Lead Designer | Higher Education | Architecture

BHDP Architecture•Charlotte, NC

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead Designer leads design for large-scale projects in the higher education market, elevating project outcomes through design thinking aligned with client vision. The role provides design leadership across all project phases and serves as the final design authority for key decisions. It drives high-quality delivery through clear expectations, accountability, and effective team leadership. The Lead Designer leads client relationships and translates client and user aspirations into compelling concepts and measurable design solutions. The role develops design talent through delegation, coaching, feedback, and critique; builds effective project teams across capabilities; and directs staffing, workloads, and decision authority. It protects design intent and design quality while balancing scope, fees, schedules, project complexity, and delivery needs. The position is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with in-office work Monday through Thursday and a hybrid (remote or in-office) Friday.

Requirements

Bachelor of Architecture degree; a NAAB-accredited program is preferred.
18 or more years in the design and/or architecture industry.
Licensed Architect.
Advanced Revit knowledge, including independently delivering defined drawing packages or projects and teaching best practices to others.
Advanced knowledge of SketchUp, Enscape, or Lumion.
Advanced experience with Adobe Creative Cloud.
Demonstrated ability to delegate, coach, and improve team performance.
Demonstrated initiative and an ability to see challenges as opportunities.
Strong attention to detail.
Strong communication and collaboration skills within a team.
Professional workplace behaviors, including reliable follow-through, constructive feedback, and calm, solutions-oriented communication with coworkers and clients.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Architecture from a NAAB-accredited program.

Responsibilities

Lead design delivery for large-scale projects across all phases, setting clear expectations and sustaining design quality and client trust.
Serve as the final design authority for high-impact design decisions and provide productive feedback to develop team members.
Manage design effort for revenue efficiency and communicate options, tradeoffs, and impacts to clients proactively.
Lead day-to-day design relationships with clients, translating client goals into clear direction, decisions, and design outcomes.
Manage client expectations, align stakeholders, and protect design quality as projects advance.
Develop and retain high-performing design talent by modeling BHDP’s design philosophy, setting expectations, and creating an environment for strong work.
Coach and grow designers through delegation, timely feedback and critique, and targeted development opportunities while maintaining accountability for project outcomes.
Build and sustain project discipline structures across capabilities, matching team composition to project complexity, design ambition, and delivery demands.
Direct team utilization by clarifying roles and design decision authority, balancing workloads and skillsets, and adjusting staffing as needed.
Establish and sustain an inspiring, high-quality design vision that translates client and user aspirations into compelling concepts and measurable solutions.
Lead design excellence through every phase by elevating critique, coordinating across disciplines and capabilities, and protecting design intent amid constraints and delivery realities.
Align design ambition, scope, and team effort with planned fees and schedules.
Focus design effort on decisions that matter most to clients, protect design intent, and adjust approach and resourcing to reduce rework and increase client benefit.