Director of Design and Construction

FITCH IRICK MANAGEMENT LLC • Charlotte, NC

58d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Design and Construction provides strategic and hands-on leadership for the design, construction, and close-out of Fitch Irick’s affordable housing development pipeline. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director serves as the senior owner’s representative through design and construction and is accountable for delivering projects on time, within budget, and in compliance with funding, regulatory, and quality standards.

This is a build-the-function role. Fitch Irick is starting 800–1,000 units per year and scaling toward 2,500 units annually. The Director will establish the systems, standards, controls, and team needed to support that growth, including recruiting and mentoring a project management team. The current pipeline primarily involves new construction—including garden-style walk-up, mid-rise, wrap, and senior housing—with acquisition and rehabilitation expected to grow in importance.

The position leads the effort to bring design capability in-house. The immediate focus is disciplined design and construction management at scale. As that foundation develops, the Director may build the business case for and lead an in-house architectural division, defining its scope, staffing model, licensure footprint, and role in development. Fitch Irick seeks a licensed architect with sound design judgment and owner-side execution skills, able to work effectively with architects of record and influence design quality and constructability early in the process.

The Director oversees design consultants and third-party general contractors, guides project budgets and schedules, manages risks and project controls, and supports project close-out and agency requirements. The role also leads design and construction planning for acquisition and rehabilitation projects, including occupied rehabilitation and coordination of resident relocation. The position is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is in-office and not available remotely, and includes regional travel and job-site visits. Relocation assistance is available for candidates outside the region.

Requirements

• Professional degree in Architecture (B.Arch or M.Arch) from an accredited program.
• Registered Architect (RA) in good standing, currently licensed in North Carolina or South Carolina, or able to obtain licensure promptly.
• NCARB Certificate holder or eligible, with the ability to secure reciprocal licensure in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia and additional states as the platform expands.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience across architectural practice and construction or owner-side project management.
• Demonstrated experience leading design and construction for multifamily housing, including garden-style and mid-rise/podium or wrap construction types.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and teams.
• Strong command of construction documents, budgeting, scheduling, and contract administration.
• Experience hiring, developing, and leading professional staff.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.

Nice To Haves

• Significant experience with affordable housing, LIHTC, or publicly funded developments.
• Experience founding, leading, or scaling an architectural studio or in-house design group.
• Owner/developer-side experience managing consultants and general contractors.
• Experience developing prototype or standardized product designs for a repeatable pipeline.
• Occupied rehabilitation experience, including phasing, relocation planning, and existing-conditions assessment.
• Senior housing design experience, including Fair Housing, ADA, and Section 504 accessibility compliance.
• Familiarity with HUD, RAD, or Section 8 recapitalization and preservation transactions.
• Familiarity with agency inspections, cost certifications, and complex close-out requirements.
• Additional credentials such as PE, PMP, CCM, LEED AP, or CPHC.
• Experience developing or refining organizational design and construction standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for design and construction phases across the development portfolio.
• Establish and maintain design, construction, and project management standards across projects.
• Build scalable systems, templates, and controls to support growth from approximately 1,000 to 2,500 units delivered annually.
• Contribute to early project feasibility analysis, schedules, and budgets; identify risks and develop mitigation strategies for cost, schedule, constructability, and delivery.
• Advise the Chief Development Officer on pipeline capacity, staffing needs, and consultant selection; evaluate contracting approaches and recommend delivery methods by project type.
• Direct architects, engineers, and other consultants through all design phases.
• Develop and manage prototype and product standards for garden-style and podium/wrap construction to reduce design cycle time and costs across repeatable projects.
• Ensure senior housing designs address accessibility, aging-in-place, and resident-services requirements beyond minimum code requirements.
• Lead value engineering and major design decisions; review and approve design deliverables, cost estimates, and constructability analyses.
• Ensure design solutions meet project budgets, funding requirements, resident-experience goals, long-term asset-performance objectives, building codes, accessibility requirements, sustainability goals, and funder design standards.
• Serve as the senior owner’s representative during construction and oversee general contractor performance related to schedule, cost, quality, and safety.
• Strengthen the general contractor bench through prequalification, bid strategy, and contract structure.
• Evaluate major change orders and recommend a course of action to the assigned project Developer, including analysis of cost and schedule impacts.
• Review pay applications and construction cost reports; participate in key construction meetings, site visits, and milestone inspections; resolve escalated construction and design issues with project teams.
• Lead design and construction scoping for acquisition and rehabilitation projects, including physical needs assessments and existing-conditions due diligence.
• Direct occupied-rehabilitation planning, including phasing, unit-turn sequencing, and resident-relocation coordination.
• Oversee environmental and hazardous-materials protocols, including lead-based paint and asbestos abatement; ensure rehabilitation scopes address accessibility retrofits and funder capital-needs requirements.
• Oversee portfolio budgets, schedules, and reporting; ensure timely inspections, punch lists, and substantial completion.
• Direct project close-out, including warranties, as-builts, final documentation, cost certifications, and lender and funder documentation.
• Recruit, hire, and lead Design & Construction Managers and/or Project Managers; define roles, workload allocation, and career paths as the function scales.
• Mentor and develop staff and lead the evaluation and management of architects, engineers, and construction consultants.
• Build and maintain relationships with general contractors and public agency partners.
• Lead qualification, interview, and evaluation processes for design consultants and recommend teams to the assigned project Developer.
• Lead general contractor prequalification and bid evaluation and recommend awards to the assigned project Developer.
• Analyze change-order merit and cost and schedule impacts and recommend acceptance, negotiation, or rejection to the assigned project Developer.
• Partner with Development leadership on project planning, entitlements, and funding strategies; coordinate with Finance on budgets, cash flow, and draws.
• Support Asset Management during transition from construction to stabilized operations.
• Provide regular portfolio-level reporting to senior leadership.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement plan participation.
• Paid time off.
• Support for professional licensure, continuing education, and industry association membership.
• Relocation assistance for candidates outside the region.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director