Senior Building Technical Writer
About The Position
Colliers Engineering & Design is seeking a Senior Building Technical Writer to join its Architecture team. The position is remote, with occasional visits to nearby offices as needed. The Architecture team collaborates with in-house engineering experts to develop buildable solutions and coordinate design decisions with regulatory requirements, site conditions, schedules, and budgets. Projects may include commercial, healthcare, hospitality, workplace, mixed-use, and redevelopment work. The Senior Building Technical Writer is responsible for developing, coordinating, and quality-controlling project specifications and specification deliverables. The role supports project and design teams, maintains master specifications, advises staff on standards and materials, and handles specification-related technical matters throughout project phases. It also includes mentoring and training staff, coordinating with vendors and project stakeholders, and incorporating sustainability requirements into specifications when required. The position offers an annual compensation range of $100,000 to $126,000, depending on qualifications.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in architecture or equivalent.
- Eight years of prior architectural experience, including five years of architectural specification-writing experience.
- Knowledge of Deltek SpecPoint and RIB SpecLink software programs.
- Advanced expertise in collaboration software such as Bluebeam and Teams.
- Experience preparing architectural project specifications for multiple medium- to large-scale projects in a fast-paced environment.
- Previous experience coordinating construction materials with vendors and material suppliers.
- Advanced expertise in the architectural design and delivery process, construction sequencing, and execution.
- Advanced expertise collaborating with project teams to integrate and coordinate project specifications into construction documents.
- Ability to read, write, and understand English for work-related written communications, verbal instructions, and interactions.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with building types in the assigned market.
- CSI certification such as CDT (Construction Documents Technology), CCS (Certified Construction Specifier), or equivalent.
- Architecture license.
- LEED AP or equivalent.
Responsibilities
- Own overall responsibility for project specifications and support design and project teams.
- Develop specifications appropriate to each project phase and follow company documentation standards and procedures.
- Guide staff in implementing design standards.
- Participate in onboarding, training, mentoring, and internal Learning and Development initiatives.
- Manage complex workflows and delegate responsibilities to staff at multiple levels.
- Develop, improve, and maintain master specifications for cross-market clients.
- Manage quality control of project documents and technical aspects of specification delivery.
- Recommend updates or modifications to specification software and techniques to keep tools current and improve deliverables and efficiency.
- Support local and regional offices with material research, selection, specification, and resolution of material conflicts throughout project phases.
- Take responsibility for code and constructability issues related to project specifications.
- Assemble and coordinate specification deliverables with limited oversight.
- Handle the specifications portion of submittal reviews, substitution requests, and requests for information.
- Build and maintain relationships with vendors, suppliers, and product representatives.
- Provide guidance and constructive feedback, facilitate difficult conversations, and manage conflict.
- Collaborate and maintain relationships with internal and external project team members, client representatives, and firm leadership.
- Implement sustainable design requirements, such as LEED, LBC, and CALGreen, in project specifications when required.
- Produce accurate and timely work in accordance with project scope and schedule.
- Understand contractual obligations, design intent, project budgets, and financial KPIs, and adjust approaches to meet desired outcomes.
- Monitor specification software licenses for staff and communicate software updates to licensed users.
Benefits
- Company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Paid pregnancy disability leave.
- Short- and long-term disability insurance.
- Life insurance.
- Company-matched 401(k)/Roth.
- Paid time off, including parental and military leave.
- Employee referral and professional license bonuses.
- Straight-time compensation for exempt employees’ billable hours worked in excess of 40 billable hours in a work week.
- Education reimbursement.
- Access to hundreds of educational and self-enrichment courses through an in-house resource.
- Mentorship program.
- Wellness program.
- Women’s Organization and philanthropic opportunities.
- Safe and comfortable work environment, potential for career advancement, and opportunities to impact society through projects and company-sponsored activities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
