A well-established, award-winning architecture studio based in London is seeking an experienced Practice Manager to play a central role in the operational leadership of the practice.
The studio is design-led and works predominantly within the public sector, delivering complex, socially driven projects in the UK and internationally. This is a senior, trusted position for a proactive and highly organised operational lead with strong commercial awareness, who enjoys working closely with principals and senior colleagues to support the long-term success of a growing practice.
Reporting directly to the Principal, the Practice Manager will have line management responsibility for a small operations team and will take ownership of the day-to-day running of the studio.
Key Responsibilities
* Overall responsibility for the smooth, compliant and efficient running of the studio, including operations, facilities, health & safety, QA and statutory compliance
* Managing suppliers, consultants, service contracts, insurance policies, leases and landlord relationships
* Line management of the operations team, coordination of workloads, and chairing and minuting management meetings
* Overseeing resourcing, supporting bids and strategic outputs, and working closely with the Principal and senior leadership team
* Managing the full employee lifecycle, ensuring HR policy compliance, staff wellbeing and liaison with external HR advisors
* Oversight of payroll preparation, budgets, cashflow, VAT, audits, tax processes, contract accounting and day-to-day financial operations
* Responsibility for IT systems, external IT consultants, major IT projects, budgets and studio-wide digital workflows
Skills and Experience
* At least 5 years’ experience in an operations-focused role including 3 years in a management position within architecture, design, engineering or a related professional services environment
* Proven HR experience
* Strong financial literacy, with hands-on experience of P&L, budgets, balance sheets and contract accounting
* Experience managing IT systems and infrastructure
* Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite. Rapport and Xero would be an advantage.
* Confident working independently while collaborating within a diverse studio environment
* Outstanding written and verbal communication skills