National Behavioral Health Design Leader

DLR Group•Washington, DC

8d•$180,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

DLR Group is seeking a Behavioral Health Design Leader to advance the planning and design of environments that support care, safety, dignity, and recovery. As a leader in our behavioral health design specialty, you will bring deep expertise to projects ranging from community-based treatment and crisis care to healthcare and secure treatment environments. You will work with clients and integrated design teams to translate care models and operational needs into thoughtful architectural and interior design solutions. This role is well suited to an architect or interior designer who can lead design conversations, guide complex projects, and help grow DLR Group’s behavioral health expertise. DLR Group operates within a hybrid work model and has a network of 30+ studios across the United States. We encourage qualified applicants from across our studio network. Behavioral health design calls for an understanding of how the built environment affects the experience of patients, staff, families, and communities. At DLR Group, our integrated teams design spaces that bring together therapeutic intent, clinical and operational function, and appropriate levels of safety. Our work includes settings for crisis response, treatment, recovery, and ongoing support. We draw on design research and trauma-informed principles to create environments that respond to the people and programs they serve.

Requirements

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 the relationship between therapeutic design 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.

Nice To Haves

Professional architecture license or NCIDQ certification.
Experience across more than one behavioral health setting, such as crisis care, inpatient treatment, outpatient care, residential treatment, or secure treatment.
Experience with healthcare facility design, including coordination of applicable codes and design requirements.
Experience developing design guidelines, conducting facility assessments, or contributing to post-occupancy evaluations.
Experience mentoring designers or contributing to design research and thought leadership.
Proficiency in Revit and other tools used to develop and communicate design work.

Responsibilities

Lead behavioral health planning and design from early programming and concept development through project delivery.
Partner with clients, care providers, staff, and other stakeholders to understand services, workflows, safety needs, and goals for the patient experience.
Guide architectural and interior design solutions for settings such as crisis care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, residential treatment, and community-based behavioral health programs.
Translate clinical and operational requirements into clear programs, functional layouts, and design concepts.
Apply trauma-informed and evidence-based design principles to support dignity, comfort, recovery, and staff wellbeing.
Integrate safety, observation, privacy, and de-escalation considerations into therapeutic environments.
Collaborate with architects, interior designers, engineers, planners, and specialty consultants across integrated project teams.
Lead client workshops, design presentations, and discussions that help stakeholders evaluate options and make decisions.
Provide guidance on behavioral health design requirements, materials, furnishings, and building systems in coordination with project specialists.
Mentor colleagues, share expertise across teams, and contribute to research, thought leadership, and business development related to behavioral health design.