Chief Architect – City of Birmingham

Personnel Board of Jefferson County; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Birmingham is seeking an experienced Chief Architect to perform advanced professional and administrative architectural work within the Architecture Division of the Planning, Engineering and Permitting Department.

The Chief Architect oversees design, construction and remodeling of City buildings, resolving complex issues and supervising architects, senior plans examiners and staff involved in review and processing of architectural plans.

Qualifications

• Licensed architect in Alabama or NCARB cert with licensure in Alabama within six weeks.
• Experience managing a multi-project portfolio through all phases of project administration.
• Experience in procurement of design and construction services including bid and award.
• Experience in compliance with federal, state, and local construction requirements (ADA, EPA, IBC).
• Experience developing contract documents (owner-architect, owner-contractor, owner-special service).
• Experience coordinating activities and schedules of clients and professional staff throughout construction.
• Experience using drawing software such as AutoCAD or Revit.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates advanced/complex projects by planning, designing and scheduling activities within the Architecture Division.
• Oversees contract administration including bidding, consultant review, and documentation compliance.
• Performs administrative duties including writing reports, maintaining records, and responding to inquiries.
• Supervises staff by assigning work, monitoring progress, and training.
• Conducts periodic field reviews and site inspections to verify project performance.
• Analyzes property documentation for site development.
• Makes presentations to Mayor and officials for Public Works projects.

Skills

Portfolio management

Procurement

Regulatory compliance

Contract documents

Coordination

Staff supervision

AutoCAD/Revit experience

Education

Architect license / NCARB

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

Job description

Target Close Date 09/04/2026

Pay Grade Grade 33

Type Full time

Job Summary The City of Birmingham is seeking an experienced Chief Architect to perform advanced professional and administrative architectural work within the Architecture Division of the Planning, Engineering and Permitting Department.

The Chief Architect is responsible for overseeing the design, construction, and remodeling of various City building projects, many of which are designed by consulting architects. This position resolves complex professional and technical issues and provides oversight of construction and construction administration contracts. The Chief Architect also supervises Architects, Senior Plans Examiners, Plans Examiners, and other staff responsible for the review and processing of architectural plans and related project activities.

Compensation & Benefits The City of Birmingham provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The pay range for this job is listed below:

$85,092 – $132,017

Minimum Qualifications The following are job-related qualifications that are required for employment consideration for this position.

• Driver’s license.
• Licensed as an Architect in the state of Alabama OR Certified through the National Council for Architecture Registration Boards (i.e., NCARB) that would lead to licensure in Alabama within six weeks.
• Experience managing a multiple project portfolio through all phases of project administration, ranging in scope from renovation to new construction.
• Experience in procurement of design and construction services including the bid and award process.
• Experience in compliance with federal, state, and local statutory requirements for construction (e.g., ADA, EPA, IBC).
• Experience in developing contract documents (e.g., owner-architect, owner-contractor agreements, owner-special service).
• Experience coordinating activities and managing schedules of clients (e.g., end users, consultants) and professional staff and/or administrative staff (e.g., architects, project managers) throughout the entire course of construction projects.
• Experience utilizing drawing software (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit).

Typical Job Duties

• Coordinates advanced/complex projects by planning, designing and scheduling activities within the Architecture Division using the principles, practices and regulations of architecture to ensure compliance with stated goals and objectives of the City’s departments.
• Oversees and manages the contract administration function of the Architecture Division to include administering the public bidding process, reviewing work products submitted by consultants, and analyzing project documentation to ensure compliance with laws, codes, regulations and contract agreements.
• Performs administrative duties including writing various reports, maintaining records, and responding to concerns from the public, local government and any City department.
• Supervises staff by assigning and distributing work, directing staff in their job duties, monitoring progress of work, providing feedback and/or training.
• Conducts periodic field reviews and site inspections to verify performance of project managers.
• Analyzes legal property documentation such as surveying, utilities and topography for use in site development.
• Makes presentations to the Mayor, elected officials, agencies and the general public for Public Works projects.

Physical Demands Job is primarily sedentary involving sitting for long periods of time. At times, job may require light to moderate physical exertion, including climbing, carrying, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or twisting.

Work Environment Work is conducted mostly indoors in an office setting, with periodic field visits to outdoor worksites. Incumbents may be required to enter properties, construction sites, residences, and buildings under various stages of construction and repair.

Eeo Statement The Personnel Board of Jefferson County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment with the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Each Merit System member city/agency operates its own equal employment opportunity policies available on the individual city/agency website.

Accommodation To request an accommodation in the application or hiring process due to your own ongoing medical condition or disability, please contact our Accommodations Coordinator at [e-mail] or phone at 205-279-3500 (select option 1) Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. The accommodation process is reserved solely for job seekers with disabilities requesting accessibility assistance or accommodation in the job application process.

Note This job posting may close before, or be extended beyond, the listed Target Close Date based on the employment needs of the Merit System.

DisclaimerThis job posting is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of the job duties, responsibilities, or skills and abilities required for this position and may be changed at the discretion of the Personnel Board at any time.