Senior Design Architect - Higher Education

As a Senior Design Architect, you will lead and elevate the design vision on medium-to-large-scale projects. You will synthesize design excellence with technical precision, mentor emerging designers, and contribute to shaping our firmwide design culture. Your work will influence how we integrate Performance-Based Design principles with creativity, function, and community impact.

Deliver Results

• Lead the architectural design process from concept through execution, ensuring alignment with client vision and project goals.
• Prepare and oversee design documentation including technical drawings, presentations, and 3D renderings.
• Guide and support project teams in the use of Revit, AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Suite, ensuring high-quality output.
• Coordinate with clients, consultants, vendors, and contractors to align disciplines and maintain design intent.
• Develop work plans and manage deliverables to meet project budget and schedule expectations.
• Ensure technical compliance, QA/QC standards, and alignment with code and Performance Based Design principles.
• Mentor junior architects and participate in firmwide design critiques, initiatives, and competitions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture or equivalent education/experience required for professional licensure; Master's degree preferred.
• Licensure as a Registered Architect (RA) required; NCARB certification preferred.
• Typically 15 years of post-graduate experience and/or 10 years of experience as a licensed architect.
• Proficiency in Revit or AutoCAD required; additional experience with SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and BSD Spec Link preferred.
• AIA membership and CSI-CDT certification preferred (training available).
• LEED AP BD+C accreditation preferred.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring staff, contributing to firmwide design culture, and leading collaborative design processes.

People Matter
Each individual's background, knowledge, ability, and experience contributes to strengthening our organization and projects. Our dedication to diversity includes company provided training and education, equitable recruitment, a grassroots employee DEI committee, and robust community partnerships.

Progressive Companies is comprised of people with a variety of abilities, races, colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, veteran statuses, and more. As an equal opportunity employer, we believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential elements of innovative design. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.


Transforming Spaces. Empowering People.


The talented professionals of Progressive Companies are designers of a bold new future, creating high-performance structures and pathways, delivering on today's needs and preparing for what's to come. We live by the idea that design isn't simply about beauty, it's about improving strategic outcomes-what we call Performance Based Design. Our work spans across the nation, allowing team members to work on a variety of exciting projects and maximize impact as trusted partners to our clients and communities.


Sustainable and Inclusive


We are dedicated to human-centered, sustainable, and inclusive design practices. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to building trust, respect, and truly innovative design making spaces welcoming and accessible to all. Our sustainability approach embraces the AIA 2030 Commitment, together with a range of high performance, restorative, and regenerative strategies with a focus on climate responsive results to maximize positive impact in our industry.


Employee Owned


We act like owners-because we are. From modest beginnings of four original engineering partners in 1962, to almost 300 architects, engineers, designers, and consultants across multiple regional offices today, the energy, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial mindset you expect from a CEO come standard with every team member.


Culture of Excellence


The firm is continually ranked as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation®, with comprehensive benefits including an award-winning wellness program, hybrid work schedule, summer hours, profit-sharing, and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). We take our work seriously, but have fun along the way, which fuels the creative spirit and supports a focus on work and life integration.
Progressive Companies is committed to development and growth of team members through continuing education, mentorship, growth opportunities, and more. We are dedicated to giving back to our communities, with paid service-learning hours available to every employee and corporate sponsorship for a wide range of community organizations and activities.