Senior Architectural Designer
About The Position
MCG Architecture is seeking an experienced Senior Designer to join its Irvine, California office. The Senior Designer will lead the creative development of retail, mixed-use, hospitality, office, storage, restaurant, and other commercial projects. This position will help shape projects from initial programming and site planning through concept design, entitlements, design development, and transition into technical documentation. This role combines design creativity with commercial judgment. Successful designs must create an engaging customer experience while supporting tenant visibility, pedestrian circulation, brand identity, construction budgets, permitting requirements, and aggressive client schedules.
Requirements
- Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Architecture or a closely related field.
- Approximately 8–15+ years of architectural design experience.
- Commercial, retail, mixed-use, hospitality, restaurant, or branded-environment experience is strongly preferred.
- Portfolio demonstrating concept development, site planning, façade design, material selection, visualization, and completed projects.
- Advanced proficiency in Revit and Adobe Creative Suite.
- Understanding of California planning, entitlement, accessibility, energy-code, and building-code requirements.
- Ability to communicate design concepts clearly to clients, consultants, jurisdictions, and internal teams.
- Strong presentation, collaboration, organization, and time-management skills.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with SketchUp, Enscape, Lumion, Rhino, or comparable visualization software is preferred.
- Architectural licensure is valued but not required for candidates with exceptional design leadership and technical knowledge.
Responsibilities
- Lead programming, precedent research, test fits, site-planning studies, building massing, façade concepts, and material selections.
- Translate client objectives, brand standards, leasing goals, and operational requirements into compelling architectural concepts.
- Develop design narratives, planning exhibits, entitlement graphics, renderings, and client presentations.
- Lead or participate in client design meetings, entitlement presentations, and internal design reviews.
- Coordinate with Project Directors, Project Managers, Job Captains, consultants, developers, tenants, and production teams.
- Maintain the original design intent as projects transition into construction documentation and permitting.
- Evaluate design concepts against zoning, accessibility, life-safety, constructability, cost, schedule, and jurisdictional requirements.
- Provide design direction and constructive feedback to junior designers and production staff.
- Establish appropriate graphic, modeling, visualization, and presentation standards.
- Support responses to plan-check comments, RFIs, substitutions, and field conditions that require design judgment.
- Participate in project pursuits, client presentations, and business-development activities.
- Help MCG continue developing creative, practical, and commercially successful design solutions.
Benefits
- Two performance bonuses each year.
- Employer-paid employee health benefits.
- 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
- Paid time off and company holidays.
- Professional-development and career-advancement opportunities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
