Principal / Regional Practice Leader – Education
About The Position
Are you a strategic, relationship-driven leader with a passion for shaping the future of education environments? Do you thrive at the intersection of design excellence, market growth, and mentoring high-performing teams? If so, we’re looking for you: a Principal / Regional Practice to lead, grow, and elevate our education practice across Southern California. This role blends executive leadership, business development, and project oversight, offering the opportunity to influence firmwide strategy while building meaningful, long-term client partnerships. You’ll play a key role in advancing our mission, vision, and standards of excellence within the Education market. We offer a competitive compensation package, robust bonus program, flexible work options, comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, and vision), generous paid time off, and a 401(k) with employer match.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, or interior design (or equivalent).
- Minimum of 18 years of relevant professional experience.
- Demonstrated ability to perform at the Associate Principal level or higher.
- Strong leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
- California Licensed Architect
Nice To Haves
- LEED accreditation.
- Established West Coast professional network within the K-12, Community College, and/or Higher Education market.
Responsibilities
- Lead and Grow the Education Practice
- Serve as the regional leader for the Education market, building and sustaining strong client relationships throughout Southern California.
- Collaborate with Market and Firm leadership to develop and execute long-term market and practice strategies.
- Provide leadership for planning, programming, design, and project management across a portfolio of complex education projects.
- Participate in firmwide leadership initiatives, strategic planning efforts, and management committees.
- Drive Business Development and Client Engagement
- Lead marketing and business development efforts aligned with the Firm’s strategic plan.
- Identify and pursue new market opportunities, including team formation, proposal development, and participation in interviews.
- Represent the Firm at industry events and within professional and client networks.
- Meet or exceed performance metrics related to business development, contracts secured, and client satisfaction.
- Provide Project Oversight and Financial Leadership
- Serve as Principal-in-Charge for assigned projects, overseeing quality, profitability, staffing, and revenue performance.
- Review and develop fee proposals, service scopes, and staffing plans to support project success.
- Support project managers with contract negotiations, additional services, and financial performance monitoring.
- Lead Quality Control/Quality Assurance efforts and champion Firm standards and lessons learned.
- Mentor and Develop Talent
- Foster a collaborative, respectful, and high-performing work environment.
- Act as a mentor and coach to support professional growth, leadership development, and succession planning.
- Collaborate across studios, markets, and disciplines to support Firm-wide initiatives and shared goals.
Benefits
- competitive compensation package
- robust bonus program
- flexible work options
- comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
- generous paid time off
- 401(k) with employer match
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
