Lead Project Architect

About the Role

Hooker DeJong, Inc. (HDJ) is a growing architectural and engineering firm seeking a Lead Project Architect to provide design leadership, technical confidence, and client-focused project management within a fast-moving, multidisciplinary team. At HDJ, we have been improving lives through design since 1936, serving communities across the country with a collaborative approach that brings architects, engineers, planners, and interior designers together.

Position Location: Grand Rapids or Muskegon, Michigan.

Your Impact

• Serve as a trusted project leader for both clients and the internal team, guiding projects from idea to execution while maintaining alignment, coordination, and client confidence.
• Act as the primary point of contact for clients, building trust through clear communication, proactive follow-through, and thoughtful expectation management.
• Coordinate project team efforts to ensure effective design execution and delivery of construction documents.
• Lead interdisciplinary coordination and quality assurance processes, leveraging technical expertise to maintain accuracy, completeness, and project timelines.
• Manage critical project drivers, including scope, schedule, budget, deliverables, contracts, and team assignments.
• Guide documentation and clarification efforts throughout the project lifecycle.
• Participate in bidding and construction phase services, including submittal reviews, RFIs, site observation, and construction administration support.
• Coordinate with engineering disciplines and other project partners to deliver cohesive, buildable solutions.
• Assist in developing proposals, fee estimates, scopes of work, and project agreements in partnership with HDJ leadership.
• Provide steady leadership in a fast-paced environment where priorities shift, details matter, and communication ensures team alignment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture.
• Licensed Architect in the United States.
• 5+ years of experience in all phases of design, from schematic design through construction administration and close-out.
• Thorough knowledge of construction codes, agency compliance, architecture, and construction documentation standards.
• Strong ability to coordinate architectural work with engineering disciplines.
• Experience with Autodesk Revit and/or AutoCAD preferred.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills with colleagues, consultants, and clients at all levels.
• Strong planning, organization, judgment, and follow-through in a fast-paced, multitasking environment.
• Self-motivated, collaborative, and comfortable working productively in a hybrid remote work environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel as project needs require.

Benefits

• Award-winning culture: HDJ has been named a National Best & Brightest Companies to Work For for eight consecutive years.
• Interdisciplinary teamwork: Collaborate with talented architects, engineers, planners, and interior designers who prioritize great work.
• Meaningful project impact: Contribute to projects that improve lives through design, serving clients and communities.
• Room to lead: Opportunity to own project details, guide teams, and serve as a trusted client resource in complex situations.
• Competitive wage and benefits package.

About HDJ

HDJ is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces. We encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to work and strive to be an employer of choice, reflecting the diversity of the clients and communities we serve. HDJ is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.