Technical Director, London
Legacy residential UK Architecture Practice
A legacy UK architecture practice has an opening for a Technical Director.
JOB SUMMARY:
A legacy UK architecture practice has an opening for a Technical Director. This role will oversee all projects in the London office and support the technical delivery of two new major residential-led projects in the UK.
The position focuses on the technical delivery of projects and processes, including software and systems, building regulations, CDM, specification, and sustainability. The role involves supporting, maintaining, and overseeing the project support function to ensure that projects are well set up, risk-free, and delivered to a high standard. This role is both strategic and hands-on, and would suit someone who can think at both macro and micro levels.
The opportunity involves directing best practices and connecting HR, finance, project leads, and all project support functions. It will be a key leadership position in the studio. Reporting to the founders, the Technical Director will bring strategic and delivery-focused insight to the team. The role will also suit architects who wish to remain hands-on with projects — it will be client-facing and active from Stage 3 onwards.
The studio recognises areas for growth and development and is seeking individuals who bring fresh ideas and can help influence positive change over time. The resources are in place to support this, but the leadership and direction of this role will be instrumental in improving the efficiency and practicality of project delivery. The Technical Director will also partner with the team to ensure projects are properly resourced and will be focused on nurturing and guiding a team that understands what it means to build exceptional buildings while maintaining design intent.
The practice is looking for candidates with large practice knowledge who are ready to step into a design-led, medium-sized studio where they can take on greater responsibility. Successful candidates will have experience leading large teams, a proven track record in technical delivery, and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Key Responsibilities:
Oversee all project delivery in the London studio.
Provide technical leadership across the studio, influencing process, compliance, and innovation.
Act as a strategic link between design teams, HR, finance, and project leaders.
Enables architects in maintaining design integrity through robust technical resolution.
Drive best practice across project resourcing, mentoring, and guidance.
Engage with clients and be involved in later-stage project delivery (RIBA Stage 3+ while supporting at early stages).
Ideal Candidate:
A technically strong architect with 15 + years experience in delivery leadership at a senior level.
Proven ability to lead and mentor large teams across multiple projects.
Strong working knowledge of UK building regulations, construction detailing, and software.
Comfortable influencing business-wide processes and leading technical change.
Experience in a UK projects.
Excellent communication skills – both verbal and written.
Committed to studio-based working (4–5 days/week) with a visible presence in the team.
This is a pivotal opportunity to shape and strengthen the technical foundation of a respected studios. The successful candidate will help grow the practice’s capacity to deliver bold, complex design while enhancing quality, efficiency, and long-term project success.
