Strategic Behavioral Health Design Leader

DLR Group; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) plan

Employee stock ownership

Bonus opportunities

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

DLR Group is an integrated design firm seeking a Behavioral Health Design Leader to advance planning and design of environments that support care, safety, dignity, and recovery. The role requires guiding projects from programming through delivery and leading workshops with clients and teams.

The position emphasizes trauma-informed design, collaboration across disciplines, and mentoring to grow the firm’s expertise in behavioral health across crisis care to community programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, interior design, or a related design field.
• Significant experience planning or designing behavioral health environments.
• Experience leading design work and collaborating with clients and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Understanding of behavioral health care settings, clinical workflows, and safety.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed and evidence-based design principles.
• Ability to communicate design ideas clearly through presentations, drawings, and written materials.
• Strong facilitation, collaboration, and problem‑solving skills.
• Professional architecture license or NCIDQ certification (preferred).
• Experience across multiple behavioral health settings including crisis care, inpatient and outpatient.
• Experience with healthcare facility design, including codes and requirements.
• Experience mentoring designers or contributing to design research and thought leadership.
• Proficiency in Revit and related tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead behavioral health planning and design from early programming to project delivery.
• Partner with clients, care providers, staff, and stakeholders to understand services, workflows, safety needs, and patient experience goals.
• Guide architectural and interior design solutions for crisis care, inpatient/outpatient treatment, residential treatment, and community programs.
• Translate clinical and operational requirements into clear programs and layouts.
• Apply trauma-informed and evidence-based design principles for dignity, comfort, recovery, and staff wellbeing.
• Integrate safety, observation, privacy, and de‑escalation considerations.
• Collaborate with architects, interior designers, engineers, planners, and consultants.
• Lead client workshops and design presentations to evaluate options and decisions.
• Provide guidance on design requirements, materials, furnishings, and building systems.
• Mentor colleagues and contribute to research, thought leadership, and business development.

Skills

Behavioral health design

Client collaboration

Leadership

Communication

Facilitation

Trauma-informed design

Healthcare facility design

Mentoring designers

Design research

Education

Bachelor’s degree in architecture, interior design, or related design field

Tools

Revit

Job description

DLR Group is an integrated design firm seeking a Behavioral Health Design Leader to advance planning and design of environments that support care, safety, dignity, and recovery. The role requires guiding projects from programming through delivery and leading workshops with clients and teams.

The position emphasizes trauma-informed design, collaboration across disciplines, and mentoring to grow the firm’s expertise in behavioral health across crisis care to community programs.