Senior Laboratory Planner

DLR Group; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) plan

Employee stock ownership

Paid holidays and time off

Bonus opportunities

Job summary

DLR Group in Chicago is looking for a Senior Laboratory Planner to join their Science + Technology team. This role involves leading laboratory planning for various projects and providing technical guidance while fostering client relationships.

The ideal candidate should have over 10 years of experience in laboratory design, strong communication skills, and proficiency in software like Revit and SketchUp. The position supports a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in laboratory planning.
• Strong technical competence in programming and design of lab facilities.
• Experience with academic and research facilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop trusting relationships with clients.
• Lead design presentations and project meetings.
• Oversee and guide multiple small to medium-scale projects.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Technical competence

Relationship building

Software proficiency (Revit, SketchUp)

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture or related field

Tools

Revit

Bluebeam

Enscape

SketchUp

Job description

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients, our communities, and our planet. If this sparks your interest, you’re in the right place.

We have an opening for a Senior Laboratory Planner specializing in lab planning and supporting Science + Technology projects. We operate within a hybrid work model, supporting flexibility between office time and work from home.

Position Summary

This is an exciting opportunity for a talented individual with 10+ years of Laboratory Planning experience to join our growing Science + Technology group. This position requires excellent communication and people skills as you will work closely with the firm’s Principals, Project Managers and Laboratory Planners while assuming senior level leadership for architectural laboratory programming, planning and design projects for a wide variety of clients and project types including but not limited to R+D facilities, teaching/learning environments, and analytical laboratories.

You will be responsible for helping grow the Science + Technology team by leading the laboratory planning efforts toward the successful completion of complex technology facilities. In addition, you will spend time performing business development activities, and planning and preparing capture plans, proposals, presentations and sharing your thought leadership at conferences. We are looking for innovative, creative, and forward-thinking individuals who are passionate about what they do and have fun along the way.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Develop trusting relationships with clients.
• Provide technical leadership on larger laboratory and science building design commissions, while concurrently overseeing and providing guidance on multiple small to medium-scale projects.
• Prepare and lead design presentations and project meetings.
• Develop space programs and physical plans for laboratory and high-tech facilities.
• Collaborate with the project team in planning the facility by developing planning grids, laboratory organization and service distribution concepts.
• Lead documentation of laboratory systems such as casework, lab equipment, and development of laboratory spaces to create innovative settings for discovery.
• Work closely with design architects, lab planners, and owners in documentation development and construction administration follow-through.
• Participate in marketing and business development efforts through pre-positioning, proposal development, interview participation and presentations.
• Mentor junior staff and participate in performance coaching.
• Participate in the recruitment and interviewing process as requested.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, Planning, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience, leading and working on a range of project types, complexity, and scale.
• Experience with academic, research and STEM facilities for college & university clients.
• Strong leadership, written and verbal communication and organizational skills, facilitating the development of trusted relationships with clients and staff.
• Strong technical competence and proven experience in programming, design, and construction of laboratory facilities.
• Demonstrated understanding of code implementation, jurisdiction review, and construction practices.
• The ability to manage clients, project teams, and project processes with ease.
• Proficiency with and experience using current design software including Revit, Bluebeam, Enscape, and SketchUp.
• The ability to travel locally, nationally & internationally up to 25%.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our dynamic Science + Technology team culture.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States without need for work visa or residency sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Registered and Licensed Professional
• Advanced knowledge of sustainability, integrated design, and LEED guidelines
• TO BE CONSIDERED, PLEASE SUBMIT CURRENT PORTFOLIO/WORK SAMPLES IN PDF FORMAT*

Our comprehensive Benefits at DLR Group include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401(k) plan, employee stock ownership, and bonus opportunities. Compensation considerations are based on location, experience, and skills. The suggested pay range for this position is:

Pay Range

$125,000 - $180,000 USD

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new builds, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects.

We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients’ success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the ME2040, and the SE2050, and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Through our values – commitment, creativity, environmental stewardship, fun, integrity, ownership, sharing, teamwork – we elevate the human experience through design, together.

DLR Group follows a four-day in-office work model, with employees having the flexibility to work somewhere other than the office on Fridays.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.