Senior Architect | High Speed Two | Washwood Heath Depot

High Speed Two Ltd | Direct Client Side Employment

Salary:               £60,000 to £65,514 + 12% Pension + Healthcare + 25 Days Holiday
Location:          Birmingham Snow Hill | 3 days office/site, 2 days home
Programme:    HS2 Washwood Heath Depot | £858m
Programme      Length: 8 to 10 Years
Reports to:       Project Based Lead Architect
Next Step:        Lead Architect | £85,000 to £92,400 + Package

 

Help Deliver One of the UK's Most Important Railway Facilities

Are you an architect looking to move beyond traditional architectural practice and play a key role in the delivery of one of the UK's most significant transportation projects?

High Speed Two Ltd is looking for a Senior Architect to join the Engineering Team responsible for the delivery of the £858m Washwood Heath Depot in Birmingham.

Washwood Heath will become a critical part of the HS2 railway, supporting the maintenance, operation, testing and stabling of the future high speed fleet. It is an engineering led facility with highly complex operational requirements, but architectural quality remains a key part of the ambition for the scheme.

The project is being developed around a 120 year design life, creating an opportunity to work on an asset that will form part of the UK's transport infrastructure for generations.

This is a delivery focused architectural role. The concept design has already been established by the main contractor's architectural team at AECOM, so you will not be starting with a blank sheet of paper. Instead, your role will be to help protect, develop and deliver the architectural vision through detailed design, engineering coordination and construction.

 

Architecture at the Heart of Engineering

You will be embedded within the Washwood Heath Engineering Team, reporting to the Project Based Lead Architect and working alongside a large multidisciplinary team including civil, structural, MEP, BMS, rail systems, environmental and project delivery specialists.

Your role will be to work closely with these teams to ensure the developing design continues to deliver the architectural vision, quality and aspirations of the scheme, while meeting the complex engineering and operational requirements of a major railway facility throughout the full lifecycle of the project, from design and construction through to testing, commissioning and operation.

The original planning permission for the scheme has been granted, but changes are now being developed to future proof the depot for future generations of HS2 trains. This means a new planning submission will be required, providing further opportunity to influence how the evolving design is developed and delivered.

If you are an architect who relishes working in a highly multidisciplinary engineering and project delivery environment, where you can learn from experienced engineers and specialists, this could be an excellent opportunity.

If, however, you are looking for a role primarily focused on concept design within a traditional architectural environment, this is probably not the role for you.

This is about seeing architecture through delivery and understanding how design, engineering, construction and railway operations come together.

 

The Washwood Heath Depot Facilities

The £858m Washwood Heath facility will provide a major operational and engineering hub for HS2, incorporating:

• Rolling stock maintenance facilities
• Stabling facilities
• Cleaners' and drivers' facilities
• Offices and staff welfare accommodation
• A national control centre
• Rail systems and supporting infrastructure
• External works, access and landscaping

The facility will ultimately integrate into the operational HS2 railway, meaning the architecture must respond to demanding engineering, operational, construction, maintenance, sustainability and long term asset requirements.

At the same time, the ambition is for Washwood Heath to be a high quality and architecturally aspirational environment, rather than simply a collection of functional railway buildings.

 

What You Will Do

Working with the Project Based Lead Architect, you will help ensure the architectural vision is maintained as the project moves through delivery.

Key responsibilities include:

• Act as a custodian of the architectural vision through detailed design, construction, testing and commissioning.
• Review and challenge contractor and consultant proposals to ensure they meet HS2 requirements and the design aspirations of the scheme.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to resolve architectural and technical interfaces.
• Provide architectural input into the evolving design and future proofing of the depot, including the new planning submission.
• Ensure architectural requirements remain coordinated, buildable and aligned with railway operational requirements.
• Support design reviews, planning conditions, technical assurance and project approvals.
• Identify architectural risks and opportunities and work with delivery teams to maintain quality alongside technical, operational and programme requirements.
• Provide architectural input where changes to design, construction or engineering proposals could affect the overall design quality.

 

About You

We are looking for a qualified architect with strong design and delivery experience who wants to develop their career within major infrastructure.

You could currently be working as a Senior Architect, Project Architect, Transport Architect, Design Architect or Architectural Lead within architectural practice, consultancy or a client organisation.

A transportation background would be particularly attractive, although direct rail experience is not essential. Relevant experience could include:

• Rail and railway stations
• Depots
• Airports
• Transportation hubs
• Highways and major infrastructure
• Tram and light rail
• Other complex operational buildings

You will ideally have experience of working within a multidisciplinary environment where architectural design has to respond to complex engineering, operational and technical requirements.

You will need to be comfortable working alongside engineers, contractors and specialist consultants, reviewing detailed design and challenging proposals where necessary.

Professional architectural qualification and ARB registration are essential, with RIBA membership advantageous.

Experience within a Design and Build environment, where the contractor holds design responsibility and the client provides oversight and assurance, would be particularly useful.

 

A Major Project With a Long Term Career Ahead

The Washwood Heath Depot is an 8-to-10-year programme, giving you the opportunity to build substantial experience on a nationally important transportation project.

More importantly, you will be joining High Speed Two Ltd directly, with the wider HS2 programme continuing through to 2039.

As your experience develops, there is potential to move into future architectural and design leadership roles across the wider programme, including major stations, railway systems and other infrastructure assets.

The immediate progression route is to Lead Architect, with the next level paying approximately £85,000 to £92,400 + package.

This makes the role particularly attractive for an ambitious architect who wants to move into senior infrastructure and transportation leadership.

 

Why This Opportunity?

This is a chance to make your name on a £858m nationally important railway facility, while developing your architectural career within one of the UK's largest infrastructure programmes.

You will work at the point where architecture, engineering and railway operations come together, surrounded by specialists who can significantly broaden your technical and delivery experience.

You will see the project develop from an established architectural concept through detailed design and construction, ultimately becoming a functioning railway facility designed to serve for 120 years.

If you want to be an architect who does more than develop concepts and instead wants to see major infrastructure actually delivered, this is a rare opportunity to do it from the client side with High Speed Two.