead interdisciplinary reviews and maintain design quality.
• Work closely with clients, consultants and SOM's global studios.
• Mentor designers and contribute to studio culture.
• Contribute to competitions, pitches and new business.
• Help shape the wider creative direction of SOM London.

Requirements

• At least 8 years leading architectural design.
• A clear record of developing concepts for large, complex projects through schematic design.
• Experience leading teams, projects or significant design workstreams.
• Strong judgement across form, programme, structure, material, environmental performance and context.
• Ability to turn complex ideas into clear narratives and presentations.
• Experience advising senior clients and guiding interdisciplinary teams.
• A record of mentoring designers and contributing positively to studio culture.
• Professional registration mandatory.
• Portfolio must clearly identify individual contributions and show design leadership through a project's development from concept to schematic design.
• Portfolio should be one PDF attachment, 10-20 pages, maximum 5 MB.

Skills

• Design leadership
• Concept development
• Team leadership
• Project leadership
• Design strategy
• Narrative building
• Visual storytelling
• Client advising
• Mentoring
• Interdisciplinary collaboration

Location

• London

Work Type

• Full-time

Experience Level

• 8+ years

Education Level

• Professional registration mandatory

About the Company

• SOM London is a design-led studio working across disciplines, cultures and project types.
• We are inter-disciplinary and work independently in the UK, Europe, India and the Middle East.
• The role offers the opportunity to join a thriving studio with a rich culture, shape major projects, working with leading architects and engineers and build a distinct design voice within a global practice.
• Visit www.som.com for more about SOM.

Equal Opportunity

• At SOM, we welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace.
• We believe an inclusive environment benefits our employees, our firm, and our community, while also enriching and challenging our own thinking about design.
• We are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.
• Visit this page to learn more about SOM's employment policy and how to apply offline: www.som.com/employment_opportunities_and_policy