Landscape Architect Project Lead - Nature - Based Solutions

Landscape Architect / Project Lead – Nature-Based Solutions Location: Hastings, East Sussex – Hybrid Salary: £40,000 – £50,000 DOE Type: Permanent, Full Time The Opportunity LOCRI is working with a growing specialist consultancy delivering sustainable drainage, blue-green infrastructure and nature-based solutions across the UK. The business already has a strong technical base across civil engineering, highways and SuDS, and they are now looking for a Landscape Architect who can bring the landscape, placemaking and nature-led thinking into their projects. This is not a traditional Landscape Architect position where you sit within a large design team working on one part of a scheme. You will have the opportunity to take ownership of projects from the first client conversation through to delivery on site, working closely with engineers, clients and specialist consultants to create schemes that are technically robust but also genuinely improve places for people. Projects include public realm, streets, schools, regeneration, SuDS and water-sector schemes, with significant growth planned across the business over the next few years. The Role You might be handed an engineered drainage or surface-water solution and asked: How do we make this a better place? That could mean introducing planting, biodiversity, accessibility, texture, seating, play, movement or simply finding a smarter and more attractive way of integrating the infrastructure into the landscape. You will then help develop the concept, engage with the client and stakeholders, coordinate the right specialists and make sure the scheme is successfully delivered. The goal is for you to become someone the business can hand a project to and trust you to own the outcome. What You'll Be Doing

• Leading projects from initial brief through design and delivery
• Working directly with clients including councils, schools, landowners and developers
• Visiting sites and identifying opportunities to improve schemes
• Developing landscape and nature-based concepts
• Bringing placemaking, biodiversity and people-focused design into engineering-led projects
• Working closely with civil engineers and drainage specialists
• Coordinating external designers, surveyors and specialist consultants
• Reviewing designs for buildability and ensuring the original client objectives are maintained
• Managing programmes, priorities and multiple live projects
• Presenting ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Building strong client relationships and identifying opportunities for further work What They're Looking For Ideally, you will be a Landscape Architect with around 4–8 years' experience, although capability is much more important than an exact number of years. You should have experience taking projects beyond concept design and understand what is involved in actually getting schemes built. You'll bring:
• Strong landscape design and placemaking skills
• Experience delivering projects through multiple stages
• Confidence working within multidisciplinary teams
• Some understanding of drainage, levels, falls and general buildability
• Strong client-facing and stakeholder skills
• Good sketching and visual communication ability
• The confidence to take ownership of projects
• An organised and commercially aware approach Experience across SuDS, public realm, blue-green infrastructure, regeneration, highways, schools, local authority or water-sector projects would be particularly relevant. Chartership is welcomed but not essential. Why This Role? The biggest attraction is the level of ownership and progression. Rather than becoming one Landscape Architect within a large established team, you will be joining at a point where the business is actively building its landscape and design capability. You will initially work closely with the existing design lead before moving quickly into independently running projects. Longer term, there is genuine scope to help shape and grow a multidisciplinary landscape and design team as the company continues to expand. If you enjoy being out on site, speaking with clients, solving problems and seeing your ideas actually get built, this could be a really interesting move. Interested? Get in touch with Caitlin Dawson at LOCRI for a confidential conversation. Caitlin@locri.co.uk