Project Architect, Education Practice Lead

About the role

The Project Architect and Practice Lead for the Education practice serves as both project leadership and strategic advisor to enhance SOM’s education work, for higher education and K12. This role advances the firm's strategic growth through business development, market leadership, and professional engagement.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the creation and implementation of functional business plans by identifying growth areas, desired clients, strategic opportunities, and the most effective ways to position SOM in the market.
• Shapes and implements practice-level priorities, including positioning, messaging themes, and business development goals in alignment with Practice Leaders and functional market leadership and Marketing.
• Co-leads Practice Group Meetings with Practice Leaders to lead discussions about active pursuits, business development activity, and financials and collaborates with Practice Leaders and functional leadership to evaluate potential clients and new projects.
• Co-manages pipeline with Functional Practice Leaders and understands pipeline, win rates and ROI, and reports out regularly to the Global Marketing Directors and leadership on functional market progress.
• Identifies patterns, trends, client themes, and cross-market opportunities by conducting, synthesizing, and organizing market, client, competitor, and historical research to inform strategic planning, business positioning, functional market growth, pursuit strategy, and leadership decision-making.
• Drives business development activity in collaboration with Practice Leaders, including evaluation of potential clients and new projects, pipeline management, Go/No Go decision-making, and active pursuit strategy.
• Represents SOM to clients, consultants, and industry organizations; develops and maintains a strong business network in relevant functional markets; identifies and strategizes participation in conferences and events; and advises and mentors staff on writing, storytelling, interview preparation, content strategy, and market positioning techniques.
• Facilitates integrated, participatory, and data-informed planning and design processes on Education projects.
• Advises teams and clients on best practices, trends, and strategies to implement best-in-class planning and design solutions for teaching and learning environments.
• Extends the reach of Education Practice leadership by representing the practice in project work, design reviews, client engagements, and internal collaboration across offices and teams.
• Guides project teams in early stakeholder engagement, programming, and scope definition for educational spaces and campus environments.
• Leads Architectural Project Teams through close collaboration with SOM Partners and Project Leadership to achieve design excellence, technical rigor, and successful client outcomes.
• Serves as a day-to-day design and management leader across project phases, helping define design direction, decision-making frameworks, and integrated work plans aligned with project goals, scope, schedule, and budget.
• Led the creation of strong conceptual design abilities within the project team, integrating interdisciplinary criteria to move projects forward in ways that reinforce design intent and project quality.
• Oversees key design and client deliverables such as diagrams, planning materials, presentations, 3D models, drawings, renderings, and other communication tools needed to advance project work.
• Communicates internally with project teams and externally with consultants and clients through timely and appropriate written, oral, and visual means.
• Collaborates with Partners and Project leadership to prepare, issue, and manage compliance plans to align project goals including budget, deliverables and schedule.
• Initiates, monitors and maintains project schedule and work plan including schedule of meetings and presentations including early stakeholder engagement for programming and scope definition of educational spaces.
• Establishes, communicates, and maintains standards of quality for design and documentation output, and proactively reviews work for alignment with project goals, design intent, technical requirements, and SOM standards.
• Builds trust with clients by translating design strategy into clear recommendations, leading presentations and workshops, and ensuring that the work reflects both client priorities and SOM’s standards of excellence.
• Initiates and maintains SOM-Client Services Agreement, SOM Sub-Consultant Agreements and requests for additional services.
• Maintains scope for contract compliance, financial performance and potential additional services.
• Engages in project risk management through close collaboration with SOM Partners and legal group.

Requirements

• Significant knowledge and expertise in campus master planning, space programming, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach for Education institutions is required.
• Professional degree in Architecture.
• Licensed in state of practice; LEED accreditation preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead interdisciplinary design teams and guide projects toward strong design, quality, schedule, budget, and program outcomes in collaboration with Project Leadership.
• Strong conceptual design ability and demonstrated judgment in planning and design decision making.
• Strong understanding of sustainable strategies and principles including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Smartsheets, Adobe Suite, and Google Workspace.
• Proficiency in design and visualization tools relevant to architectural practice, including familiarity with Revit, Rhino, and related digital workflows.
• Proficiency with Deltek Vision and Salesforce.

Qualifications

• Significant knowledge and expertise in campus master planning, space programming, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach for Education institutions is required.
• Professional degree in Architecture.
• Licensed in state of practice; LEED accreditation preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead interdisciplinary design teams and guide projects toward strong design, quality, schedule, budget, and program outcomes in collaboration with Project Leadership.
• Strong conceptual design ability and demonstrated judgment in planning and design decision making.
• Strong understanding of sustainable strategies and principles including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Smartsheets, Adobe Suite, and Google Workspace.
• Proficiency in design and visualization tools relevant to architectural practice, including familiarity with Revit, Rhino, and related digital workflows.
• Proficiency with Deltek Vision and Salesforce.

Skills

• Significant knowledge and expertise in campus master planning, space programming, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach for Education institutions.
• Professional degree in Architecture.
• Licensed in state of practice; LEED accreditation preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead interdisciplinary design teams and guide projects toward strong design, quality, schedule, budget, and program outcomes in collaboration with Project Leadership.
• Strong conceptual design ability and demonstrated judgment in planning and design decision making.
• Strong understanding of sustainable strategies and principles including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Smartsheets, Adobe Suite, and Google Workspace.
• Proficiency in design and visualization tools relevant to architectural practice, including familiarity with Revit, Rhino, and related digital workflows.
• Proficiency with Deltek Vision and Salesforce.

Benefits

Compensation for this role is based upon experience, qualifications, location, and education and typically ranges from $150,000 to $200,000.

Pay

Compensation for this role is based upon experience, qualifications, location, and education and typically ranges from $150,000 to $200,000.

Schedule

Compensation for this role is based upon experience, qualifications, location, and education and typically ranges from $150,000 to $200,000.