Architectural Staff I - Retail

Progressive Companies; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)

Wellness program

Job summary

Progressive Companies is seeking an Architectural Staff I to own the technical design and documentation on projects of moderate size and complexity. You will build models, write specifications, and ensure coordination and code compliance before the set is issued.

In this role you will work in Revit and AutoCAD, coordinate with engineers and other disciplines, and maintain design intent from concept through construction.

Qualifications

• Own technical design and documentation on moderate projects.
• Coordinate with engineers and disciplines to meet design intent.
• Ensure code compliance and sustainability requirements are integrated.
• Develop and write project specifications to align with drawings.
• Maintain QA/QC standards before issues are sent to senior staff.

Responsibilities

• Produce architectural models, contract documents, and technical specifications on assigned projects.
• Write project specifications that align with drawings and reconcile any differences.
• Incorporate code compliance, sustainability, and material standards into documents.
• Maintain design intent from concept through construction and coordinate with other disciplines.
• Review reports, submittals, drawings, estimates, and calculations for technical accuracy.
• Resolve field issues on site visits and address unforeseen conditions.

Skills

Architectural design

Coordination with engineers

QA/QC awareness

Code compliance research

Documentation

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

Job description

As an Architectural Staff I, you will own the technical design and documentation on projects of moderate size and complexity. You will build the models, write the specifications, and answer for whether the set is coordinated and code-compliant before it leaves the office. Assignments come to you whole rather than broken into pieces, and senior staff will check with you when a detail is in question.

Progressive designs across markets as different as education, healthcare, water resources, and logistics, so the technical problems change with the project. This is the level where an architect stops producing pieces of someone else's package and starts owning one, and it is the step before a licensed Architect. Progressive is employee owned, so every team member holds a stake through the ESOP.

In This Role, You Will

• Produce the architectural models, contract documents, and technical specifications on assigned projects. Work in Revit and AutoCAD, and carry the package from early design through the issued set.
• Write project specifications that agree with the drawings. Compile and analyze the project data behind them, then reconcile spec to drawing so the contractor is never choosing between two answers.
• Build code compliance, sustainability requirements, and material standards into the documents themselves. Do the research yourself and detail the work so it holds up in plan review and in the field, rather than leaving those questions for the next reviewer.
• Hold the design intent from concept through construction. Progressive's Performance Based Design process sets what a project has to accomplish. Keep those outcomes visible in the documentation as the design develops, so they reach the field intact.
• Coordinate the technical design with engineers, consultants, and other disciplines. Pull structural, mechanical, electrical, and civil work into one integrated set, and flag design inconsistencies or scope changes to the Senior Architect or Project Manager while there is still time to act on them.
• Review reports, submittals, drawings, estimates, and calculations for technical accuracy and completeness. Self-check your work against internal QA/QC standards before it reaches senior staff, so their review time goes to design questions instead of errors.
• Resolve field issues on site visits. Take on unforeseen conditions, code questions, and discrepancies in the construction documents, and close them out rather than routing them upward.

People Matter

Each individual's background, knowledge, ability, and experience contributes to strengthening our organization and projects. Our dedication to diversity includes company provided training and education, equitable recruitment, a grassroots employee DEI committee, and robust community partnerships.

Progressive Companies is comprised of people with a variety of abilities, races, colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, veteran statuses, and more. As an equal opportunity employer, we believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential elements of innovative design. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Transforming Spaces. Empowering People.

The talented professionals of Progressive Companies are designers of a bold new future, creating high-performance structures and pathways, delivering on today's needs and preparing for what's to come. We live by the idea that design isn't simply about beauty, it's about improving strategic outcomes - what we call Performance Based Design. Our work spans across the nation, allowing team members to work on a variety of exciting projects and maximize impact as trusted partners to our clients and communities.

Sustainable and Inclusive

We are dedicated to human-centered, sustainable, and inclusive design practices. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to building trust, respect, and truly innovative design making spaces welcoming and accessible to all. Our sustainability approach embraces the AIA 2030 Commitment, together with a range of high performance, restorative, and regenerative strategies with a focus on climate responsive results to maximize positive impact in our industry.

Employee Owned

We act like owners - because we are. From modest beginnings of four original engineering partners in 1962, to almost 300 architects, engineers, designers, and consultants across multiple regional offices today, the energy, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial mindset you expect from a CEO come standard with every team member.

Culture of Excellence

The firm is continually ranked as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation, with comprehensive benefits including an award-winning wellness program, hybrid work schedule, summer hours, profit-sharing, and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). We take our work seriously, but have fun along the way, which fuels the creative spirit and supports a focus on work and life integration.

Progressive Companies is committed to development and growth of team members through continuing education, mentorship, growth opportunities, and more. We are dedicated to giving back to our communities, with paid service-learning hours available to every employee and corporate sponsorship for a wide range of community organizations and activities.