We're hiring! Retrofit Design Coordinator

Role: Retrofit Design Coordinator (architectural)

• Salary: £27,000-35,000 (dependent on experience)

• Closing date: (Closed)

• 0.7-1.0 FTE

• Office based/hybrid

• Apply: Send your CV and covering letter to info@retrofit.coop

People Powered Retrofit is a growing social enterprise based in Manchester that operates an end-to-end retrofit service for householders across the North West of England. We assist clients in developing domestic retrofit projects, offering a staged service taking people from a project brief through assessment, design, procurement, on site, handover and monitoring and evaluation. Our project work includes significant amounts of architectural and building services design work as well as associated investigations and interaction with building control and the planning system.

We are seeking a Design Coordinator to join our team, working with our Retrofit Advisors, Retrofit Surveyors, architects, consultants and our technical lead.

The main tasks of the role are related to the coordination of design work for client jobs as they advance through project stages, with the coordinator interacting with consultants and members of staff to ensure the smooth flow and collation of design information and that necessary statutory approvals and permissions are obtained. You will take ownership for ensuring other parties have the appropriate information as and when they need it and in the format they require.

We offer a flexible and hybrid approach to working arrangements, and the number of days spent in the office is negotiable. However, you will need to be based within a commutable distance of Manchester in order to undertake this role. Some travel to sites across Greater Manchester will be required.

At project stages

• Leading on the coordination of the design process as client projects progress through RIBA design stages 3-7, following assessment and options evaluation carried out using our Home Retrofit Planner tool (RIBA Stages 1-2).

• Managing and prioritising the design team resources.

• Liaising with the People Powered Retrofit service team support staff including retrofit assessors, surveyors and advisors.

• Liaising with designers and engineers to support the preparation of suitable design information. Providing information and support to designers to ensure project energy performance targets are achieved.

• Attending client and design team meetings as required.

• Ensuring the design process takes account of current building regulations and relevant standards and best practice, and minimises potential liability for future stages/delivery.

• Taking responsibility for the management of planning, building regulation, or any other third party approvals requiring consent and liaising with clients, planning authorities and building inspectors to support project progress.

• Acting as Principal Designer under CDM, with support from other members of the team and using agreed templates and processes.

• Identifying health and safety design risks and ensuring simple design risk assessments are created and appropriately maintained for each project and that risks are managed and mitigated.

• Carrying out drawing and specification reviews and ensuring all appropriate comments/observations are taken into account in the design and fully coordinated.

• Compiling relevant tender documentation to support procurement, based on established templates and processes.

• Liaising with site teams to ensure successful delivery of the overall project construction/design requirements during the construction phase and reporting on progress to the PPR team and the client.

• Collating handover information for projects to ensure the client has relevant information for operation and maintenance of their retrofitted home, based on agreed templates and processes.

• Contributing to identification of appropriate monitoring and evaluation of projects post completion, with the support of PPR retrofit evaluation specialists.

Strategic development

• Liaison with Technical Lead and design team on the development and use of internal retrofit design library resource

• Supporting People Powered Retrofit’s Technical Lead in formal appointment of design consultants, ensuring design responsibilities are fully aligned with project objectives.

• Sharing experiences and best practices to support wider team development and/or to inform training development for the supply chain network.

• Supporting in supply chain development activities as appropriate.

• Supporting the identification of training requirements for contractors and installers.

Essential

• Be able to demonstrate relevant experience and sound understanding of residential projects, particularly in refurbishment.

• Strong project management skills.

• A Strong understanding and demonstrated ability to engage with and progress domestic scale projects.

• Able to manage or contribute to projects at all RIBA stages and have understanding across a range of disciplines, including architecture/construction and building services design, sufficient to ask the right questions and be able to demand quality.

• A thorough understanding of construction processes from pre construction/tender/onsite processes/handover and management, preferably in low carbon domestic retrofit.

• A thorough understanding of construction logistics and relationships between trades in domestic refurbishment projects (preferably low carbon retrofit) with the ability to programme works logically and coherently.

• Strong experience and demonstrated successful management of residential planning applications and building control processes.

• Good awareness of legal matters related to domestic projects including Party Wall Act, Rights to Light, Easements and Access issues and understanding of when to refer to specialists.

• A thorough understanding of construction and building services types common in homes in the north of England. Including pre-1980s construction methods and heating and ventilation in particular.

• An understanding of the responsibilities of the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor as defined in the CDM Regulations 2015

• Excellent IT skills - confidence with emails, spreadsheets and projects management tools as a minimum.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

• Fluent in English, verbal and written, essential

Desirable

• A UK registered architect (ARB) or other qualified building professional.

• Experience and skilled use of computer aided design and drafting tools.

• Experience and use of specification writing tools.

• Experience and skilled use of programming and critical path management tools.

• Experience of domestic energy efficiency and retrofit approaches including a working knowledge of PAS2035.

• Planning experience within conservation areas and/or with listed and historic buildings.

• Have managed members of a building design team.

• Further qualifications in retrofit or building physics e.g. Retrofit Coordinator Level 5 Diploma, AECB Carbon Lite Retrofit, UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings Training, Passive House qualifications or other relevant CPD and training.

• Understanding of energy modelling tools and methodologies (SAP, PHPP, Therm/Flixo etc) sufficient to query outputs and implications.

This role is suitable for a range of people with different levels of experience and professional competencies within the architectural and construction sector. We are flexible and open to the role being a full time position or part time to 0.7 FTE.

You’ve done aspects of this before. You’ve got the technical skills and experience to hit the ground running. You might not have covered everything in previous roles, but you’ll be able to learn quickly and apply it.

You’re a juggler. You’re used to multiple projects and can keep things moving. You know what questions to ask, and how to balance conflicting priorities to deliver successful outcomes.

You’re micro AND macro. You’ve got an eye for detail while seeing the bigger picture. You’ll be able to work to a high degree of accuracy, understand what quality looks like, spot mistakes and be thinking one step ahead at all times.

You figure out what’s needed. You’ll find it easy to shift through lots of information to find the crux of it, figure out what to do, and have the confidence to make it happen.

You are a collaborator. We really understand the power of collective action and work closely with stakeholders internally and externally to share experience and knowledge. You’ll be a keen supporter of this way of working too.

You enjoy working on smaller teams and are happy managing your own workload. Your flexibility and proactive nature mean that you’re comfortable and motivated to make decisions yourself, knowing how to draw in other areas of expertise to get things done.

You’ve got an eye for improvement. You’re forever trying to find better, more efficient or more valuable ways of doing things.

You’re interested in community-driven approaches to climate change adaptation, or you’re fascinated by retrofit. You’ll be incredibly passionate about what we do, and motivated to make a difference.