Project Architect II - Education
About the role
As a Project Architect II, you will own the technical design of major, complex projects and ensure the design intent survives from concept into the documents and out into the field. You will investigate options, weigh trade-offs, and recommend solutions that work for the client, often developing new approaches for non-standard details. This is a supported but largely independent role where you will coordinate directly with consultants and engineers, resolve code questions with building officials, and mentor junior architects. The next step from here is Senior Project Architect and project leadership.
Progressive is employee-owned (ESOP), so the projects you deliver build your own stake in the firm. We practice Performance Based Design, meaning a design must prove out against what the client needs the building to do.
Responsibilities
- Hold the design intent through every phase of documentation and carry Performance Based Design goals from concept into the issued set with no unresolved deviations reaching the client.
- Lead the technical design and documentation on assigned major projects, producing architectural models, contract documents, and specifications in Revit and AutoCAD with applicable codes, sustainability requirements, and material standards built in from the start.
- Stamp and seal construction documents as a licensed architect, owning the technical accuracy and code compliance of your sets and making initial calls on complex or first-of-their-kind design problems.
- Own coordination of the specifications with the drawings, leading spec-to-drawing coordination and handoffs with internal teams, consultants, and engineers to catch conflicts in the office rather than at bid or in the field.
- Carry plan review and code questions to resolution, handling due diligence, existing conditions documentation, plan review submissions, and settling code questions directly with the authority having jurisdiction.
- Lead reviews of submittals, drawings, estimates, and calculations, evaluating them against project scope and firm standards, and self-checking your own work to meet QA/QC requirements before deliverables go out.
- Solve construction problems in the field during site visits, working through unforeseen conditions, code compliance issues, and document discrepancies, and closing open items rather than letting them sit.
- Keep project information, fees, and schedules moving by organizing how project files get published, issued, and transferred, providing informed input on fees and schedules, and raising scope changes when they appear rather than after they hit the budget.
- Mentor junior architects through day-to-day coaching and Lessons Learned sessions, and contribute to process improvements and standard development.
Qualifications
- Licensed architect.
Benefits
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
- Comprehensive benefits including an award-winning wellness program.
- Hybrid work schedule and summer hours.
- Profit-sharing.
- Paid service-learning hours for community involvement and corporate sponsorship for a wide range of community organizations and activities.
- Continuing education, mentorship, and growth opportunities.
About the company
Progressive Companies is an employee-owned firm of nearly 300 architects, engineers, designers, and consultants across multiple regional offices. We design high-performance structures and pathways, delivering on today’s needs and preparing for what’s to come. Our approach, Performance Based Design, ensures that design improves strategic outcomes, not just beauty.
We are dedicated to human-centered, sustainable, and inclusive design practices, embracing the AIA 2030 Commitment alongside high-performance, restorative, and regenerative strategies to maximize positive impact. The firm is continually ranked as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation®, fostering a culture of excellence with a focus on work and life integration.