Lead Project Architect

HDJ Architects / Engineers; Grand Rapids (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wage and benefits package

Job summary

Hooker DeJong, Inc. (HDJ) seeks a Lead Project Architect to provide design leadership, technical confidence, and calm, client-focused project management.

You will guide a multidisciplinary team in Grand Rapids or Muskegon, MI, ensuring alignment, quality, and timely construction documentation. With 5+ years in all design phases and licensed status in the U.S., you will coordinate with engineers, lead QA processes, and drive proposals and scopes with HDJ leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture.
• Licensed Architect in the United States.
• 5+ years of experience in all phases of design, from schematic design through construction administration and close-out.
• Thorough knowledge of construction codes, agency compliance, architecture, and construction documentation standards.
• Strong ability to coordinate architectural work with engineering disciplines.
• Experience with Autodesk Revit and/or AutoCAD preferred.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills with colleagues, consultants, and clients at all levels.
• Strong planning, organization, judgment, and follow-through in a fast-paced, multitasking environment.
• Self-motivated, collaborative, and comfortable working productively in a hybrid remote work environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel as project needs require.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary point of contact for clients, building trust through clear communication, proactive follow-through, and thoughtful management of expectations.
• Coordinate project team efforts for effective execution of project design and delivery of construction documents.
• Lead interdisciplinary coordination and quality assurance processes throughout the project, using your technical expertise to keep work accurate, complete, and on track.
• Manage critical project drivers including scope, schedule, budget, deliverables, contracts, and team assignments.
• Guide documentation and clarification efforts during the project lifecycle.
• Participate in bidding and construction phase services, including submittal reviews, RFIs, site observation, and construction administration support.
• Coordinate effectively with engineering disciplines and other project partners to deliver cohesive, buildable solutions.
• Help develop proposals, fee estimates, scopes of work, and project agreements in partnership with HDJ leadership.
• Bring steady leadership to a fast-paced environment where priorities shift, details matter, and communication keeps everyone moving in the same direction.

Skills

Project leadership

Client management

Communication

Team coordination

Hybrid work adaptability

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture

Licensed Architect in the United States

Tools

Autodesk Revit

AutoCAD

Job description

Ready to lead work that matters and build client relationships that last? Hooker DeJong, Inc. (HDJ) is a growing architectural and engineering firm looking for a Lead Project Architect who can bring design leadership, technical confidence, and calm, client-focused project management to a fast-moving, multidisciplinary team.

At HDJ, we have been improving lives through design since 1936. Our work reaches communities across the country, and our team brings architects, engineers, planners, and interior designers together to solve real project challenges with creativity, accountability, and a little bit of fun along the way.

Position Location: Grand Rapids or Muskegon, Michigan

YOUR IMPACT

In this role, you will be a trusted project leader for both the client and the internal team. You will help move projects from idea to execution by keeping the team aligned, the details coordinated, and the client confident in the path forward.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for clients, building trust through clear communication, proactive follow-through, and thoughtful management of expectations.
• Coordinate project team efforts for effective execution of project design and delivery of construction documents.
• Lead interdisciplinary coordination and quality assurance processes throughout the project, using your technical expertise to keep work accurate, complete, and on track.
• Manage critical project drivers including scope, schedule, budget, deliverables, contracts, and team assignments.
• Guide documentation and clarification efforts during the project lifecycle.
• Participate in bidding and construction phase services, including submittal reviews, RFIs, site observation, and construction administration support.
• Coordinate effectively with engineering disciplines and other project partners to deliver cohesive, buildable solutions.
• Help develop proposals, fee estimates, scopes of work, and project agreements in partnership with HDJ leadership.
• Bring steady leadership to a fast-paced environment where priorities shift, details matter, and communication keeps everyone moving in the same direction.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture.
• Licensed Architect in the United States.
• 5+ years of experience in all phases of design, from schematic design through construction administration and close-out.
• Thorough knowledge of construction codes, agency compliance, architecture, and construction documentation standards.
• Strong ability to coordinate architectural work with engineering disciplines.
• Experience with Autodesk Revit and/or AutoCAD preferred.
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills with colleagues, consultants, and clients at all levels.
• Strong planning, organization, judgment, and follow-through in a fast-paced, multitasking environment.
• Self-motivated, collaborative, and comfortable working productively in a hybrid remote work environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel as project needs require.

Why HDJ?

• Award-winning culture: HDJ has been named a National Best & Brightest Companies to Work For for eight consecutive years.
• Interdisciplinary teamwork: You will work alongside talented architects, engineers, planners, and interior designers who care about doing great work together.
• Meaningful project impact: Our projects improve lives through design, and that purpose shows up in the way we serve clients and communities.
• Room to lead: This is a role for someone who enjoys owning the details, guiding the team, and being the person clients trust when the project gets complex.
• Competitive wage and benefits package.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU: HDJ is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces. Everyone is encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and to provide a great place to work for all our people. We are also committed to building a firm that reflects the diversity of the clients and communities we serve. We are an equal opportunity employer and are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.