Associate / Senior Associate – Education

- Lead the growth of a new Sydney education team
- Drive design across high-quality education projects
- Build, lead and grow your own team

ABOUT THE COMPANY
An established and highly regarded architecture practice is expanding its presence within the Sydney market and is looking to strengthen its education sector offering.
The practice has a substantial education team nationally, with a strong track record delivering thoughtful, people-focused learning environments. With an established team and deep sector expertise interstate, the business is now looking to build a dedicated education capability in Sydney.
This is an opportunity to join a team-oriented practice at a senior level and play a genuine role in shaping the growth of its Sydney education portfolio.

ABOUT THE ROLE
This is a newly created Associate / Senior Associate position, suited to an experienced architect or design leader with a strong background in education projects.
You will take a lead role in establishing and growing the Sydney education team, combining design leadership, project delivery, team building and sector expertise.
The practice is open to someone whose strengths sit primarily in design and project leadership, with Partners available to support business development, client relationships and work winning.
You will have the prospect to build your own team, initially leading a small group before growing a dedicated division of architects and designers.

DUTIES

- Lead the development of the Sydney education sector and establish a strong local project portfolio.
- Provide design leadership across education projects from early concept through to delivery.
- Lead project teams of approximately 5–15 people, depending on project scale.




- Develop design strategies that respond to the needs of students, teachers, staff and broader communities.
- Bring a strong understanding of contemporary education design principles and learning environments.
- Work closely with Partners on business development, client relationships and work winning.
- Build trusted relationships with education clients, stakeholders and consultants.
- Recruit, mentor and develop architects and designers within the Sydney education team.
- Oversee project delivery, ensuring strong design outcomes alongside programme, budget and quality requirements.
- Collaborate with the broader national education team and leverage their established knowledge and expertise.
- Contribute to the continued development of the practice's education design capability and market presence.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

- Registered Architect with significant experience delivering education projects in Australia.
- Strong understanding of education design, ideally across schools, tertiary or other learning environments.
- A confident design leader with the ability to translate educational requirements into thoughtful architectural outcomes.
- Strong understanding of the different needs of students, teachers, staff and education providers.
- Demonstrated ability to lead projects through design development and delivery.




- Experience managing and mentoring project teams, ideally between 5–15 people.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Commercial awareness and an understanding of how to contribute to winning and delivering work.
- A genuine interest in growing a team and establishing a strong education presence within Sydney.
- Experience working collaboratively within a larger, multi-studio practice would be advantageous.

CULTURE
The Sydney studio offers a collaborative and design-led environment where senior team members are given genuine ownership over their work and the opportunity to influence the direction of the studio.
This is not simply a project delivery role. You will have the autonomy to build something of your own, supported by the senior leadership team and a well-established national education team.
The successful person will be trusted to develop their own team, mentor emerging talent and help shape the studio's education offering, while having access to the broader knowledge, resources and expertise of an established national practice.

BENEFITS

- Newly created leadership position with genuine scope to shape the Sydney education offering.
- Opportunity to build and lead your own team and division.
- Support from experienced / senior level staff across business development & work winning.
- Significant exposure to high-quality education projects.
- Strong pathway for continued leadership and career progression.
- Opportunity to have a meaningful influence on the growth of the Sydney studio.

HOW TO APPLY
Click APPLY or contact Tom Rice – Senior Recruitment Consultant on [email protected] to arrange a confidential discussion.

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📌 Associate Architect - Education Lead (Surry Hills)
🏢 Core Talent
📍 Surry Hills