Director, Architecture & Engineering

nycsca; Queens (WV); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

NYC School Construction Authority (NYCSCA) is seeking a Director of Architecture and Engineering for the DCMS-Capacity division. This senior role provides design leadership and manages a unit delivering pre-design through construction-phase support for capital projects within a designated borough.

The Director ensures alignment with DOE requirements, regulations, and Authority standards while guiding staff and external consultants to deliver high-quality, durable school projects on schedule and

Qualifications

• Experience leading architectural/engineering teams for large public-school projects.
• Ability to review design quality, technical rigor, and constructability.
• Experience coordinating consultants and in-house staff across multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Manages staff within the designated architectural and engineering unit of DCMS-Capacity and supports the Studio Lead in establishing priorities, workload, and project delivery expectations.
• Directs the activities of the unit in providing pre-design, design, and construction-phase support services for Authority projects.
• Provides senior-level design leadership and exercises sound architectural judgment in reviewing consultant work for design quality, technical rigor, functionality, constructability, durability, maintainability, and coordination across disciplines.
• Manages sophisticated architectural and engineering consultants and engages senior design principals effectively, ensuring that design excellence is advanced while Authority standards, public-sector requirements, schedule, budget, and operational needs are met.
• Ensures that consultant submissions are complete, coordinated, code-compliant, responsive to project requirements, and suitable for review and implementation at each phase of design and construction.
• Ensures that scope development and design services are delivered in a timely, cost-effective manner and meet Authority quality standards.
• Ensures that projects meet Department of Education requirements and capital plan timeframes.
• Reports to the DCMS-Capacity Studio Lead regarding unit activities, including project status, staff utilization, implementation of Authority design standards, quality control, consultant performance, and material risks requiring escalation.
• Serves as a member of the Department's Operations Committee and contributes to development of strategies, policies, procedures, design standards, and priorities for the Department of Architecture and Engineering.
• Assists in developing and improving technical and design standards and specifications, including evaluation of new systems and materials.
• Ensures that pre-design programming and scope-development activities are consistent with Department of Education priorities, Authority policies, and Operations Committee standards.
• Plans, directs, monitors, reviews, and evaluates work performed by unit staff and establishes clear expectations for project management and design oversight.
• Ensures adherence to consultant contractual requirements and

Skills

Staff management

Design leadership

Coordination across disciplines

Consultant management

Pre-design and design oversight

Job description

Build your career while building NYC Public schools and impacting the learning environments of the next generation!

The SCA's Architecture and Engineering Department is responsible for development of scope, design, and construction documents for new school buildings, additions, lease conversions and renovation work of existing schools for New York City's approximately 1.1 million students. Our projects are intentionally and thoughtfully designed; positive impact design is at the forefront of all our projects.

Our In-House studio is a multidisciplinary practice that is responsible for designing some of the largest and most complex schools in our 1,500+ school portfolio as well as renovation work to existing schools. Our other two studios manage external consultants from design inception to completion. Our three studios are comprised of talented architects and engineers who are driven to deliver high quality custom designed, sustainable, and resilient public schools.

Come and join our continuing journey towards design excellence in the K-12 education sector. Be impactful!

Job Description Summary

The Director, Architecture and Engineering, DCMS-Capacity, reports to the DCMS-Capacity Studio Lead and provides senior design and management leadership for Capacity projects, stand-alone buildings for CIP projects, path-of-travel CIP projects, and Playground and Athletic Field projects within an assigned borough. The Director supports the Studio Lead in delivering these project typologies while ensuring alignment with Authority standards, Department of Education requirements, regulatory requirements, project schedules, and quality expectations.

This role requires strong architectural judgment and a sophisticated understanding of high-quality design. The Director will manage and provide informed design oversight of nationally and internationally recognized architectural practices, including firms led or founded by architects who have received the profession's highest honors, such as the AIA Gold Medal or the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. Accordingly, the Director must be able to engage accomplished design teams credibly, critically assess design quality and technical rigor, and ensure that design excellence is achieved within the practical requirements of public-school delivery, including constructability, durability, maintainability, schedule, budget, and regulatory compliance.

The Director establishes priorities for the assigned unit, ensures that staff effectively manage consultants under contract to the Authority, and holds both internal staff and external consultants accountable for the quality, completeness, coordination, and timely delivery of their work.

Job Description

Responsibilities include:

• Manages staff within the designated architectural and engineering unit of DCMS-Capacity and supports the Studio Lead in establishing priorities, workload, and project delivery expectations.


• Directs the activities of the unit in providing pre-design, design, and construction-phase support services for Authority projects.


• Provides senior-level design leadership and exercises sound architectural judgment in reviewing consultant work for design quality, technical rigor, functionality, constructability, durability, maintainability, and coordination across disciplines.


• Manages sophisticated architectural and engineering consultants and engages senior design principals effectively, ensuring that design excellence is advanced while Authority standards, public-sector requirements, schedule, budget, and operational needs are met.


• Ensures that consultant submissions are complete, coordinated, code-compliant, responsive to project requirements, and suitable for review and implementation at each phase of design and construction.


• Ensures that scope development and design services are delivered in a timely, cost-effective manner and meet Authority quality standards.


• Ensures that projects meet Department of Education requirements and capital plan timeframes.


• Reports to the DCMS-Capacity Studio Lead regarding unit activities, including project status, staff utilization, implementation of Authority design standards, quality control, consultant performance, and material risks requiring escalation.


• Serves as a member of the Department's Operations Committee and contributes to development of strategies, policies, procedures, design standards, and priorities for the Department of Architecture and Engineering.


• Assists in developing and improving technical and design standards and specifications, including evaluation of new systems and materials.


• Ensures that pre-design programming and scope-development activities are consistent with Department of Education priorities, Authority policies, and Operations Committee standards.


• Plans, directs, monitors, reviews, and evaluates work performed by unit staff and establishes clear expectations for project management and design oversight.


• Ensures adherence to consultant contractual requirements and