Associate Architect

About the Role

We seek an experienced Associate Architect based in Dubai to lead concept creation, oversee design delivery, and apply strong commercial insight in project development. The role spans various sectors including hospitality, high-rise, residential, mixed-use, and masterplanning projects both within the UAE and internationally.

Key Responsibilities

• Originate and develop innovative design concepts maintaining cohesive vision throughout project phases.
• Contribute to masterplanning aspects such as land use, density, massing, urban frameworks, phasing, building massing, and façades.
• Lead design teams across concept, schematic, design development, and tender stages ensuring coordination with consultants to avoid and resolve design conflicts.
• Review and manage quality, constructability, and consistency of drawings, models, and reports in alignment with approved concepts.
• Ensure design decisions align with budgets, efficiency metrics, and timelines, collaborating with cost consultants on cost control and value engineering.
• Assist in preparing fee proposals, resource allocation, project scheduling, and monitoring scope changes and variations.
• Serve as primary contact for clients, operators, developers, and consultants and contribute to business development through bids and competitions.
• Collaborate with international teams on non-UAE projects, supporting global design efforts.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

• Possess a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture.
• Professional registration or chartership (e.g., RIBA, ARB) preferred; UAE registration eligibility advantageous.

Experience Requirements

• Over 10 years of post-degree architectural experience, with significant exposure in the UAE or GCC region.
• Demonstrated success on hospitality, residential, mixed-use, and masterplanning projects.
• Comprehensive experience spanning concept to design development phases, with an understanding of later stage impacts on initial concepts.
• Proven leadership managing design teams and coordinating with external consultants.
• Familiarity with UAE authority approvals and local building codes including Dubai Building Code, fire, life safety, and municipality guidelines.
• Experience working on international projects is highly valued.

Key Skills and Attributes

• Exceptional conceptual and graphic skills supported by a portfolio showcasing both innovation and execution.
• Strong commercial awareness in discussing project efficiencies, cost control, value engineering, and schedules with stakeholders.
• Effective communicator capable of presenting to senior clients and authorship of succinct reports.
• Highly organized, proactive, with capability to oversee multiple projects simultaneously.
• Collaborative leadership style that motivates and nurtures diverse, multicultural teams.

Technical Proficiencies

• Expertise in Revit and AutoCAD; Rhino and Grasshopper skills are an advantage.
• Proficiency with SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), and visualization tools like Enscape or Twinmotion.
• Competency in Microsoft Office; knowledge of BIM coordination software such as Navisworks is beneficial.

Additional Advantages

• Experience with artificial intelligence applications in architecture including generative AI for concept exploration, image creation, and iterative design processes.
• Familiarity with computational or parametric design workflows using Grasshopper, Python, or similar tools for data-informed massing and yield analysis.
• Utilization of AI to optimize design management workflows, automate documentation, synthesize consultant feedback, and verify design briefs.
• Capability to contribute to studio-wide adoption practices for AI tools encompassing standards, quality assurance, and ethical use.