Principal Architect

Are you a Justice sector experienced Principal Architect with strong collaboration and communication skills? Join AECOM’s Architecture team in Manchester and contribute to the delivery of complex, high-quality design projects across a range of Justice sector typologies.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Principal Architect with a strong background in MoJ and dormitory accommodation. REVIT will be one of your daily tool’s and a REVIT assessment will form part of the application process.

You will play a key role in producing and coordinating design information through all RIBA Stages, leading and working closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure accuracy, compliance and excellence in delivery.

This role is to serve our Justice Sector covering MoJ, Courts and Home Office projects, working both directly to the client in a role of lead designer and Technical Assessor, as well as also working as part of contractors multidiscipline design teams on other justice sector projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead designer responsibilities within a multidiscipline team.
• Production and coordination of models and drawings in REVIT and AutoCAD.
• Supporting the design proposals and ideas for a mix of new build, refurbishment and compliance upgrades and expansion programmes.
• Preparing, reviewing and approving drawings
• Liaising with design and drafting teams across disciplines
• Delivering design packages of moderate to high complexity
• Producing detailed drawings in line with project specifications and established standards
• Preparing specifications, reports and supporting data tables
• Undertaking material take-offs, measurements and area calculations directly from REVIT model. Performing basic architectural calculations.
• Reviewing and interpreting vendor, subcontractor and 3rd party designers documentation
• Ensuring compliance with relevant codes, permits and discipline-specific standards
• Knowledge or experience in using CDE platforms for document control and coordination
• Marking up drawings using Adobe PDF and working confidently within Microsoft Office applications
• Line management and mentoring less experienced and lower grade members of the team.
• Lead verification role once settled within the role and obtaining the required experience within the sector and business.
• Acting as BR PD utilising the AECOM standard proformas and procedures to demonstrate compliance.
• Supporting fee proposals and bids, and monitoring hours expended on projects.

About You

• Detail-oriented with strong coordination skills
• Experience in spacial design and technical detailing within architecture
• Strong REVIT capability (preferred)
• AutoCAD knowledge (essential)
• In Design and Photoshop (desirable)
• Strong understanding of construction documentation and design standards
• Confident interpreting technical specifications and instructions
• Experience working within Common Data Environments (CDEs)

Proven related Architecture experience in MoJ and dormitory sleeping accommodation and communal facilities essential.

Recent experience of having worked on High security, Government developments (SC clearance required).

• Detail-oriented with strong coordination skills
• Experience in spacial design and technical detailing within architecture
• Strong REVIT capability (preferred)
• AutoCAD knowledge (essential)
• In Design and Photoshop (desirable)
• Strong understanding of construction documentation and design standards
• Confident interpreting technical specifications and instructions
• Experience working within Common Data Environments (CDEs)
• ARB Registered Architect.
• You will also be required to obtain BPSS and SC clearance.

Manchester based with as a minimum a mandatory day working in the office on a Wednesday and further days to be agreed with flexible hybrid working opportunities on non-mandatory day. Expected to be accommodating 2-3 non-working at home days each week.

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address ReasonableAccommodationsUKI@aecom.com if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.