Head of Design and Construction for Affordable Housing

Fitch Irick Corporation; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Fitch Irick Corporation in Charlotte, NC seeks a Director of Design & Construction to lead and scale in-house design and construction for a growing affordable housing pipeline. You will serve as the senior owner’s representative, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery with high design quality and compliance.

The role requires a licensed architect, 10+ years of experience, and a proven ability to build and mentor a design team while expanding the in-house capability for garden-style, mid-rise,

Qualifications

• Professional degree in Architecture (B.Arch or M.Arch) from an accredited program.
• Licensed Registered Architect (RA) in good standing, currently licensed in North Carolina or South Carolina, or able to obtain licensure promptly.
• NCARB Certificate holder, or eligible, with the ability to secure reciprocal licensure across Fitch Irick’s active markets.
• 10+ years of progressive experience across architectural practice and construction or owner-side project management.
• Experience leading design and construction for multifamily housing, including garden-style and mid-rise/podium or wrap construction types.
• Proven ability to hire, develop, and lead professional staff.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Familiarity with affordable housing, LIHTC, or publicly funded developments.
• Owner/developer-side experience managing consultants and general contractors.
• Experience developing prototype or standardized product designs for a repeatable pipeline.
• Occupied rehabilitation experience, including phasing, relocation planning, and existing-conditions assessment.
• Senior housing design experience, including Fair Housing, ADA, and Section 504 accessibility compliance.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the design and construction phases of the development portfolio.
• Establish and maintain design, construction, and project management standards across all projects.
• Build scalable systems, templates, and controls to grow from ~1,000 to 2,500 units delivered annually.
• Contribute to feasibility analyses, schedules, and budgets during early development.
• Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies related to cost, schedule, constructability, and delivery.
• Advise the Chief Development Officer on pipeline capacity, staffing needs, and consultant selection.
• Direct and oversee architects, engineers, and consultants through all design phases.
• Develop and own a prototype and product standards program spanning garden-style and podi um/ wrap construction types.
• Ensure design solutions align with budgets, funding requirements, resident experience, and long-term asset performance.
• Lead value engineering efforts and major design decisions.
• Review and approve design deliverables, cost estimates, and constructability analyses.
• Ensure compliance with building codes, accessibility requirements, sustainability goals, and funder design standards.
• Oversee project budgets, schedules, and reporting across the portfolio.
• Serve as senior owner’s representative during construction.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Decision making

Design leadership

Team building

Education

Architectural degree (B.Arch/M.Arch)

Licensed RA (NC/SC)

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

Excel

Job description

Fitch Irick Corporation in Charlotte, NC seeks a Director of Design & Construction to lead and scale in-house design and construction for a growing affordable housing pipeline. You will serve as the senior owner’s representative, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery with high design quality and compliance.

The role requires a licensed architect, 10+ years of experience, and a proven ability to build and mentor a design team while expanding the in-house capability for garden-style, mid-rise,