About Public Practice
What is Public Practice?
Public Practice is a small UK social enterprise founded in 2017 with a mission to build the public sector's capacity for proactive planning. They run an Associate Programme that places architects, urban designers, planners and other built-environment professionals into placements with English local authorities, government bodies and public agencies on 12-month full-time secondments. They also publish research, host events, and run a curated jobs board for senior roles in public sector placemaking.
Where will I work?
Public Practice is headquartered in London (Better Space, 127 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3DA). The team operates hybrid. Associates on placement work from the host local authority site for the duration of their secondment.
What is the Public Practice team like?
A small team of around 8 core staff at the social enterprise itself, supplemented by ~70+ Associates currently on placement across English local authorities. Strong values-led culture focused on public-sector capacity building, climate adaptation and equitable placemaking.
Work-Life Balance
Public Practice formally adopted a 9-day fortnight in April 2023 and continue to operate the policy. From their published article (May 2024): "A 9-day fortnight consists of a 5-day working week followed by a 4-day working week" with "a 10% reduction in contracted hours and no salary cut". The 9-day fortnight is part of their flexible working and benefits package.
Perks and Benefits
- 9-day fortnight with 10% contracted-hours reduction at no salary cut (formally adopted April 2023).
- Hybrid working.
- Mission-driven culture in a small, collaborative team.
- Pension contribution.
How to Apply
Public Practice posts open roles on their website and via the Associate Programme application cycle. The team is small (~8 people) so internal hiring is limited; the Associate Programme runs in cohorts each year. Visit publicpractice.org.uk or email [email protected] for current opportunities.
Note: this profile is added on 4dayweek.io for visibility of their 9-day fortnight policy. Public Practice does not run a public ATS-driven careers page, so individual job listings are not auto-scraped onto this site.