Chief Architect (Head Office)

Job description / Role

Effective Leadership of the day-to-day activities of the Architectural Department, including the following major roles:
• Supervision of the teams responsible for development of architectural designs for major building projects, including residential, commercial, corporate, recreational, educational, healthcare and mixed-use developments, from initial concept and preliminary design to final design and tender documentation level.
• Resource planning, distribution and monitoring of a multi-national and mixed gender team of 45 Architectural, interior design, landscape and urban planning staff ranging in seniority from Senior professionals to CAD/Revit technicians.

Reporting to the Head of the Architectural Department, other responsibilities will include:
• Supervising the activities of design teams to ensure the proper interpretation of project briefs and client requirements, technical development of designs and subsequent preparation of construction documentation.
• Ensuring that the Architectural design is properly coordinated with the requirements of other design disciplines.
• Presentation of Architectural designs to appropriate regulatory and client authorities for approval during all stages of the design process.
• Ensuing the completeness and quality of the output of architectural design teams.
• Reporting to Project managers, interpreting the global needs of a project and translating those into resource requirements, schedules and deliverables that allow fee budgets and schedules to be met.
• Ensuring that technical output meets current and relevant building codes and standards.
• Assisting in the general management of the Architectural Department including ongoing implementation of BIM and Revit capabilities.
• Supervision of staff development including continuing education development and training in new software and LEED education programs.
• Monitoring of productivity and discipline within the studio environment and resolution of issues, if necessary with the support of the Head of department.

Requirements

Suitable candidates will have a Bachelors degree in architecture accredited by a Western Architectural Professional Body (e.g. RIBA, AIA, RAIC) and a minimum of 15 years professional experience since graduation, some of which would preferably have been gained in the Middle East.

A thorough knowledge of all aspects of the building design and construction process, including in-depth knowledge of architectural construction materials and their application, as well as considerable experience in the production of design documentation, including drawings and details, schedules and specifications is essential.

The ability to effectively communicate ideas to other team members, as well as an understanding of the engineering requirements of projects and the coordination of these into the architectural design, are essential aspects of the position. Candidates must be conversant with international codes and standards for building design and be familiar with quality assurance/quality control procedures applicable to a design office.

Well-founded confidence, self-motivation, a flexible approach and the ability to work within, and recognize the cultural sensitivities in motivating a multi-cultural team are all qualities important to making a success of the position. A strong and positive problem solving capability and level of initiative is essential.

About the Company

italent has been around since 2012, when we saw that businesses needed better talent solutions for their employment requirements. By focusing our efforts on quality products and services that are simple-to-use and innovative, our team brings you the best results without any unexpected additional costs and unnecessary complications. Simply put, we love helping businesses find and keep the right people.