Architectural Design - Leader

Archinect; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Archinect in Oakland, CA seeks an Architectural Design Leader for civic, education, and urban infrastructure projects. The role blends design excellence with project leadership across planning, design, and construction phases.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience in education and public sector projects, strong coordination and team leadership skills, and a commitment to sustainable, accessible public outcomes for diverse communities.

Qualifications

• Professional degree in Architecture or equivalent education and experience.
• Licensure and professional certifications welcomed.
• Experience with public-sector or infrastructure projects.
• Experience coordinating complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to engage with community members and clients.
• Knowledge of sustainability and mass timber development is valued.

Responsibilities

• Develop and advance architectural design concepts from programming through construction.
• Produce and coordinate construction documents and technical information.
• Coordinate work with consultants, engineers, clients, agencies, and contractors.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams in a collaborative environment.
• Support bidding, negotiation, and construction administration.
• Navigate regulatory and accessibility requirements.

Skills

Design leadership

Project coordination

Team leadership

Construction administration

Community engagement

Public projects

Communication

Education

Professional degree in Architecture

Tools

Revit

Rhino

Enscape

Adobe Creative Suite

Smartsheet

Miro

MS Office

Job description

Architectural Design - Leader for Civic, Education and Urban Infrastructure

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced design professional to contribute to civic, education, and urban infrastructure projects. This is a hands-on, collaborative role for someone who brings strong architectural, technical, and project leadership capabilities and can contribute across multiple phases of design and construction.

Rather than defining this position solely by title or years of experience, we are interested in individuals who bring a combination of skills in design, technical documentation, project coordination, team leadership, and construction administration, along with an awareness of the broader social impact of the built environment. The successful candidate will work as part of an interdisciplinary team to advance high-impact public projects from early exploratory conversations and community engagement through planning, design, and construction.

Our staffing model is based on the practice of architecture and what projects actually need—not whether someone is called aJob Captain, Project Architect, Project Manager or Studio Director.

Core Capabilities

Design & Project Development

• Develop and advance architectural design concepts from programming and planning through construction.
• Translate project goals, stakeholder needs, technical requirements, and, when appropriate, community perspectives into thoughtful and buildable design solutions.
• Contribute to education, civic, urban infrastructure, and other public-sector environments with an understanding of their broader role in community life.

Technical Design & Documentation

• Produce and coordinate high-quality construction documents and technical project information.
• Develop architectural details, specifications, and coordinated drawing packages.
• Navigate regulatory, agency, accessibility, and public-sector requirements.

Project Coordination

• Coordinate architectural work with consultants, engineers, clients, agencies, contractors, and other project stakeholders.
• Organize project information, schedules, deliverables, and decision‑making across multiple phases of work.
• Identify and help resolve design, technical, and coordination challenges while integrating stakeholder input into the project process.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead and support multidisciplinary teams in a collaborative project environment.
• Guide design and technical work while supporting the growth and contributions of other team members.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with colleagues, clients, consultants, public agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Participate constructively and respectfully in conversations with diverse audiences.

Construction Phase Services

• Participate in bidding, negotiation, and construction administration activities.
• Review submittals, respond to requests for information, and help resolve construction‑related issues.
• Work collaboratively with contractors and project teams to support the successful realization of the design.

Experience & Knowledge

We welcome candidates whose professional experience demonstrates strength in several of the following areas:

• Integrated sustainable design and sustainable building practices, including mass timber construction and construction waste reduction by design.
• Education, civic, institutional, urban infrastructure, or other complex public projects.
• High‑impact projects involving multiple stakeholders, consultants, agencies, and regulatory requirements.
• Construction documentation, technical coordination, and construction administration.
• Project and team coordination or leadership.
• Architecture, planning, urban design, or related design disciplines.
• A natural willingness and ability to engage warmly with community members, clients, and project teams.
• An interest in how design decisions can support access, inclusion, community experience, and positive public outcomes.

Experience working on public‑sector and/or infrastructure projects in the Bay Area is particularly valuable, although relevant expertise may have been developed in other geographic locations and project types.

Technical Capabilities

Candidates should demonstrate proficiency in tools and technologies necessary to contribute effectively to complex architectural projects, including:

• Revit or comparable Building Information Modeling platforms.
• Microsoft, Miro, Smartsheet, and other digital collaboration and project documentation tools.
• Adobe Creative Suite.
• Visualization and modeling tools such as Enscape and Rhino.

We recognize that candidates may bring different combinations of technical expertise and do not expect every applicant to be proficient in every platform listed.

Education & Professional Development

A professional degree in Architecture, or equivalent education and experience in architecture or a related design discipline, is valued. Licensure, professional certifications, and specialized expertise are welcomed and supported.

What We Value

We are looking for people who bring curiosity, initiative, technical rigor, and a commitment to collaborative practice. Successful team members may come from different professional backgrounds and career paths, but they share an ability to contribute meaningfully to complex projects, work across disciplines, communicate effectively, and create architecture and infrastructure that serves the public.

Due to the volume of applications, telephone inquiries and recruiter submissions will not be accepted.