Licensed Architect – Design & Development

Blue Signal Search; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

401(k)

Paid time off

Personal days

Job summary

Blue Signal Search is seeking a Licensed Architect in the New York metropolitan area to lead design and development across a growing residential project pipeline. The role offers autonomy in a lean, entrepreneurial environment, with direct access to ownership and a strong influence on design, development, and construction decisions.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of architecture and project delivery experience, with hands-on knowledge of NY/NJ permitting and construction practices.

Qualifications

• Licensed architect in NY or NJ with responsibility for project documents.
• Approximately 5+ years in architecture and project delivery, especially multifamily or mixed use residential.
• Experience coordinating consultants across design, documentation, approvals, and construction administration.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural direction across the development lifecycle from feasibility to completion.
• Evaluate development opportunities through zoning research, test fits, and code review.
• Direct internal resources and external consultants with design quality, coordination, schedules, and budgets.
• Review, signing, and sealing submissions as required by jurisdiction.
• Guide permitting and approvals across the NY metro area, coordinating submissions and approvals.
• Balance design goals with project economics and provide value-focused alternatives.
• Provide leadership during construction with RFIs, submittals, and field reviews.

Skills

Licensed Architect NY/NJ

Project leadership

Effective communication

Development project lifecycle

Education

Professional architecture degree or equivalent

Tools

Revit

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

Job description

Licensed Architect – Design & Development

Hybrid in New York City, NY

Our client is a growing real estate development organization building a strong pipeline of residential projects across the New York metropolitan area. This is an opportunity for a licensed architect who wants to move beyond a traditional architecture firm environment and have a meaningful voice in how projects are conceived, approved, and ultimately built. Working closely with ownership and an established construction team, this person will guide projects through design and development while gaining broad exposure to the full real estate lifecycle. The environment is lean, entrepreneurial, and highly collaborative, giving the right architect significant autonomy, visibility, and influence.

This Role Offers:

• Competitive base salary, depending on experience, plus healthcare, 401(k), paid time off, and personal days.
• Flexible hybrid work arrangement in New York City, generally structured around three days in person and two days remote.
• Professional liability coverage for the licensed architectural responsibilities associated with the position.
• Direct access to ownership with meaningful influence over design, development, and construction decisions across a growing residential project pipeline.
• A lean, collaborative environment with established architectural and construction support, providing the opportunity to focus on technical leadership while expanding your experience across development, preconstruction, and project execution.

Focus:

• Lead architectural direction across the development lifecycle, from early feasibility and design through documentation, approvals, construction support, and project completion.
• Evaluate new development opportunities through zoning research, conceptual planning, test fits, code review, and other early stage analysis that helps ownership make informed investment and design decisions.
• Direct internal architectural resources and external consultants, establishing expectations for design quality, coordination, constructability, schedules, budgets, and deliverables.
• Take professional responsibility for applicable architectural documents, including reviewing, signing, and sealing submissions as required by the governing jurisdiction.
• Guide permitting and approval activities for projects across the New York metropolitan area, coordinating submissions, agency comments, revisions, required approvals, and closeout documentation.
• Balance design goals with project economics by identifying coordination issues early, evaluating constructability, contributing to cost and quantity reviews, and recommending practical value focused alternatives.
• Support preconstruction and procurement activities by helping define trade scopes, evaluating proposals, clarifying architectural requirements, and minimizing gaps between design documents and construction packages.
• Provide architectural leadership throughout construction by managing RFIs, submittals, drawing clarifications, design revisions, and periodic field reviews while maintaining alignment with the intended design.
• Partner closely with ownership and construction leadership in a lean, entrepreneurial environment, proactively identifying challenges, developing solutions, and keeping projects moving without requiring step by step direction.

Skill Set:

• Active architectural registration in New York or New Jersey, with the ability and willingness to take licensed responsibility for applicable project documents.
• Approximately 5 or more years of relevant architecture and project delivery experience, ideally involving multifamily or mixed use residential development.
• Hands on familiarity with New York City or New Jersey projects, including local permitting, code, zoning, and construction practices.
• Experience coordinating consultants and guiding projects across design, documentation, approvals, and construction administration.
• Working proficiency with common architectural production and review tools such as Revit, AutoCAD, and Bluebeam, with flexibility regarding the specific platform used.
• Ability to communicate effectively with owners, designers, consultants, contractors, and field teams, and to move comfortably between design discussions and construction problem solving.
• Professional architecture degree or another education and experience pathway that supports current New York or New Jersey licensure.
• Positive, collaborative, and self-directed working style, with strong follow through and a preference for bringing solutions along with problems.