About Prior + Partners
Prior + Partners is a specialist placemaking practice integrating masterplanning, planning and economics to unlock the potential of places and communities.
Our work spans district, city and regional scales, moving between strategic visioning, concept and detailed masterplans, and implementation. We work on major regeneration projects, new communities, mixed-use districts and strategic development frameworks in the UK and internationally.
Our international portfolio includes transformative projects across the Middle East, including strategic visions, regional development frameworks, and concept and detailed masterplans for large-scale urban development projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider region.
We are now seeking an experienced Associate Urban Designer to join our London team and play a leading role in the design and delivery of complex Middle East masterplanning and urban development projects.
About the role
The successful candidate will be a creative, experienced and client-focused urban designer with around 8+ years of professional experience in masterplanning and urban design.
This role will be primarily focused on major projects across the Middle East, working from our London office in close collaboration with our London and Dubai-based teams. You will help lead the design and coordination of complex masterplanning projects, working closely with clients, consultants and multidisciplinary teams across strategic, concept and detailed design stages.
The role requires strong design judgement, technical understanding, clear communication, and the ability to guide project teams through fast-moving, multidisciplinary and client-facing project environments. Previous Middle Eastern project experience is preferred, particularly on district- or city-scale masterplanning projects.
You will be expected to contribute to design leadership within the practice, support the development of younger team members, and help maintain the quality, rigour and creativity of our urban design work.
International travel may be required.
Key Responsibilities:
The role will include:
- Leading the design, development and testing of masterplans across strategic, pre-concept, concept and detailed design stages;
- Preparing place visions, spatial strategies and urban design frameworks for large-scale urban development projects;
- Leading site analysis, capacity studies, baseline reviews and design option testing;
- Coordinating project inputs across internal teams, Middle East-based clients, sub-consultants and design partners;
- Leading the preparation of reports, drawings, diagrams, illustrations, presentations and design narratives;
- Developing design codes, design guidelines, plot sheets and project-specific design standards;
- Contributing to the preparation of design briefs, development schedules and project datasets;
- Leading or contributing to client presentations, workshops, design reviews and stakeholder meetings;
- Supporting coordination between London, Dubai and wider consultant teams;
- Managing and mentoring Senior Urban Designers and Urban Designers within project teams;
- Supporting internal coordination, quality review and design excellence across the practice
The candidates we are looking for will have:
- A degree in Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture or a related discipline;
- Around 8+ years of professional experience in urban design and masterplanning;
- Experience delivering large-scale, mixed-use, district, city or regional masterplanning projects;
- Previous Middle Eastern project experience preferred, particularly on large-scale masterplanning projects;
- A strong understanding of international masterplanning processes, from strategic visioning through to concept and detailed masterplan stages;
- Familiarity with regional planning frameworks, design guidelines, development schedules and client review processes would be beneficial;
- Strong design flair, supported by technical understanding and delivery experience;
- Excellent drawing, graphic, written and verbal communication skills;
- Confidence in presenting design ideas clearly to clients, consultants and stakeholders;
- Experience leading project teams and managing multiple workstreams;
- A collaborative, organised and proactive approach;
- Experience working in multidisciplinary consultancy environments;
- Fluency in English; Arabic language skills would be an advantage.
Technical and digital skills
Strong technical and digital design proficiency is expected, including:
- Adobe Creative Cloud;
- AutoCAD and/or Rhino, including 3D modelling;
- GIS software such as ArcGIS Pro or QGIS;
- CAD-to-GIS workflows.
Experience in the following would also be beneficial:
- Excel-based development schedules and data coordination;
- Rendering software such as V-Ray, Twinmotion or Enscape;
- Climate, wind or environmental modelling tools;
- Grasshopper or other parametric design tools;
- Revit, Unreal Engine, Unity or generative AI workflows for illustrative outputs.
How to apply
Salary will be commensurate with experience. We offer the opportunity to further your career within a busy, growing and multidisciplinary practice, working alongside urban designers, planners, economists, spatial data specialists and public realm professionals.
To apply, please submit your CV and portfolio in confidence to: careers@priorpartners.com
Prior + Partners is an Employee-Owned Trust and an equal opportunities employer committed to creating an open, respectful environment where people can build lasting careers and do their best work. We welcome applications from candidates returning to the profession following a career break.