Regional Practice Leader - Transit & Transportation Architecture

Perkins&Will • Chicago, IL

10h

About The Position

Perkins&Will is seeking an accomplished, dynamic, and motivated Regional Practice Leader and Market Builder for Transit and Transportation Architecture in the US Central Region, with a functional role as Managing Principal. This senior leadership opportunity focuses on shaping, growing, and leading the firm’s transit architecture practice across the Central Region, while remaining directly engaged in the leadership and delivery of complex, high‑profile transit and transportation projects. This role is designed for a licensed architect who brings deep market credibility and a proven ability to grow business, build high ‑ performing teams, and deliver design and delivery excellence. As Regional Practice Leader, you will set the market strategy for transit architecture in the US West, guiding business development, pursuit strategy, and long ‑ term client relationships. In parallel, as Managing Principal, you will provide senior project leadership and accountability on key work—ensuring excellence in design quality, client experience, financial performance, and risk management. The position is fundamentally about regional market leadership: building trust with public ‑ sector clients and transit agencies, influencing decision ‑ makers, and guiding strategic pursuits—while maintaining rigorous standards for delivery and stewardship. The role is outward ‑ facing and relationship ‑ driven, requiring deep familiarity with Central Region transit agencies, funding and delivery models, and complex stakeholder environments. The primary focus of this role is to build and grow Perkins&Will’s transit station architecture business, leveraging integrated, multidisciplinary capabilities across the firm and through Sidara ‑ affiliated partners, including Nelson
Nygaard Consulting Associates and TYLin.

Requirements

• Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible experience in transportation architecture
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture
• Active architectural licensure
• Proven record of growing and leading a high ‑ impact transportation architecture practice, including winning work and shaping markets
• Strong network of relationships with transit agencies, partners, and community stakeholders in the US Central Region
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance long ‑ term vision and near ‑ term execution
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Preferably in the private consulting sector
• Deep market credibility and a proven ability to grow business, build high ‑ performing teams, and deliver design and delivery excellence.
• Deep familiarity with Central Region transit agencies, funding and delivery models, and complex stakeholder environments.
• Leveraging integrated, multidisciplinary capabilities across the firm and through Sidara ‑ affiliated partners, including Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates and TYLin.
• The ideal candidate has a demonstrated track record of growing a high ‑ impact, high ‑ quality transportation design practice, strong client and industry relationships in the US West, and a deep commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive a regional strategic business plan for transit architecture in collaboration with the Firmwide Practice Leader, Regional Director, Studio Managing Directors, and Studio Practice Leaders.
• Guide studios in shaping Strategic Action Plans (SAPs), sales strategies, and investment priorities aligned with firmwide objectives.
• Lead client engagement, business development, and strategic pursuits, including capture planning, teaming strategies, and execution.
• Make informed go/no ‑ go decisions and shape long ‑ term account strategies to grow a sustainable regional practice.
• Provide senior leadership and accountability on select transit and transportation projects from concept through construction and, where applicable, operations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients, bringing sound business judgment and strategic oversight to complex projects.
• Ensure excellence in design quality, client experience, financial performance, and risk management.
• Work closely with Design Principals, Project Managers, and technical leaders to translate practice vision into successful project outcomes.
• Partner with studio and regional leadership on strategic hiring, succession planning, and leadership development.
• Leverage regional talent effectively across pursuits and project delivery.
• Mentor emerging leaders and strengthen the regional leadership bench, building a diverse and sustainable talent pipeline.
• Advance Perkins&Will’s leadership in transit and transportation architecture through insights on industry trends, innovation, sustainability, and equity.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Practice Leaders to elevate thought leadership, exemplar work, and individual expertise through external communications and media.
• Foster collaboration, shared learning, and alignment across studios and with other Regional Practice Leaders.
• Champion a culture of Living Design excellence and innovation, ensuring the firm’s values are embedded across pursuits, projects, and public engagement.

Benefits

• We foster a culture that is diverse and inclusive and strive for pay practices that are fair, and competitive and reflect our commitment to pay equity.
• At the time of posting this job advertisement, commensurate with qualifications, the annual pay salary range for this position in the areas posted is between $165,000 and $200,000.
• At Perkins&Will we believe that inclusion spurs creativity and that innovation is born from an engaged culture of diverse people + ideas.
• Design has the power to inspire joy, uplift lives, and strengthen the spirit of community.
• Perkins&Will has established and adopted an Equal Employment Opportunity Employment policy (“EEO”), which is part of the Company’s Human Resources Policy.
• Perkins&Will will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

What This Job Offers

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