Senior Associate, Design - Life Sciences

At Unispace, we create spaces that empower people and businesses to thrive. We are a global design-build partner delivering workplace and life sciences projects for some of the world’s most innovative brands. With over 500 people across four continents, we bring together strategy, design, project management, and delivery into one seamless experience. Our integrated approach enables us to move with agility, solve complex challenges, and deliver meaningful outcomes for our clients. Our people are at the centre of everything we do. We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture that values curiosity, accountability, creativity, and continuous improvement. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our teams and help us create better experiences for our clients and each other. At Unispace, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to impactful projects, work alongside talented global teams, and grow your career in an environment that encourages innovation and new ideas. Senior Associate, Design – Life Sciences Unispace At Unispace, we create spaces that empower people and businesses to thrive. We’re a global design-build partner delivering workplace and life sciences projects for some of the world’s most innovative organisations. Our model brings strategy, design, project management and delivery together under one roof. That means our designers are involved from the very beginning of a project through to construction and handover, working closely with clients, consultants and delivery teams to turn complex requirements into environments that genuinely work. Within Life Sciences, that means creating highly technical spaces where design quality, functionality, compliance and operational performance all matter. This is an opportunity to join a global, design-led business where you’ll take a leading role on technically complex Life Sciences projects, build strong client relationships and help shape laboratories and specialist environments from concept through to delivery. The Role As a Senior Associate, Design – Life Sciences, you’ll play a key role in the design and delivery of laboratory, research and technically complex environments. You’ll lead significant design packages, work directly with clients to understand their scientific and operational requirements, and translate those needs into intelligent, practical and highly considered design solutions. Working within Unispace’s integrated design-and-build model, you’ll collaborate closely with Design Principals, project managers, engineers, consultants and construction teams to ensure design intent is maintained all the way through delivery. This is a role for someone who combines strong lab planning expertise with excellent technical capability, commercial awareness and the confidence to engage directly with clients. What You’ll Be Doing Leading design packages across Life Sciences, laboratory and technical projects of varying scalePlanning and developing laboratory environments, including programming, layouts, adjacencies and technical coordinationWorking directly with clients to understand scientific, operational and business requirements and translate them into effective design solutionsDeveloping strong client relationships and acting as a trusted design partner throughout the project lifecycleLeading projects through concept design, design development and construction documentationProducing and overseeing detailed technical drawing and construction document packagesEnsuring designs meet relevant building codes, regulatory requirements and technical standardsCoordinating closely with MEP, engineering, specialist consultants and internal delivery teamsResolving complex technical and coordination challenges throughout design and constructionSupporting construction administration and helping ensure design intent is maintained on siteApplying strong QA/QC processes across design documentationDeveloping and confidently presenting design concepts to clients and stakeholdersSupporting pitches, proposals and wider business development activityMentoring and supporting more junior members of the design teamContributing to wider design standards, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across the business What We’re Looking For Around 5–8+ years’ experience within Life Sciences, laboratory, research or other highly technical design environmentsStrong laboratory planning experience, including programming, layouts and technical coordinationA solid understanding of how laboratories and specialist environments operateExperience delivering projects from concept through design development and constructionStrong technical design capability and experience producing coordinated construction documentationStrong Revit capability, alongside proficiency with wider design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and CADGood knowledge of building codes, regulatory requirements and compliance within technical environmentsConfidence working directly with clients and presenting design conceptsStrong communication and stakeholder-management skillsExperience coordinating multidisciplinary consultant teamsStrong understanding of detailing, materials, FF&E and technical specificationsAbility to manage multiple priorities while maintaining design quality and technical accuracyExperience working within an integrated design-build environment would be highly advantageousExposure to larger corporate, research, campus or multi-building Life Sciences environments would be beneficial Why Unispace Unispace is different from a traditional design studio. Because strategy, design and construction sit within one integrated business, our designers have genuine visibility across the entire lifecycle of a project. You don’t simply create a concept and hand it over — you remain connected to the project as it develops, is coordinated and ultimately gets built. You’ll have the opportunity to work with talented specialists across a global business, contribute to technically challenging projects and develop your career in an environment that values creativity, curiosity, accountability and collaboration. You’ll also gain: Exposure to major Life Sciences and innovation-led clientsTechnically complex projects with real-world impactStrong client exposure and ownershipCollaboration with global design, engineering and delivery teamsThe opportunity to see your work through from concept to completionGenuine career development within a growing Life Sciences capability The Opportunity This is a strong opportunity for an experienced Life Sciences designer who wants more than a traditional studio role. You’ll be able to combine lab planning, technical design, client relationships and project leadership within a business where design and delivery work side by side. If you know laboratory environments, enjoy solving complex technical problems and want to help create spaces that support science, research and innovation, we’d love to hear from you. The statements in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this role. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process and employment lifecycle where required by applicable law. Inclusion & Diversity At Unispace, we believe diverse perspectives strengthen our teams, our culture, and the work we deliver for our clients. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with respect and has the opportunity to thrive. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, in accordance with applicable local laws and regulations.