Higher Education Practice Director

Job Description

Job Description

Higher Education Practice Director Leadership | Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio | Hybrid Full-time

Step into a statewide platform where your impact is immediate and visible. As Higher Education Practice Director, you will set the vision, scale the practice, and shape campus experiences across Texas—backed by a high-trust culture, design-first mindset, and robust resources that let you focus on what you do best: leadership, strategy, and building meaningful places for learning.

Why this role is a career accelerator

1. -Lead a practice with the autonomy to set strategy, elevate design quality, and grow market presence—while supported by proven delivery systems and strong operational partners.

• -Build deep relationships with university leaders and decision-makers, guiding projects that transform how students learn, collaborate, and thrive.
• -Mentor and scale a high-performing, multidisciplinary team—expanding your leadership footprint and legacy across multiple studios.
• -Enjoy a flexible hybrid environment with travel that keeps you connected to teams and clients without sacrificing work-life balance.
• -Grow long-term: structured professional development, licensure and AXP support, and clear pathways into expanded firmwide leadership.

Key responsibilities

Practice strategy and leadership

• -Own the higher education vision, priorities, and performance statewide; align goals with market opportunities and long-term growth.
• -Analyze pipeline, win/loss, positioning, and practice health; make data-informed decisions to sustain momentum and profitability.
• -Build brand presence through thought leadership, speaking, and sustained engagement with the higher education community.

Design and delivery excellence

• -Champion design rigor and delivery consistency across all studios; set benchmarks for quality, sustainability, codes, and standards.
• -Partner with Managing Principals and Senior Project Managers to resource, troubleshoot, and elevate complex pursuits and projects.
• -Maintain expert knowledge of trends, regulations, delivery methods, and quality control—translating insights into better outcomes.

Client engagement and business development

• -Serve as strategic advisor to campus leadership; cultivate trust with presidents, chancellors, CFOs, and facilities leaders.
• -Lead key pursuits: guide capture strategy, teaming, proposals, interviews, and contract negotiations.
• -Expand relationships across systems and institutions; represent the practice at conferences and industry events.

People leadership and talent development

• -Directly supervise and coach higher education team members; set clear expectations and celebrate growth.
• -Lead resource planning, hiring priorities, and performance management in collaboration with studio leaders.
• -Mentor emerging talent; support licensure and provide opportunities to earn AXP hours.

Location and workplace

• -Texas-based, hybrid role with meaningful in-person collaboration.
• -Role can be based in Dallas, Austin, Houston, or San Antonio.
• -Prepared to commute to a local office three days per week and travel as needed to other offices and client sites across Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.
• -Engage regularly with teams and clients in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio to sustain relationships and project momentum.

What you bring

• -A record of leading complex higher education projects and pursuits—combining strategic vision with hands-on delivery excellence.
• -Strong business acumen: market development, client growth, and practice performance management.
• -Mastery of applicable codes, regulations, delivery methods, and quality assurance.
• -Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary teams; a builder of culture, capability, and accountability.
• -Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills at the executive and campus leadership level.
• -An accredited professional architecture degree is required; licensure required.

Compensation and benefits that support you

• -Competitive base compensation with performance recognition.
• -Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• -Retirement plan with employer contributions.
• -Paid time off, holidays, and flexible hybrid schedule.
• -Professional development and leadership growth opportunities, including licensure and AXP support. [Replace with specific plan details and ranges if available.]

About the organization

This is a design-forward architecture practice with deep experience in learning environments across Texas. The team blends research-driven architecture, human-centered planning, and rigorous delivery to create spaces that elevate teaching, collaboration, and community. A culture of inquiry fuels continuous improvement in architecture, while a commitment to craft ensures each project reflects purpose, place, and long-term value. To thrive here, you bring an accredited professional architecture degree and a passion for advancing architecture that is strategic, sustainable, and measurably impactful.