Landscape Architect CV example

Landscape architecture lives in the overlap between art, science, and place-making. You’re shaping how people live and move, and connect with the environment. Writing a CV should echo that clarity and intention. From technical fluency to environmental awareness, this guide will help you express your full range of skills in a format that feels as carefully considered as the spaces you design.

Whether you’re presenting to clients or submitting planning proposals, structure matters – and your CV should reflect the same level of attention to layout and flow. A well-organised CV shows that you can communicate clearly, which is just as important as your design skills.

Here’s the layout to follow:

• Name and contact details – Display your personal details clearly at the top so employers can get in touch easily. Including a photo is entirely optional.
• Profile – Begin with a concise summary that highlights your expertise and what you bring to the role.
• Core skills – Highlight your strongest skills that align with the role’s requirements.
• Work experience – Start with your most recent role and work backwards, showcasing achievements and responsibilities.
• Education – Mention your degrees, certifications, and any training that supports your career path.
• Additional info – Include any additional details, like awards, professional memberships, or hobbies that highlight your skills or personality.
  

Use bullet points to break up dense blocks of text – any recruiter will appreciate it. Choose a professional, easy-to-read font, and don’t let your design instincts lead you into overly decorative formatting – let your portfolio do the creative heavy lifting. Keep your CV length to two pages to avoid overwhelming or boring recruiters. A good format which follows the above tips shows you’ve got the qualities hiring managers are looking for.

Think of this paragraph as your personal design brief: a concise overview that sets the tone for the rest of your CV. It should reflect your identity as a designer and collaborator – showing recruiters why you’re the right person to shape their next project.

Focus on your ability to balance environmental responsibility with creative vision, and your understanding of how landscape architecture supports communities and placemaking. Your CV profile is your first opportunity to prove the value you offer.

Include the following:

• Where you worked – Outline the firms, government agencies, or consultancies you’ve worked with, noting the kinds of projects you’ve contributed to.
• Your top qualifications – Include your degree and any professional accreditations or chartered status.
• Essential skills – Mention your design process, planning knowledge, and ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
• Project types – Briefly refer to the kinds of environments you’ve helped shape – urban parks, green infrastructure, public spaces, etc.
• Value delivered – Show how your work improved accessibility, biodiversity, community use, or long-term maintenance.
  

This section gives hiring managers a quick overview of what you bring to a project – from your planning expertise to your fluency with design workflows. It’s especially helpful when you’re applying for roles in competitive firms or government projects with strict requirements.

Make sure the CV skills you highlight match the job specification, and avoid being too generic. This section should reflect tangible, practical competencies – not just a love of green space. Keep it all aligned to the specific role you’re targeting.

As a landscape architect, your work experience section should reflect both your design contributions and your real-world results. It’s not just about what you created – it’s how you collaborated and delivered value.

List your jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent. Begin each role with a short summary of the company or project scope, then use bullet points to showcase your responsibilities and key results. Be specific about the scale, complexity, and outcomes of each project – especially where you played a central role in planning or delivery.

• Outline – Provide an overview of your role and the organisation you worked for. Mention project types, client sectors, or planning stages you were involved in.
• Responsibilities – Use action words like “designed” and “coordinated.” For example: “designed soft landscaping elements for a city centre regeneration project” or “coordinated planning submissions with the local authority.”
• Achievements – Show how your designs were implemented or approved. Highlight successful bids, sustainability benchmarks, or improvements in community use or environmental impact.

Your education section underpins your technical and theoretical foundation. List your most relevant degrees and training – particularly if accredited by the Landscape Institute or equivalent. If your studies involved planning law, environmental science, or sustainability, it’s worth making that clear.

There’s no need to include a long list of modules, but your degrees, honours, and relevant training courses should be named and dated clearly. You can also mention licensure pathways, CPD, or postgraduate certifications – particularly if they relate to urban design or environmental management.