SENIOR HEALTHCARE PLANNER

BWBR ARCHITECTS INC•St. Paul, MN

About The Position

BWBR is seeking a senior Healthcare Planner Lead to help shape the future of healthcare design for our clients and for the firm. This role blends deep planning expertise and leadership, business development partnership, and industry visibility. It is designed for an experienced healthcare planner who understands how work is won, how trust is built with healthcare executives, and how planning excellence translates into long-term client relationships. Working closely with Principals-in-Charge (PIC’s) and the Healthcare Market Practice Leader, this leader plays a central role in opening doors, shaping pursuits, excelling in interviews, and guiding complex planning efforts following successful pursuits. Internally, this role elevates standards of practice and assists in mentoring the next generation of healthcare planners. This is not a planning-only position. It is a leadership role with influence across strategy, pursuits, planning, and thought leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture or a related AEC discipline
10+ years of experience in healthcare design and planning
Demonstrated leadership experience in healthcare planning and client engagement
Strong understanding of healthcare operations, space standards, and regulatory requirements
Proven ability to present and clearly convey ideas to executive leadership and user group stakeholders
Experience in contributing meaningfully to pursuits, interviews, and business development efforts

Nice To Haves

Architecture licensure preferred
ACHA certification and/or EDAC (or similar accreditation) preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as the lead healthcare planner on key projects that are strategically important to the firm and its healthcare market growth.
Provide hands-on leadership throughout the planning process, including visioning, clinical and operational analysis, space programming, functional planning, and validation with executive and clinical stakeholders.
Lead stakeholders through complex decision-making environments involving multiple service lines, user groups, and stakeholder priorities.
Ensure planning solutions are operationally sound, technically rigorous, and defensible at the executive and board level.
Establish planning frameworks and methodologies on key projects that can be replicated and scaled across the healthcare practice.
Represent BWBR at national and regional healthcare conferences, professional organizations, and industry events.
Participate in speaking engagements, panels, and committees that strengthen BWBR’s visibility and credibility.
Contribute to thought leadership through writing and content creation, including BWBR self-publication and external industry outlets.
Help position the firm in healthcare sub-markets such as critical access and rural healthcare, academic health, pediatric health, women’s and infant’s care, oncology, neuroscience, outpatient environments, and ASCs. Expertise in additional new sub-markets is welcome.
Lead development of healthcare planning tools, benchmarking, and internal resources in collaboration with the BWBR’s internal Healthcare Community of Practice group.
Contribute to maintaining and evolve benchmarking databases and planning standards.
Ensure planning knowledge is shared, scalable, and aligned with firm strategy.
Assist in mentorship of the Healthcare Planning team, with a focus on professional growth, accountability, and technical planning excellence.
Support career development for mid-career planners and designers.
Assist in establishing consistent standards, tools, and best practices across the planning practice.
Partner with PIC’s and the Healthcare Market Practice Leader to shape healthcare market strategy and pursuit positioning.
Serve as one of BWBR’s senior subject matter experts in healthcare planning, programming, and medical space strategy.
Strengthen market presence by cultivating trusted relationships with healthcare executives, system leaders, and construction and engineering partners.
Provide strategic insight into healthcare trends, care delivery models, operational transformation, and capital planning.
Serve as a key team member on healthcare pursuits, contributing to: o Strategy development and positioning o Planning narratives and value propositions o Interview preparation and executive-level presentations
Collaborate with marketing teams on proposal content, messaging, and graphics.
Help mentor teams on effective pursuit strategy and interview performance.
Be a key interview team member that assists in “winning the room”.