Head of Project Services

hcma architecture + design; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health and dental coverage

Paid vacation + firm holidays

Studio culture and events

Collaborative studio environment

Job summary

hcma architecture + design in Canada is seeking a Head of Project Services to lead delivery across the practice, aligning people, resources, and financial performance to successful outcomes.

This senior role partners with Principals, Associate Principals and project leaders to build visibility into project health, improve planning, forecasting and risk management, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in project delivery, operations, portfolio management or practice leadership.
• Strong understanding of project planning, resourcing, forecasting and financial performance.
• Experience across multiple projects or teams, with ability to see patterns, risks and opportunities across a portfolio.
• Track record of improving systems, processes and ways of working.
• Ability to turn data and information into practical decisions and action.
• Collaborative leadership style with ability to coach others and influence without authority.
• Sound judgement and confidence to work with senior leaders, balancing project, commercial and people considerations.
• Degree in a relevant discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio oversight: Build a clear picture of project health across the practice and address risks.
• Resource planning: Lead practice-wide capacity and resource planning and hiring decisions.
• Project management leadership: Coach and support Project Managers and Project Leaders.
• Financial performance: Connect delivery with financial performance for better-informed decisions.
• Continuous improvement: Identify opportunities to improve systems, tools and ways of working.

Skills

Project delivery

Resource planning

Forecasting

Leadership

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder management

Collaboration

Education

Degree in a relevant discipline

Job description

At hcma, we design for social impact. And doing great design depends on how well we set our teams and projects up to succeed.

We’re creating a new Head of Project Services role to strengthen how we deliver work across the practice.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who sees the bigger picture of project delivery - how people, resources, financial performance, risk and decision-making come together across a portfolio of complex projects.

Working alongside our Principals, Associate Principals, Project Leaders, Finance and Operations teams, you’ll bring greater visibility and consistency to how our projects are planned, resourced and delivered.

This isn’t about adding layers of process. It’s about making project delivery work better.

What you’ll do

Your focus will include:

• Portfolio oversight: Build a clear picture of project health across the practice, helping teams identify and address risks related to scope, schedule, fees, resources and delivery.
• Resource planning: Lead practice-wide capacity and resource planning, helping us make informed decisions about allocation, sequencing, workload and hiring.
• Project management leadership: Coach and support Project Managers and Project Leaders, strengthening our approaches to planning, forecasting, risk management and delivery.
• Financial performance: Partner with Finance and project teams to connect project delivery with financial performance and enable earlier, better-informed decisions.
• Continuous improvement: Identify opportunities to improve our systems, tools and ways of working - bringing useful consistency without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Who we’re looking for

There isn’t one perfect background for this role. You may have built your career in architecture, engineering or construction, or you may come from another complex project-based, professional services or creative environment. What matters is that you understand what it takes to deliver complex work through people - and know how to bring structure and clarity without losing sight of the work itself.

You’ll likely bring:

• Significant experience in project delivery, operations, portfolio management or practice leadership.
• A strong understanding of project planning, resourcing, forecasting and financial performance.
• Experience working across multiple projects or teams, with an ability to see patterns, risks and opportunities across a portfolio.
• A track record of improving systems, processes and ways of working.
• The ability to turn data and information into practical decisions and action.
• A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to build trust, coach others and influence without relying on authority.
• Sound judgement and the confidence to work with senior leaders, balancing project, commercial and people considerations.
• A degree in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Why this role?

This is a new role with a meaningful mandate.

You won’t be stepping into a fully prescribed playbook. You’ll help build it. We’re looking for someone who can understand what’s already working, see where we can do better, and bring people with them as our approach to project delivery continues to evolve.

Success means healthier projects, stronger project leaders, earlier visibility into risks, better-informed decisions - and more space for our architects and designers to focus on great design and client work.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range: $120,000 - $140,000

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer:

• Extended health and dental coverage
• Paid vacation + firm holidays
• A creative, collaborative and lively studio environment and culture
• Office and firm-wide social events

Why Join Us?

At hcma, you'll be part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team that's passionate about creating positive change through design. As Head of Project Services, you'll have the opportunity to shape how we plan, resource, and deliver work across the practice - strengthening the systems and approaches that help our teams and projects succeed.

Candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada. We’ll be in touch with those selected for an interview.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require accommodations or support to apply, please contact [e-mail] or call 604.732.6620, we’re happy to help.