Job Description

The Capital Directorate is a dynamic environment, delivering multi-billion pound construction programmes. We are one of the largest public sector construction clients in England, with a capital budget of 23.5bn to 2020-21, and over 600 school building projects.

We deliver new schools, rebuilds and refurbishments of existing schools to improve the condition of the whole school estate.

We help provide high quality school places where they are needed, and set standards for school and college buildings across the country.

We provide capital funding to schools and colleges so children and young people can learn in good quality, safe and sustainable learning environments both internally and externally.

The DfE Design Team is a key part of the capital function with roots that go back to 1947 in delivering guidance for education buildings in England. We have a substantive role in setting school premises standards and we are responsible for developing technical specifications, providing assurance to multiple construction projects, developing innovative building solutions, undertaking research and delivering Government policy.

The team is highly regarded across the sector and leads on ensuring we meet the challenges of climate change and the zero carbon targets as well as driving the digital transformation of construction through the introduction of Building Information Management (BIM) and the use of digital platforms.

We ask a lot of our people but, in return we offer our staff excellent benefits as well as professional development opportunities and a chance to develop and make a significant positive contribution.

We are seeking confident and versatile qualified architects with a keen interest in schools and colleges, modernising construction and driving forward new standards and specifications to join us in the DfE Design Team. Candidates will have relevant professional experience, although not necessarily in education, and will advise on new build and refurbishment capital projects at strategic and detailed levels.

These are rewarding posts for motivated, high calibre Design Advisors who are able to see the bigger picture, can work as part of multi-disciplinary teams, can communicate effectively, are comfortable managing competing and evolving priorities, and can work to demanding deadlines to deliver ministerial objectives.