Director, Architecture and Design

Discovery Land Company

3d•$118,000 - $153,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Architecture and Design serves as the lead architectural voice of Stetson Mountain Club across assigned luxury residential, private club, and mixed-use developments, from acquisition through delivery. The Director engages at the earliest stages of a project, guides architectural direction with project teams and outside architects, and advises executive leadership on design decisions at critical milestones. The role protects design intent, character, and sense of place, and is accountable for the quality and consistency of architecture across the project. The Director helps create the Discovery Land Company experience for members and employees. This full-time, year-round position is part of the Development Department and is based at Stetson Mountain Club, outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The Director works across early-stage strategy and concept development, design direction and review, team formation, standards and creative infrastructure, cross-functional integration, and leadership. The position also manages and develops design staff and helps build the internal architecture team as the portfolio grows.

Requirements

10+ years in architecture on luxury projects, including 4+ years on the owner, developer, or advisory side.
Experience on private club, resort residential, hospitality, or master planned projects, including horizontal development.
Experience directing and critiquing the work of internationally recognized architects and design teams.
Strong conceptual design skills, including massing, test fits, and sketching.
Understanding of club operations, front and back of house, and how they shape design and programming.
Solid understanding of how design drives pricing, absorption, and buyer experience.
Working knowledge of construction, cost management, zoning, and offering plan requirements.
Exceptional taste with commercial discipline.
Strong presentation and communication skills with internal leadership, consultants, and brand partners.
Degree in architecture, interior design, or a related field.
Flexibility and ability to pivot to new projects, and desire to work in a fast-paced environment.
Positive attitude, professional demeanor, and exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to deliver service to members, guests, and team members.
Ability to work in a team environment.
Ability to stay calm and focused during the busiest times.
Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English.
Ability to work flexible hours and schedules, including evenings, weekends, and holidays; long hours may be required due to business demands.
Ability to meet the physical demands of the position, including working indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions, standing, walking, and moving for periods greater than eight hours, and lifting and carrying items sometimes greater than 50 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Architecture licensure is a plus.
Additional languages are preferred.

Responsibilities

Participate in acquisition and underwriting to align programming, vision, and business assumptions.
Develop land plan concepts, high-level architectural concepts, test fits, and programming studies.
Establish architectural direction, including massing, character, materiality, and the relationship of buildings to the site.
Guide architectural design for clubhouses, amenity and golf buildings, residences, and mixed-use components.
Lead architectural peer reviews through the Discovery Creative review process, providing clear and timely feedback at key milestones.
Verify that design intent is carried through each phase of design and development.
Participate in Discovery Creative team review sessions and consolidate comments for project leads.
Advise on selection of design architects, architects of record, and project design leadership, and recommend selections to the Executive Director.
Draft scopes and RFPs, evaluate fee proposals, and support negotiation of agreements with development and legal teams.
Develop and maintain architectural principles, standards, and guidelines within the Discovery Creative Library.
Promote consistency across the portfolio while encouraging innovation and evolution.
Partner with Development, Sales and Marketing, Operations, and Construction teams to balance aesthetic excellence with operational and financial performance.
Support amenity programming, sales center design, and launch strategy.
Contribute to value engineering decisions that preserve creative integrity.
Support projects through zoning, planning, architectural, and community design review.
Work with branding and marketing agencies and the sales team on the design story across collateral, digital, and broker materials.
Coordinate with Discovery Creative interiors, landscape, golf, land planning, and procurement leads.
Present design recommendations to the Executive Director, development leaders, and project partners, and support the Executive Director in presentations to executive leadership and investors.
Manage and develop design staff and help build the internal architecture team as the portfolio grows.
Capture lessons learned and contribute to repeatable standards.