Senior Architect (Greater Chicago Area)

Help Shape Architectural Services at Trotter and Associates

Trotter and Associates, Inc. is seeking an experienced Architect to join our multidisciplinary team and help expand architectural services within our municipal engineering practice.

This role offers the opportunity to serve as Architect of Record on municipal and public infrastructure projects while working directly with Trotter’s civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, process, and environmental engineering teams.

As Trotter’s architectural capabilities continue to develop, you’ll have a meaningful role in establishing standards, workflows, and best practices while delivering practical, well-coordinated solutions for the communities we serve.

Why This Role Stands Out

This is not a traditional architecture-firm position.

At Trotter, architecture is integrated directly into the engineering and infrastructure work our municipal clients rely on every day. You’ll work across disciplines from the earliest stages of a project through construction, with the opportunity to shape how architectural services continue to grow within the firm.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Serve as Architect of Record for assigned projects.
• Lead architectural work from programming and conceptual design through construction.
• Work directly with municipal clients and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Help establish architectural standards and workflows across the organization.
• Expand Trotter’s ability to deliver fully integrated architectural and engineering solutions.

The position combines hands-on architectural practice with the opportunity to help build a growing service area within an established municipal engineering firm.

The Projects

Your experience will support a range of municipal and public infrastructure projects, including:

• Municipal and public works facilities
• Water and wastewater treatment facilities
• Utility and infrastructure buildings
• Existing facility renovations and additions
• New construction
• Public-sector and institutional facilities
• Building and facility improvements associated with larger infrastructure projects

You’ll bring the architectural perspective to multidisciplinary teams while helping ensure projects are functional, code-compliant, constructible, and responsive to each client’s operational needs.

The Roles

You’ll take architectural projects from early planning and programming through design, permitting, bidding, and construction administration while coordinating closely with Trotter’s engineering disciplines.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Serving as Architect of Record for assigned municipal and public infrastructure projects.
• Leading programming, conceptual design, design development, and construction documentation.
• Preparing and reviewing drawings, specifications, schedules, details, and bid documents.
• Performing building code, life-safety, accessibility, and energy-code analysis.
• Coordinating architectural work across civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, process, and other disciplines.
• Managing architectural project scope, schedules, budgets, and quality.
• Leading architectural QA/QC reviews.
• Coordinating permitting and regulatory reviews.
• Providing construction-phase services, including submittal reviews, RFIs, field observations, and project closeout.
• Working directly with municipal clients to develop practical solutions around operational needs, budgets, and existing conditions.
• Supporting proposals, presentations, and pursuits involving architectural services.

You Are The Right Candidate If…

You’re an experienced Architect who understands that successful municipal work requires more than good design. It requires sound judgment, technical depth, coordination across disciplines, and an understanding of how public facilities need to perform over time.

You bring:

• Approximately 15–25 years of progressively responsible architectural design and project delivery experience.
• Illinois license required. Wisconsin license a plus.
• Experience serving as Architect of Record or in a role with comparable project responsibility.
• Experience with municipal, public-sector, institutional, utility, industrial, or similar facilities strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of building codes, life safety, accessibility, and energy-code requirements.
• Experience with renovations, additions, existing facilities, and new construction.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary design teams.
• Strong communication, documentation, and project management skills.

Choose Your Home Base

This M-F, In-Office position may be based in:

• Oak Brook, Illinois
• St. Charles, Illinois
• Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

The role includes collaboration with project teams across the organization and periodic site visits to client facilities and project sites throughout the region.

Tools and Technology

You’ll work with architectural design, coordination, and project delivery platforms including:

• Autodesk Revit
• AutoCAD
• Bluebeam
• Microsoft Office/Microsoft Teams
• BIM-based multidisciplinary coordination and project delivery tools

Compensation and Benefits

Base Compensation: $60–80 per hour, depending on experience, qualifications, professional licensure, and project responsibilities.

Compensation within the range is based on experience, technical expertise, professional licensure, project management responsibilities, and overall qualifications.

Additional Compensation

• Overtime compensation at 1.5× the regular hourly rate for employees working more than 40 hours per week.
• Performance-based Year-End Bonus recognizing individual contributions and the firm's overall success.
• Profit Sharing based on firm performance.

Insurance Benefits

TAI pays 100% of the employee premium and 25% of dependent premiums for:

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance

Additional Benefits

• SIMPLE Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Sick Leave
• Paid Holidays
• Continuing Education & Professional Development
• Tuition Reimbursement

About Trotter and Associates, Inc.

For decades, Trotter and Associates, Inc. has partnered with municipalities throughout Illinois and Wisconsin to plan, design, and deliver infrastructure solutions that serve communities for generations. Originally established as a water and wastewater engineering firm, Trotter has strategically expanded its services to include civil, structural, architectural, utility infrastructure rehabilitation, and watershed engineering.

Today, TAI serves more than 90 municipalities through long-standing relationships built on technical excellence, responsiveness, and trust. Our growth reflects the confidence of our clients, the strength of our team, and a long-term commitment to the communities we serve.

If you're looking to help build what's next, we'd like to hear from you.

Send your resume to: View email address on apply.placed-app.com