Associate Principal or Principal Architect – Civic

Are you a strategic, relationship-driven leader with a passion for shaping the future of civic environments? Do you thrive at the intersection of design excellence, market growth, and mentoring high-performing teams? If so, we’re looking for you: a Principal to help lead, grow, and elevate our civic project practice in Irvine. This role blends executive leadership, business development, and project oversight, offering the opportunity to influence firmwide strategy while building meaningful, long-term client partnerships. You’ll play a key role in advancing our mission, vision, and standards of excellence within the Civic market.

About the role

As an Associate Principal or Principal, you will…

Responsibilities

• Serve as a leader of the Civic market, building and sustaining strong client relationships throughout the San Diego region and Southern California
• Collaborate with Market and Firm leadership to develop and execute long-term market and practice strategies
• Provide leadership for planning, programming, design, and project management across a portfolio of complex education projects
• Participate in firmwide leadership initiatives, strategic planning efforts, and management committees
• Lead marketing and business development efforts aligned with the Firm’s strategic plan
• Identify and pursue new market opportunities, including team formation, proposal development, and participation in interviews
• Represent the Firm at industry events and within professional and client networks
• Meet or exceed performance metrics related to business development, contracts secured, and client satisfaction
• Serve as Principal-in-Charge for assigned projects, overseeing quality, profitability, staffing, and revenue performance
• Review and develop fee proposals, service scopes, and staffing plans to support project success
• Support project managers with contract negotiations, additional services, and financial performance monitoring
• Lead Quality Control/Quality Assurance efforts and champion Firm standards and lessons learned
• Foster a collaborative, respectful, and high-performing work environment
• Act as a mentor and coach to support professional growth, leadership development, and succession planning
• Collaborate across studios, markets, and disciplines to support Firm-wide initiatives and shared goals

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, or interior design (or equivalent)
• Minimum of 16 years of relevant professional experience
• Established Southern California professional network within justice, government and other public sector project markets
• Strong leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• California Licensed Architect

Qualifications

• LEED accreditation

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package
• Robust bonus program
• Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
• Generous paid time off
• 401(k) with employer match

Pay

Salary Range: $158,300-$220,500 annually. Compensation and level dependent on experience.

Why You’ll Love Lionakis

• A collaborative, design-forward culture that values creativity, mentorship, and shared success
• The chance to shape stories that impact real communities
• A workplace deeply committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – in our projects, our people, and our culture