Architecture Social

Stephen Drew speaks with Stephen Glands, Director of the Architecture Team at Macdonald & Company, about recruitment, senior and executive appointments, design management, technical management, strategic hires and honest career advice.

Show Notes

Good recruitment advice should be honest, useful and grounded in how the market actually behaves.

Stephen Drew speaks with Stephen Glands, Director of the Architecture Team at Macdonald & Company, about recruitment, senior and executive appointments, design management, technical management, strategic hires and honest career advice.

The conversation covers:

  • How senior and executive architecture recruitment works
  • Why some people move outside mainstream design roles
  • What design management and technical management roles can offer
  • Why honest market advice matters
  • Which traits Stephen Glands has seen in successful careers

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đź“ť Read the full write-up, with the key takeaways:
https://architecturesocial.com/podcast/stephen-glands-architecture-recruitment/

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Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction to Stephen Glands and Macdonald & Company
  • 03:00 Recruitment perception and useful advice
  • 07:00 Mid-career, senior and executive appointments
  • 12:00 Moving outside mainstream design
  • 17:00 Design management, technical management and Head of Design roles
  • 22:00 Honest market advice and strategic hires
  • 27:00 Traits successful people use over time
  • 31:00 Final reflections on recruitment careers

Creators and Guests

Host
Stephen Drew
Hello! I’m Stephen Drew, Founder of the Architecture Social—an online community and resource hub dedicated to helping professionals in Architecture, Design, Development, and Real Estate advance their careers. I’m here to connect you with insights, tools, and opportunities that lead to meaningful growth, whether you’re just starting out or ready to take that next big step.

What is Architecture Social?

It is hard to get a job in architecture. We exist to help you get there. Hosted by Stephen Drew, Architecture Social is the unfiltered guide to the UK Built Environment. We decode the realities of the industry, provide actionable cheat codes for your career, and bridge the communication gap between the drafting board and the boardroom.

Whether you are a Part I assistant trying to survive your first role, a Part III architect managing complex procurement, or a Practice Director fighting tight margins and adapting to the Building Safety Act, this podcast is your central node of intelligence. We strip away the aesthetic gatekeeping and toxic positivity to talk about the actual mechanics of the business.

Expect honest conversations about salary realities, portfolio strategies, hiring economics, and the true experiences of the people actively shaping the profession.

No fluff, just the reality of practice.