Market Director, Education & Public Sector (Architecture)

Stratus®; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading architectural firm is seeking a Market Director in Tampa to lead operations and design for Educational clients. This role requires a Registered Architect with over 15 years of experience in the A/E/C industry and a strong background in managing educational projects. The Market Director will oversee project delivery, manage client relationships, and drive growth initiatives. The position demands excellent leadership and organizational skills, aiming to enhance client satisfaction and project outcomes across the Tampa region.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in architecture.
• Experience delivering Educational projects, including K-12 and Higher Education.
• Strong leadership skills in managing teams and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations to ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Support business development by managing client relationships and proposals.
• Drive operational consistency and continuous improvement across project delivery.

Skills

Architectural project management

Client relationship management

Financial forecasting

Organizational skills

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture

Registered Architect

Tools

Project management tools

CRM tools

Job description

Market Director (Architecture – Education & Public Sector | Tampa Region)

Job Summary

The Market Director serves as a critical operations and design leader responsible for supporting the overall performance, coordination, and growth of an assigned market, with a primary focus on Educational clients and projects, including but not limited to K-12, Higher Education, and Independent Schools. Reporting to the Market Leader, this role will ensure consistent, high-quality architectural delivery across teams while contributing to strategic initiatives, client relationship management, and staff development.

This position plays a hands-on role in day-to-day operations, including oversight of project execution, resource planning, financial performance, and market-specific initiatives aligned with organizational priorities. The Market Director must be a licensed, Registered Architect with deep experience delivering Educational work and the ability to support and grow project opportunities across the Tampa region. Experience with broader public-sector projects such as municipal, civic, justice, and other government-related work is strongly preferred.

Primary Essential Functions

• Support the Market Leader in executing strategic, operational, and growth initiatives across the assigned market, with emphasis on Educational clients and pursuits in the Tampa region.
• Oversee daily operations to ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, within scope, and aligned with design excellence and quality standards.
• Provide architectural leadership and oversight to ensure strong design outcomes, technical rigor, and consistent documentation across project teams.
• Lead resource planning and workforce management, aligning architectural talent and expertise to Educational and public-sector client needs.
• Manage and monitor key financial metrics including revenue forecasts, backlog, utilization, project profitability, and overall delivery health.
• Support business development through proposal preparation, interview strategy, pursuit planning, and long-term client relationship management.
• Serve as a trusted client partner for school districts, universities, and independent schools, strengthening client satisfaction, repeat work, and strategic account growth.
• Collaborate with project managers to monitor performance and ensure alignment with contractual requirements, agency standards, and public procurement processes.
• Promote strong stakeholder engagement practices appropriate to Educational and public-sector environments, including board presentations and user-group coordination.
• Partner with HR and market leadership to support employee development, mentoring, career planning, and performance management.
• Drive operational consistency and continuous improvement by implementing best practices in project delivery, QA/QC, and team performance.
• Act as a culture ambassador by promoting an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performance environment across offices and disciplines.
• Contribute to annual planning and budgeting processes by identifying growth opportunities, efficiencies, and risk mitigation actions.
• Serve as a liaison between project teams and executive leadership, escalating delivery risks, staffing needs, and client concerns as appropriate.
• Oversee compliance with health, safety, and quality assurance standards across the market.
• Represent the market in internal forums, leadership meetings, and town halls when needed, acting as a proxy for the Market Leader/VP.

Secondary Essential Functions

• Collaborate effectively with clients and colleagues across cross-functional teams, peers, direct reports, and leadership to foster a positive work environment.
• Collaborate with other key offices to effectively execute work, including but not limited to offices across Florida.
• Adapt to changing business needs and priorities while maintaining accountability to delivery outcomes, team performance, and client service.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

Knowledge

• Comprehensive understanding of Educational market trends, client expectations, and competitive positioning, including K-12, Higher Education, and Independent School environments.
• Strong knowledge of architectural project management, including scope, schedule, budget, and technical quality control.
• Familiarity with A/E/C regulations, public procurement processes, contracting methods, and delivery models.
• Awareness of workforce planning, resource utilization, and professional services financial performance metrics.
• Understanding of organizational development practices including coaching, performance reviews, and succession planning.
• Working knowledge of stakeholder-driven planning processes common to Educational and public-sector clients.

Skills

• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple complex priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across clients, internal teams, and leadership.
• Financial acumen including forecasting, fee management, cash flow awareness, AR, and project financial tracking.
• Strong leadership skills including mentoring, conflict resolution, team development, and performance management.
• Proficiency with project and client management tools and platforms (e.g., Deltek, ERP systems, CRM tools).
• Ability to present effectively to boards, committees, public stakeholders, and executive-level decision makers.

Abilities

• Translate strategic goals into clear and actionable operational plans.
• Analyze operational and financial data to identify trends, risks, and growth opportunities within the market.
• Influence cross-functional teams and drive alignment without direct authority through clarity and accountability.
• Balance long-term planning with short-term execution demands while maintaining high-quality outcomes.
• Navigate complex, stakeholder-heavy environments with a solution-oriented, people-first mindset.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from an accredited program.
• Registered Architect (active licensure required).
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in architecture, including leadership in project delivery, operations, and/or market leadership within the A/E/C industry.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams, managing budgets, and overseeing project portfolios.
• Demonstrated depth of experience delivering Educational projects, including K-12 and/or Higher Education.
• Ability to support and grow Educational work in the Tampa region, including independent school clients and project delivery.

Preferred

• Master’s degree or advanced certification in architecture, operations, management, or related field.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams across distributed offices or remote work environments.
• Prior experience supporting market financial accountability and profit-center performance (direct or support role).
• Additional public-sector project experience (municipal, civic, justice, or other government work).