Principal Architect

AECOM, Manchester, United Kingdom

Join AECOM’s leading Architecture Studio and play a pivotal role in shaping world-class industrial, nuclear, and defence projects. As a Principal Architect, you’ll provide design leadership, technical excellence, and strategic guidance across complex multidisciplinary projects within one of the UK’s top architecture teams.

You’ll lead architectural design and delivery across all project stages — from concept to completion — ensuring creative, technical, and operational excellence. Working closely with clients and internal teams, you’ll set design direction, manage resources, and drive innovation in line with AECOM’s global standards.

• Lead and oversee the architectural design and delivery of medium to large-scale industrial and defence projects.
• Provide high-level architectural guidance, design direction, and technical expertise.
• Manage multidisciplinary design teams and mentor architects, designers, and technicians.
• Ensure projects meet quality, budget, and schedule requirements.
• Champion BIM and digital design integration across all project stages.
• Collaborate with project directors, engineers, and clients to achieve exceptional design and performance outcomes.

• Extensive experience in industrial architecture, ideally within nuclear or defence sectors with the ability to obtain SC Clearance and having been in the UK for a minimum of 5 years consecutively.
• Expert user of Revit with a strong understanding of BIM workflows.
• Proven ability to lead and deliver projects across all RIBA stages.
• Strong technical, communication, and leadership skills.
• Chartered Architect (ARB/RIBA) preferred.
• Collaborative, strategic, and passionate about design quality and innovation.

• Expert user of Revit with a strong understanding of BIM workflows.
• Proven ability to lead and deliver projects across all RIBA stages.
• Strong technical, communication, and leadership skills.
• Chartered Architect (ARB/RIBA) preferred.

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and an commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities.

AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm. See  for more information.

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re in an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed. We foster a safe and respectful workplace and welcome diverse talents and backgrounds. We offer a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the needs of our employees and their families.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Disability Confident Employer. Reasonable accommodations are available on request.

ReqID: J
• Business Line: B&P - Buildings & Places
• Business Group: DCS
• Strategic Business Unit:
Europe & India
• Career Area:
Design
• Work Location Model:
Hybrid

Note:

All information provided will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.