Senior Urban Design Officer
Posted 3 hours 19 minutes ago by Reed
Senior Urban Design Officer (Interim)
Immediate Start
Shape one of the UK's most iconic cities.
Oxford is growing, changing and facing big design challenges-and we're looking for an experienced Senior Urban Design Officer to help lead the quality and ambition of major development across the city.
This is a high-profile interim role at the heart of a busy planning authority, ideal for an urban design professional who thrives on influence, collaboration and design excellence.
The role
You'll be a trusted design specialist, working closely with planning colleagues and senior stakeholders to ensure development in Oxford is of the highest quality.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing specialist urban design advice on major planning applications and pre-application enquiries
- Shaping and contributing to design guidance and planning policy projects
- Supporting and helping to facilitate the Oxford Design Review Panel
- Advising officers, applicants, agents and elected Members with clear, balanced and evidence-led recommendations
- Presenting confidently at committees and stakeholder meetings
About you
You're a confident, credible urban design professional who can balance strong design principles with pragmatic decision-making.
You will bring:
- A degree in urban design, architecture or a closely related subject
- Membership (or working towards) RIBA, RTPI or the Urban Design Group
- Proven experience dealing with the urban design aspects of major development proposals
- A strong track record of influencing outcomes and building collaborative relationships
Contract details
- 37 hours per week
- 5 days per week (4-day condensed week considered)
- Hybrid working - flexible, with an expectation of at least 2 days per week in the office(Thursdays are typically the key office day)
- Immediate start
- Initial contract until at least August, with potential extension
Rates:
- £20.99 PAYE per hour
- £23.52 Umbrella per hour
- Higher rates considered for the right candidate please note your anticipated rate on your CV
Why this role?
- Work on high-profile schemes in a world-renowned city
- Be a genuine design influencer, not just a reviewer
- Join a collaborative, professional team that values quality and expertise
- Flexible working with a competitive interim rate
If you're ready to make a visible impact on Oxford's built environment, we'd love to hear from you.
- Experience presenting to elected Members and committees
- Sound, current knowledge of the UK planning system, planning law and government guidance
- Excellent analytical skills and the confidence to make and defend evidence-based judgements
- Strong IT capability