Office Practice Leader II

CannonDesign; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 181,000 - 226,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental and vision

401k plan

Remote work options

Job summary

CannonDesign seeks a senior leader to guide the Arlington/DC and Baltimore offices, driving growth and a high-performance leadership team. You will shape the office strategy, champion Living-Centered Design, and partner with clients on major projects while expanding the firm’s market presence.

The role emphasizes top-line growth, cross-office collaboration, and strong leadership development, with a focus on embedding brand values into client work and internal culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field is required; Master’s preferred.
• Minimum of 20 years related experience with a proven track record of business development success and top line growth.
• Licensure preferred.
• Additional certifications and/or training relevant to this role is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a yearly strategic business plan for the Arlington/DC and Baltimore offices.
• Provide leadership to Office and Market Leaders to achieve at least 10% annual growth.
• Lead strategy development and execution, promoting Living-Centered Design in client engagements.
• Mentor and coach future leaders; drive staff engagement and development.
• Represent the office and firm in community and marketplace to grow brand and market presence.
• Collaborate with leadership to expand markets, services, and client opportunities.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Business development

Client relationship management

Team leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

Your role is focused on providing strategic leadership, specifically, developing and leading a high-performance, diverse, and inclusive, leadership team for the Arlington/DC and Baltimore offices of CannonDesign to achieve growth and outstanding top line results. You will develop and implement a business plan for your office(s) in context with a firm-wide blueprint for developing a network of highly integrated offices that enhance our SFMO (Single-Firm, Multi-Office) culture and grow the firm. Importantly, you will be a leading ambassador of our brand, responsible for demonstrating how our Living-Centered Design ethos comes to life in our culture and in the way we partner with clients. In this role you will focus the majority of your time on strategy development and execution, and on activities that support the growth and impact of the office(s), including external brand opportunities. You will also be expected to spend time, at a high level, on client leadership opportunities engaged directly on projects.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DO

Expectations of success.

• Office Growth: Providing leadership, guidance and support to Office and Market Leaders in the development of new business opportunities with client partners to achieve top line targets, which will support a minimum 10% growth of the office year over year. You will be accountable for the growth and success of the office.
• Strategic Leadership: Leading strategy development and execution. Engaging and partnering with all staff levels in the office and the firm to advance entrepreneurial opportunities, innovative market solutions, and impactful design solutions that differentiate the firm and create opportunities for increased market presence and office growth.
• Market Brand Enhancement: Acting as a leading voice for the office within the Community and Marketplace. Advancing a strategic plan that engages other office leadership in activities that promote and elevate the brand of the office and the firm. Championing Living-Centered Design and bringing our firm’s purpose—to help people continuously flourish—to life in every touchpoint you have with employees, clients and the community.
• Design Culture: Together with Design Leadership be a leading voice in the office for fostering a design-focused culture, understanding, and advocating for the power and impact of a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and integrated response to the opportunities presented by our clients. Empowering our people to realize the importance of design in all that we do and championing innovation in client and team approach.

Areas of Focus

• Business Plan Leadership: Responsible for the leadership and implementation of a yearly strategic business plan for your office, including key strategies for future top line development, branding, and client engagement that advance the growth of the office. You will be responsible for engaging Office and Market Leaders to participate in the process, take ownership, communicate, and champion the initiatives set forth in the plan.
• Top Line Development: Partner with Market Leaders, Service Leaders, Business Development Leaders, Client Leaders, and others to grow the business volume of your office and the firm. Be agnostic to market and champion strategic client development and initiatives that differentiate CannonDesign in the marketplace, promoting the full range of our integrated design services and supporting the advancement of Living-Centered Design in all phases of client engagement. In this role you will be accountable for the overall top line results of the office and have a personal goal of achieving top line success of $3.0M per year in net signed fees.
• Client Leadership Development: Identify, assess, and evaluate Client Leaders and champion the implementation of our client engagement process. Work with the Director of BMBD and other Office and Market Leaders to provide mentorship and training to advance the best practices of client leadership.
• Practice and Market Building: Work with the Regional Director to evaluate and take appropriate action to address the senior talent needs in your office, focusing on building a strong leadership team capable of expanding our impact and growth potential. Work with other leadership to establish actions to implement the firm’s business plan to grow top line, optimize collaboration and integration, and expand our markets and services.
• Staff Development: Champion mentoring and the growth and development of our future leaders of CannonDesign. Work with Human Resources, Market and Office Leaders to identify, assess, mentor and coach the employees in your office. Champion employee engagement activities and own results.
• Adherence to Business Practices: Partner with the Regional Process Director and your office’s Business Practice Leader to champion the best practices of project management, risk management, process improvement, project leadership and office profitability.
• Communication: Represent office leadership and staff in firm-wide meetings, conferences, and events. Communicate outcomes, directions, initiatives, policies, etc. back to the office for implementation or information purposes. Develop and execute internal communication processes to keep staff informed and foster collaboration.

Time Commitments

• 45% of your time should be devoted to activities that advance our brand and develop new business opportunities with client partners focused on the growth of the office, the region, and the Firm.
• 30% of your time should be focused on engaging and partnering with clients on billable project work. As a senior leader of the firm, we expect you to not only find ways to grow top line revenue, but also to partner with clients at a high level. Providing leadership and fostering strong client relationships that lead to high client satisfaction and potential opportunities for future work.
• 15% of your time should be devoted to office leadership including strategy development, practice and market building, business practice support, recruiting and other related staff growth and development activities.

Key Characteristics and Competencies:

• Champions our Living-Centered Design ethos
• Champions an ethical culture
• Demonstrates ownership and accountability.
• Champions collaboration; shows fairness in actions and decisions putting the Firm first.
• Champions entrepreneurial behavior; is open to new ideas, innovative concepts and solutions.
• Demonstrates sound judgment.
• Demonstrates sound approach regarding risk management and mitigation.
• Communicates effectively; energizes, inspires, motivates, and develops high-performing accountable teams.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field required. Master’s preferred.
• Minimum of 20 years related experience with a proven track record of business development success and top line growth.
• Licensure preferred.
• Additional certifications and/or training relevant to this role is preferred.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.
• Business acumen and proven ability to execute strategy.
• Professional acumen and maturity demonstrated by the ability to communicate authentically and respectfully.
• Some travel required.

The salary range for this position is $180,800 to $226,000 annually. This salary range is the range we believe is the anticipated range of possible base compensation at the timing of the posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the anticipated salary range for the position. Employees may be eligible for discretionary bonuses. We offer a full benefit package including medical, dental and vision coverage and flexible spending account options and voluntary insurances. We have paid time off, flex-time schedules, remote work options and a 401k plan and employee perk programs. For a general overview of our benefits, please visit our careers page at https://www.cannondesign.com/careers/benefits. Actual compensation may vary from posting based on geographic location, work experience, education and/or skill level.

ABOUT OUR FIRM

CannonDesign is a design practice where strategy, experience, architecture, engineering, and social impact converge. We don't just dream up solutions - we create and bring them to life in ways to solve some of the biggest challenges facing our clients and the society. At the heart of everything we do is Living-Centered Design, a bold commitment to using our talents to not just improve the world but to truly reshape it for the better. It's more than a philosophy — it's who we are, and it drives us to make a meaningful, lasting difference every day.

ABOUT WORKING HERE

• We are relentless in our pursuit of client adoration (not simply satisfaction). Consistent delivery of the best service is what we are about.
• We are committed to ensuring our practice provides equal opportunities for all employees, as we strive to connect with communities around us and focus on the future of design. We support equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts that benefit all employees through the leadership of our DEI Council, our Employee Resource Groups which are open to everyone, and other community initiatives.
• We're about communication and transparency here. If you want to talk to someone about an idea you have, or a challenge that needs addressing, we're ready for you.

As a condition of employment, all employees are expected to complete mandatory training, including compliance training, within required timeframes and adhere to our internal policies and our Code of Conduct.

CannonDesign is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CannonDesign is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free from any and all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. It is therefore the firm’s policy to prohibit discrimination and harassment against any applicant, CannonDesign employee, vendor, contractor, or client on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. It is also CannonDesign’s policy to prohibit any and all forms of retaliation against any individual who has complained of harassing or discriminatory conduct, or participated in a firm or agency investigation into such complaints.