What does lockdown mean for Design & Architecture?
- 30 Jun 2021
- client
- 2021
We are nearly half way through the first official lockdown week here in Sydney so I thought it would be worth sharing some of the insights across the Design & Architecture world, reflecting on now and the year so far.
Coming into this week off the back of the lockdown announcement, I was eagerly awaiting direction from my clients about how they would like to proceed with their recruitment plans and for a brief moment was apprehensive that the mindset of 2020 might return and activity put on hold. So far, 2021 is the busiest we have seen design and architecture in many years, and off the back of a very slow and challenging 2020, its very welcomed.
Fortunately, if these past few days are anything to go by, I have seen no signs of that momentum slowing down.
Confidence in the market remains high and clients are setting their sights on the months ahead eager to secure talent and project teams ahead of their competitors. Government funding in areas such as health and defence create opportunities for teams to up-skill or diversify, in addition to a backlog of commercial workplace upgrades/ repositioning and new builds has created a surge of work for studios and D&C contractors who now look to bolster their teams and activity across residential, mixed use, aged care, and industrial/logistics which has created some unique and fantastic opportunities to pivot across sectors or advance your career.
The clients that are capitalising on the strong talent coming to market are those that act swiftly, have defined recruitment processes in place and are able to sell their brand effectively to future employees.
My best advice, if you are a client reading this, continue to interview and continue to hire as I can assure you, your competitors are doing just that. Remember, the first interview with a candidate is them interviewing you as much as you interviewing the candidate, so make sure to cover off as much about the company, the role, opportunity and the culture (more important now then ever) in order to entice talent from the outset.
If you are a candidate, take this time to review your resume and update any portfolio work. Make sure it is clear and concise and outlines all your relevant skills including both soft & technical, project work/system experience, qualifications, previous employers outlining job titles and dates.
Have a good think about the type of practice/studio or developer/builder you want to work for and what is it that your next job needs to bring you. Identify what your drivers are; career progression, work-life balance, money, location, culture or a combination, and do research on the businesses that align.
Whether you are a grad looking to take your first step into the workforce, an Architect considering a move to Design Management, a senior ready to move up to Associate or an employer looking to make their next hire, I always welcome the chance to expand my network and would be happy to share any advice I can offer.
As of this week, below is a snapshot of some of the live roles I am recruiting for:
Design Manager, Residential, Tier 1 Developer $195k
Design Manager, Commercial Office, Tier 1 Developer $200-$220k
Design Manager, Tier 2 Builder $180-$220k
Associate Interior Designer, D&C $130-$150k
Associate Interior Designer,Resi| Hospitality| Mixed Use, Tier 1 Global $130-$150k
Senior Interior Designer, Workplace, Tier 1 Practice $120k
Interior Designer,Workplace, Tier 1 Practice $80k
Grad Interiors, Workplace $50-$60k
Contractors, Workplace | Hospitality $60-$85p/h+
Lead Architect, Industrial| logistics, Developer $150-$200k
Architect, Industrial | logistics,BoutiqueStudio $100-$120k
Designer, Residential Construction $110k
Architect, Health Documenter $90k
Mid-level Grad, Residential, Tier 1 Developer $70k
Revit BIM Modeller $120-$140K
Designer, Rail, Tier 1 $80-$100k
Architect, Mixed portfolio, Tier 1 $80-$110k
Senior Architect, Retirement $120-$140k
Contractors, Revit Documenting,Developer|Studio $60-$90p/h+
For a confidential discussion please contact Alessi Ilieff on alessi@redpathpartners.com | 0418 447 929