Landscape Architect

Location/s: Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow or Edinburgh; UK
Recruiter contact: Emma Cantley

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the division 
Environmental and social considerations are central to Mott MacDonald’s Purpose and its offerings across all sectors and territories. Our environment and social business provides essential services and innovative solutions which anticipate our clients' needs across all sectors. 

Overview of the role

Mott MacDonald’s landscape architecture and urban design team has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Landscape Architect to join its established Leeds landscape team, supporting delivery of design, assessment and planning work across the region and wider UK. The ideal candidate will have a high level of personal motivation and in return will be provided with excellent opportunities to develop into a key member of the expanding landscape team and environment division at Mott MacDonald. 

Initially you will fulfil a key project role on a range of technical design and assessment projects, supporting existing landscape team members and collaborating closely with clients and multi-disciplinary teams. As the position develops it is expected that you will take on an increasingly active role in leading work packages, supporting team development, and contributing to work winning with the support of the wider landscape practice.

In addition to this, the candidate’s typical duties and responsibilities will include:

• Undertaking site visits and working closely with clients and project teams to develop and refine scheme designs
• Leading the production of visualisations, conceptual and detailed design outputs, associated contract drawings, presentation drawings, schedules, specifications and photomontages for landscape and urban design projects
• Managing the delivery of landscape outputs to programme, cost and quality requirements, including coordinating inputs from other disciplines where required
• Providing project management support, including financial management of landscape deliverables and leading small project teams / workstreams
• Supporting the landscape team leader to deliver practice and divisional business development strategies, including contributing to bids and proposals
• Raising the profile of landscape architecture within Mott MacDonald through contributing to publications, knowledge sharing and industry engagement

Additional considerations:

• Leading or supporting the delivery of BNG / nature recovery inputs as part of multi-disciplinary schemes, ensuring landscape design responds to BNG requirements while also meeting wider project objectives (planning, constructability, maintenance and stakeholder needs)
• Shaping better outcomes through early landscape engagement — contributing to feasibility and optioneering stages so landscape, arboriculture, ecology, water and engineering constraints/opportunities are integrated early (reducing planning and delivery risk)
• Applying climate resilience thinking in design development (e.g., resilient planting strategies, blue/green infrastructure, soils and establishment considerations), and supporting designs that deliver wider environmental and wellbeing outcomes
• Using digital and AI-enabled tools responsibly (where permitted) to improve design efficiency, coordination and reporting quality, and contributing to good practice within the team through sharing workflows/templates/lessons learned

Candidate specification

The ideal candidate will be a chartered landscape architect with experience in this field. You will have proven experience delivering high-quality landscape design and/or assessment work, and confidence working directly with clients and multi-disciplinary teams. 

Essential:

• Proven experience delivering high-quality, contemporary public realm and infrastructure-related landscape projects, from concept design through to detailed outputs
• Working knowledge of the EIA process, particularly landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) guidelines
• Strong design interest and innovative mindset, with an understanding of sustainability and social value in landscape projects
• Excellent technical knowledge of hard and soft landscape materials, detailing and specification, with strong attention to quality and buildability
• Outstanding communication skills, including confident verbal engagement with clients, stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams, alongside excellent written skills for producing drawings, reports and specifications
• Strong digital competency, including experience with AutoCAD, Revit, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp and NBS (or equivalent), coupled with a commitment to company values and colleague wellbeing

Desirable:

• Practical understanding of BNG delivery, including how biodiversity requirements shape landscape design and how landscape works alongside ecology, arboriculture and wider project needs
• Ability to influence early project outcomes, providing helpful input at feasibility and options stages and guiding teams to ask the right landscape and nature-recovery questions from the start
• Supportive team contributor, confident in mentoring juniors, sharing knowledge, promoting good practice and encouraging safe, appropriate use of digital and AI tools

Although this position is based in Leeds, you should expect to be involved in projects across the UK, and we are also happy to consider other locations such as Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, some of which may be managed by other Mott MacDonald UK offices. Willingness to travel throughout the UK and internationally if required.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.