Senior Architect Post Secondary Lead

Gilder Search Group; Edmonton; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Health and dental benefits

Life and disability coverage

Free parking

Professional development

Job summary

Gilder Search Group is seeking a Senior Architect – Post Secondary Lead to advance a dedicated higher education portfolio in Metro Vancouver. You will lead complex projects, engage with colleges and universities, and mentor teams while collaborating with stakeholders and consultants.

Ideal candidates have 8+ years of architecture experience, Canadian registration, and a proven track record in post secondary environments.

Qualifications

• Registered Architect in Canada or eligible to register in BC/AIBC
• Eligibility to obtain registration with the AIBC
• 8+ years of professional architectural experience
• Experience on college/university/post-secondary projects (mandatory)

Responsibilities

• Lead complex post secondary projects from planning through construction
• Act as senior point of contact for college/university clients
• Take ownership of key relationships within the post secondary portfolio
• Lead internal teams and multidisciplinary consultants
• Oversee design development, documentation, coordination, approvals, and delivery
• Navigate funding, governance, stakeholder, procurement, and planning requirements
• Mentor architects and junior staff
• Strengthen long-term relationships with institutional clients
• Support continued work and opportunities with colleges and universities
• Collaborate with senior leadership on strategy and sector planning
• Expand leadership across the firm’s post secondary portfolio

Skills

Leadership

Client relationships

Project leadership

Communication

Mentoring

Revit proficiency

Team coordination

Education

Registered Architect (Canada)

Tools

Revit

Job description

Senior Architect Post Secondary Lead
Relocate from Alberta to Metro Vancouver, BC
Architecture & Post Secondary Education
Salary: $110,000 to $130,000
Post Secondary Leadership. Established Clients. Meaningful Career Progression.

About the Firm

Our client is a well established architectural and design practice with more than 60 years of experience delivering meaningful projects across Western Canada. With a strong presence in British Columbia and longstanding relationships with public institutions across BC, Alberta, and the Yukon, the firm is known for thoughtful design, technical excellence, and highly collaborative project delivery.

Their integrated team works across architecture, planning, interior design, and technical delivery, with experience spanning post secondary education, K to 12, healthcare, civic, commercial, and community projects.

Post secondary education is an established and important sector of the practice. The firm has longstanding relationships with colleges and universities, an existing portfolio of completed work, and a continued pipeline of active and upcoming projects.

Their work within the sector includes academic and applied learning facilities, student housing, campus renovations and expansions, student and community spaces, and longer term campus planning initiatives.

The firm is now looking for an experienced Senior Architect with direct post secondary experience who can step into a significant leadership role within this established area of the practice.

For an Architect currently based in Alberta, this is an opportunity to bring your higher education experience into an established BC practice, take ownership of meaningful client and project relationships, and position yourself for increasingly senior responsibilities within the firm.

About the Role

This is not simply another Senior Architect position.

The firm is looking for someone who understands the unique complexities of designing and delivering projects within college and university environments and has already established themselves as a strong project and client leader.

You will take a senior role across an existing post secondary portfolio, leading complex higher education projects and working directly with colleges, universities, consultants, stakeholders, and internal project teams.

Your experience may include:

• Academic and teaching facilities
• Applied learning and trades facilities
• Science, research, and laboratory environments
• Student housing and residences
• Campus renovations and expansions
• Student services and amenity spaces
• Campus planning and long range development
• Other complex college and university facilities

The firm is particularly interested in someone who understands that post secondary work goes beyond project delivery, including the funding, governance, stakeholder engagement, procurement, approvals, and planning processes that shape projects within colleges and universities.

There is also meaningful room to grow beyond individual project delivery.

As you establish yourself within the practice, strengthen existing client relationships, and take greater ownership across the post secondary portfolio, there is an opportunity to expand your mandate into broader sector, team, client, and firm leadership.

For someone who has reached a point in their current firm where the next step feels limited, this is an opportunity to make a strategic career move rather than simply a geographic one.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead complex post secondary projects from early planning through construction
• Act as a senior point of contact for college and university clients
• Take ownership of key relationships within an established post secondary portfolio
• Lead internal architectural teams and multidisciplinary consultants
• Oversee design development, documentation, coordination, approvals, and construction delivery
• Navigate post secondary funding, governance, stakeholder, planning, and procurement requirements
• Manage project priorities, schedules, quality, and client expectations
• Mentor architects, intern architects, and technical staff
• Strengthen long term relationships with existing institutional clients
• Support continued work and future opportunities with colleges and universities
• Work directly with senior leadership on client strategy, sector planning, and future pursuits
• Take on increasing responsibility for the leadership and direction of the firm's post secondary portfolio

What They're Looking For

• Registered Architect in Alberta, British Columbia, or another Canadian jurisdiction
• Eligibility to obtain registration with the AIBC
• 8+ years of professional architectural experience
• Experience working on college, university, campus, or higher education projects (mandatory)
• Proven experience leading complex projects and multidisciplinary teams
• Experience managing sophisticated institutional and public sector clients
• Understanding of post secondary funding, governance, stakeholder, procurement, and project delivery processes
• Strong knowledge of design, technical documentation, consultant coordination, and construction
• Proficiency in Revit and contemporary architectural delivery tools
• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship building skills
• Experience mentoring and providing direction to developing team members
• Ambition to progress beyond project leadership into broader sector and firm leadership

Why Make the Move to Metro Vancouver?

For an established Alberta Architect with post secondary experience, this role provides an opportunity to combine a move to British Columbia with a genuine step forward professionally.

You'll be joining an established Western Canadian practice rather than starting over in a new market. There is already a strong foundation in place, with established post secondary clients, existing relationships, completed projects, and a continued pipeline of work.

Your experience working with universities, colleges, public institutions, and complex stakeholder groups will be directly relevant to the work you'll be taking on.

The Metro Vancouver location also provides access to one of Canada’s largest architectural and development markets, while positioning you close to Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the North Shore, and the wider Lower Mainland.

Most importantly, the firm is actively looking at the next generation of its leadership.

This isn't about relocating for essentially the same position somewhere else. The right individual will have the opportunity to establish themselves within an important area of the practice, demonstrate how they lead projects, clients, and teams, take greater ownership over time, and progress toward broader leadership responsibilities within the firm.

What the Firm Offers

• Competitive compensation of $110,000 to $130,000, depending on experience
• Meaningful career progression into broader leadership
• Leadership role within an established post secondary portfolio
• Longstanding college and university client relationships
• Strong pipeline of active and upcoming work
• Direct exposure to senior firm leadership
• Significant influence across projects, clients, teams, and sector strategy
• Hybrid work schedule and flexible working hours
• Professional development and continuing education support
• Comprehensive health and dental benefits
• Life and disability coverage
• Health and lifestyle spending accounts
• Collaborative and supportive studio culture
• Free parking and regular team events

If you're an experienced Architect in Alberta who has built your career working on post secondary, college, or university projects and have been considering a move to British Columbia, this is an opportunity to make that move with a clear professional purpose.

Bring the higher education expertise you've developed in Alberta into an established Western Canadian practice where you can take on significant leadership, work with established institutional clients, lead meaningful post secondary projects, and continue progressing toward a broader leadership role within the firm.