Lead Architectural Historian

WSP; Reno (NV); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP is seeking a Lead Architectural Historian to join our Reno, NV office. You will provide strategic leadership for historical projects, oversee budgets and teams, and ensure compliance with preservation regulations.

The role involves multi-disciplinary collaboration, client liaison, and supporting growth of historian work across California, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. Occasional travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Architectural History, History Preservation, or a related field.
• 7–10 years of post-education experience as historian or architectural historian.
• Strong knowledge of environmental laws and historical/architectural preservation regulations.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with office automation and corporate software.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive and strategic leadership for historical discipline and projects.
• Oversee budgets, hours, expenses, and profitability for projects.
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams across siting, licensing, and preservation work.
• Ensure compliance with Federal, State, and Local preservation regulations.
• Develop proposals, scopes, timelines, pricing, and budgets.
• Represent the discipline to external entities and clients.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal communication

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Project coordination

Adaptability

Client liaison

Education

Bachelor's degree in Architectural History or History Preservation

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

This Opportunity

WSP is seeking a Lead Architectural Historian to join our Reno, NV office.

Provides leadership within a sector of organization to ensure historian practices, subject matter, technical deliverables, and programs are delivered with a level of quality that meets or exceeds acceptable industry and company standards. Responsible for SME innovation and administration; ensuring corporate compliance with all Local, State, and Federal environmental, historic preservation, and safety regulations; and providing pragmatic direction to address current and future project challenges in a rapidly-changing and complex business climate.

Your Impact

• Provide proactive and strategic leadership for the scientific discipline and function, offering direction, expertise, and support to ensure project and work site deliverables are successfully achieved within the business sector.
• Support projects across California, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon
• Oversee the appropriate use of quality control standard and procedures for research and data collection, accurate documentation, and the analysis of historical data to determine exact locations of project areas, site impact, and associated physical and historical sensitivities.
• Lead larger-scale more complex historical preservation and architectural history projects ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, monitoring external events, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring profitability and satisfactory performance, and supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
• Responsible for the contribution and management of multi-disciplinary project teams in all phases of the execution and delivery of siting and licensing for assigned business sector production projects, as well as history preservation resource planning, and architectural history projects.
• Actively foster compliance with applicable Federal, State, and Local laws, preservation guidelines, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Assist with the preparation of an annual update to business tactical action plans within the specified area.
• Support the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Historian work for WSP in assigned area of responsibility, with a focus on opportunities in all disciplines (planning, design, strategic consulting, and program management).
• Lead technical aspects of contract negotiation, presentations, and meetings.
• Ensure that scientific discipline certifications, accreditations, and value proposition is developed and continuously improved.
• Conduct needs analyses and client value surveys to align the scientific discipline’s function with business and project strategy, identifying and addressing any skill gaps or risks within the sector business operations.
• Schedule scientific discipline meetings, providing updates and recommendations to ensure that all reasonable and proper measures are taken to inculcate discipline expertise and innovation into project work.
• Serve as one of the scientific discipline’s lead representatives/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.
• Develop and inform proposal and project scopes, timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics.
• Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents that result in sound scientific and regulatory conclusions to minimize or negate impacts to resources of historic, cultural, and scientific significance.
• Develop a client base for providing high level historian services including identifying additional business development opportunities, and cross-selling of other WSP capabilities.
• Manage and provide performance guidance and leadership to assigned staff.
• Remain current in latest historian practices, methods, procedures, subject matter, and techniques.
• Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide “trusted advisor” service and future ready solutions for clients.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural History, History Preservation, or a related field.
• 7-10 years of relevant post-education experience working as an historian, architectural historian, or similar role.
• Strong working knowledge of relevant environmental laws, historical/architectural preservation regulations, compliance practices, record-keeping requirements, and the business impact upon the organization.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exits.
• Advanced proficiency with office automation and communication software, technology, and tools used in the corporate environment.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree is preferred.
• Essential professional licensure/certification.
• Experience in managing the review of documents and preparation of discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.
  

#LI-AB2