Urban Designer

At Gensler, we design for people. We leverage our global perspective and local presence to innovate at every scale. We're not just designers. We're tinkerers, craftspeople, visionaries, innovators and thought leaders.

Fueled by passion and entrepreneurial spirit, our people bring new ideas to solve challenging problems. Whether you're into sketching new ideas, hacking a building or growing client relationships in global markets, there's something here for everyone.

Our depth of expertise spans disciplines-from aviation and transportation to education, hospitality, retail, technology and more. At our core we embody an entrepreneurial spirit, always looking ahead for new ways to innovate and add to our clients' success. We share the belief that design has the power to transform organizations and change lives; whether we're refreshing a retailer's brand, planning a new urban district or designing a super tall building.

Our work reflects an enduring commitment to sustainability, and we believe that a diversity of voices and cultures is one of the most powerful strategic tools for securing lasting competitive advantage.

As the world's largest design firm, Gensler has a unique obligation and opportunity to focus on sustainability in the built environment. We deepened our commitment to combat the impact on climate change in the built environment when we launched Gensler Cities Climate Challenge (GC3) in 2019. This is our pledge to meet an ambitious goal: the elimination of all greenhouse gases from our work by 2030.

Your Role

As a Senior Urban Designer, you will lead design projects and initiatives to create high-quality urban environments that are sustainable, equitable, and meet the needs of the community. You will provide design leadership, mentorship, and management to a team of designers, planners, and architects, and will be responsible for developing and managing project budgets, timelines, and deliverables.

What You Will Do

You will be focused on master planning projects, while also gaining exposure to a wide range of design experiences within our full portfolio of integrated disciplines: architecture, interiors, graphic/industrial design and consulting.

• Working closely with the Studio Director and design team to develop master plans and urban planning solution for various types of project types.
• Lead the design and delivery of complex urban design projects, including public realm improvements, streetscape design, transit-oriented development, and mixed-use development.
• Provide design leadership, mentorship, and management to a team of designers, planners, and architects to ensure project goals and objectives are met.
• Develop and manage project budgets, timelines, and deliverables to ensure successful project delivery.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that projects are aligned with community needs, policies, and regulations.
• Prepare and present design concepts, proposals, and reports to clients and stakeholders.
• Stay up-to-date with best practices, trends, and emerging technologies in urban design and related fields.
• Working from concept design through to detailed design, producing drawings, graphic presentations and design narratives to budget and schedule.
• Interaction and communication with clients and consultants during the design phase and at presentations.
• Collaborate with design teams, clients, consultants, community stakeholders and other parties to meet overall project objectives.
• Collaborate with the Urban Design team to develop and advance conceptual and schematic designs on urban design and master planning projects.
• Prepare graphic/narrative reports and presentations that communicate the design process, research, and concepts.
• Manage presentations and production of planning and urban design projects.
• Manage client expectations, team communication and consultant coordination.
• Enhance and optimize designs using rapid and iterative simulation techniques.
• Interact through projects and other office wide initiatives with other studios and practice areas.
• Be an advocate for Gensler sustainability commitments internally and externally.
• Make sustainability an integral part of every project.
• Define project sustainability targets in collaboration with the client and the project team at the start of each project.
• Understand clients ESG goals and work with project teams towards achieving them.
• Support and encourage team members to pursue sustainability learning.

Your Qualifications

• Degree in Architecture, Urban Design or Planning
• 10+ years' experience as an Urban Designer, with a strong portfolio of completed projects.
• Knowledge and passion for working on a variety of urban design & masterplanning projects across multiple sectors.
• Experience managing teams and leading design projects from concept to completion.
• Strong knowledge of urban design principles, including sustainability, accessibility, placemaking, and community engagement.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
• Experience in parametric design application to master planning projects is essential.
• GIS Mapping & database skills are preferred.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Passion for seeking innovative, sustainable and creative design solutions for ever challenging design propositions.
• A firm grasp of local and international codes is essential.
• Possess a high level of visual and verbal skill, and a high level of freehand and rendering skills.
• Ability for researching and analysing project specific data and information to underpin the design proposition.

Your Design Technology Qualifications

• Deep understanding and expertise in Autodesk Revit for design authoring, documentation, data extracts and project delivery.
• Deep understanding and expertise in the strategic planning, setup of BIM projects, and troubleshooting, specifically in the context of Revit and allied workflows.
• Deep understanding and expertise with collaboration in the BIM context, including cloud-based markups, consultant coordination and clash detection.
• Understanding of the capabilities and application of Information Management tools such as Aconex, Asite, Newforma, etc.
• Good working knowledge and experience in Rhinoceros for design authoring.
• Good knowledge and experience with interoperability workflows between Rhino & Revit throughout all the stages of a project.
• Good knowledge and experience with real-time rendering processes, and material creation & management within the context of integrated BIM and parametric workflows.
• Basic understanding and familiarity with Computational Design applications such as Grasshopper and/or Dynamo.
• Basic understanding and familiarity with simulation principles and processes, including interpretation, and application of results.
• Deep knowledge and expertise in the setting up, troubleshooting and use of VR, AR, and XR for client presentations, consultant coordination and internal design reviews .

Applications we work with

• Computational Design - Grasshopper, Dynamo
• Building Performance Simulation - Insight, Sefaira, Diva, Ladybug tools
• Graphics & Productivity - Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite
• Experiential - Unreal Engine, Unity
• Development - C#, Python

Please submit your CV and brief portfolio for review. Candidates that do not submit examples of work unfortunately will not be invited for interview.

Life at Gensler

As a people-first organization, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From internal design competitions to research grants to "Well-being Week," our offices reflect our people's diverse interests.

We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability and wellness programs. We also offer profit sharing and twice annual bonus opportunities.

As part of the firm's commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.