Sr. Project Architect I Dallas, TX; Houston, TX

CannonDesign; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading architecture and design firm seeks a dedicated Quality Leader to oversee technical documentation and quality processes for educational projects. Ideal candidates will have over 12 years of experience in construction documentation and administration, especially on projects exceeding $200M. This role involves managing project quality reviews and ensuring effective communication with stakeholders. Strong technical leadership and an understanding of education market codes are essential for success. This role is based in Houston or Dallas, Texas.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of related professional experience, including 5 years in construction documentation.
• Experience with large education projects and significant construction costs of more than $200M.
• Strong focus on quality and ability to lead complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and quality oversight of project documentation.
• Manage the integrated quality review processes.
• Engage in risk assessment and proactive issue resolution.

Skills

Technical leadership

Quality assurance

Project management

Client communication

Coordination skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Current Architectural Registration in the United States

Tools

Revit

Bluebeam

Microsoft Office

Construction management software

Job description

If you think your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good match for this position, we encourage you to apply. This position may be filled in our Houston or Dallas Texas offices.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The successful candidate will serve as leader of authority with expert level knowledge, responsible for leading the development, assembly and quality oversight of a project's technical documentation for large, complex projects or multiple smaller projects, ensuring an integrated set of deliverables and verifying compliance through team collaboration.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Manage and monitor the integrated quality review processes for the project for all disciplines.
• Meet regularly with multiple project and firm-wide leaders to coordinate critical information on project status and potential risk.
• Develop and implement with the team technical leadership a strategy for continuous proactive quality engagement.
• Work with the project leadership to schedule and coordinate staffing for quality reviews for all disciplines. Manage all those supporting the project’s Quality Process.
• Engage in and contribute to the project Risk Assessment process including the phase updates. Proactively identifies, communicates, mitigates and resolves project-related issues.
• Guide and assist the project team in the development of the Project Quality Plan and its updates to effectively manage the project's quality including phase milestone quality reviews and project pinups / technical charettes.
• Review and guide the development of the planning of each phase drawing document deliverable through the Cartooning process.
• Guide the team to implement the firm technical document standards and CA policies. Meet regularly with the project’s Senior Project Architect(s) and Engineering Discipline Leaders to discuss quality reviews and ongoing challenges seeking to resolve issues early.
• Guide the team through development and resolution of comprehensive and coordinated three-dimensional solutions across technical documentation and construction phases to project completion.
• Act as a proactive resource to the project team in their decision-making processes and provides support in the development of technically sound and innovative design solutions. Engage members of the Technical Leadership Group as needed.
• Meet with project team members on a regular basis to monitor work in progress and ensure that the firm’s process standards and procedures are being implemented.
• Guide and assist Project Architects in the Life Safety, Building and Energy Code analysis and compliance process for the project.
• Monitor the progress of coordination of all disciplines, including in-house and external consultants.
• Monitor overall project metrics, including Deltek Practice Metrics and CA metrics, to identify and report potential risk issues early.
• Monitor the alignment of the Project manual with the drawings.
• Schedule, manage and record phase quality reviews, engage and managing other project reviewers. May act as in-house peer reviewer within the Quality Process for other client teams.
• Participate in Business Development activity and collaborate with Project Managers, Marketing and Office Leadership as necessary.
• Contribute to the capture and reuse of institutional knowledge within the firm focused on very large project implementation and share with the Technical Leadership Group.
• Write technical articles relating to the technical quality subjects described above for internal and/or external publication.
• Guide and mentor project staff to support a culture of continuous quality improvement.
• Meets established utilization target.
• May perform other duties as needed.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Minimum Bachelor degree in a relevant field required.
• Minimum 12 years of related professional experience. Experience includes 5 years in increasingly responsible roles in construction documentation on education projects and at least 3 years in a responsible role in construction administration on large education projects.
• Experience leading all technical aspects with production teams on large, complex projects of more than $200M construction costs.
• Must have experience designing, documenting, coordinating and administering the construction of significant education projects. Expertise in education market codes, standards and familiarity with proven solutions to address often wildly conflicting requirements between building authorities, client needs, construction technologies and insurance provisions is essential.
• Current Architectural Registration in the United States.
• LEED accreditation preferred.
• Must be able to lead large, complex or multiple projects.
• Must have strong subject matter expertise.
• Must possess strong business acumen.
• Demonstrated focus on quality.
• Strong technical leadership with knowledge of building codes and requirements.
• Must have the ability to be client facing with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong coordination skills and the ability to build a rapport with the project team and client is essential.
• Familiarity with Revit, Bluebeam, Microsoft Office, and construction management software.

For a general overview of our benefits, please visit our careers page at https://www.cannondesign.com/careers/benefits

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.

Please note that candidates can only apply to our positions on our company Careers site. It's not uncommon for scammers to create positions that look legitimate on other sites; never enter your information or apply for CannonDesign positions on any platform. Should an issue arise that you feel we should be aware of, please contact us. Please provide your resume and portfolio when applying.

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.