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About the Role

The Project Architect and Practice Lead for the Education practice serves as both project leadership and strategic advisor to enhance SOM’s education work for higher education and K12. This role advances the firm's strategic growth through business development, market leadership, and professional engagement, working directly with Partnership, Principals, and other Practice Leaders.

Responsibilities

Contributes to the creation and implementation of functional business plans by identifying growth areas, desired clients, strategic opportunities, and effective market positioning.
Shapes and implements practice-level priorities, including positioning, messaging themes, and business development goals.
Co-leads Practice Group Meetings to discuss active pursuits, business development activity, and financials.
Collaborates to evaluate potential clients and new projects.
Co-manages pipeline with Functional Practice Leaders, understanding pipeline, win rates, and ROI.
Identifies patterns, trends, client themes, and cross-market opportunities through research to inform strategic planning and growth.
Contributes to the improvement of firmwide practice marketing assets and knowledge systems.
Drives business development activity, including evaluation of potential clients and new projects, pipeline management, and pursuit strategy.
Represents SOM to clients, consultants, and industry organizations; develops and maintains a strong business network.
Advises teams and clients on best practices, trends, and strategies for teaching and learning environments.
Extends the reach of Education Practice leadership by representing the practice in project work, design reviews, client engagements, and internal collaboration.
Guides project teams in early stakeholder engagement, programming, and scope definition for educational spaces and campus environments.
Leads Architectural Project Teams to achieve design excellence, technical rigor, and successful client outcomes.
Serves as a day-to-day design and management leader across project phases, defining design direction and integrated work plans.
Leads the creation of strong conceptual design abilities within the project team, integrating interdisciplinary criteria.
Oversees key design and client deliverables such as diagrams, planning materials, presentations, and models.
Effectively communicates internally with project teams and externally with consultants and clients.
Collaborates to prepare, issue, and manage compliance plans to align project goals including budget, deliverables, and schedule.
Initiates, monitors, and maintains project schedule and work plan.
Establishes, communicates, and maintains standards of quality for design and documentation output.
Participates actively in project discussions and decision making, helping teams resolve issues.
Builds trust with clients by translating design strategy into clear recommendations and leading presentations.
Initiates and maintains SOM-Client Services Agreement and SOM Sub-Consultant Agreements.
Monitors scope for contract compliance, financial performance, and potential additional services.
Actively engages in project risk management.
Actively leads multiple projects and teams.
Is established as an office-wide resource in an area of expertise.
Inspires and leads others by example, participates in staff mentoring and training, and delegates appropriately.
Directly supervises staff and is committed to direct reports’ professional development.
Builds and develops teams through mentoring, feedback, and creating growth opportunities.
Engages in talent strategy to find specialists, leaders, and future professionals for the firm.
Actively engages in internal and external professional development opportunities.
Demonstrates leadership in the implementation of sustainable strategies.
Creates and drives new ways of working by contributing to the development of services, standards, and procedures.

Requirements

Significant knowledge and expertise in campus master planning, space programming, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach for Education institutions is required.
Professional degree in Architecture.
Licensed in state of practice; LEED accreditation preferred.
Minimum 12 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Demonstrated ability to successfully lead interdisciplinary design teams and guide projects toward strong design, quality, schedule, budget, and program outcomes.
Strong conceptual design ability and demonstrated judgment in planning and design decision making.
Strong understanding of sustainable strategies and principles including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Smartsheets, Adobe Suite, and Google Workspace.
Proficiency in design and visualization tools relevant to architectural practice, including familiarity with Revit, Rhino, and related digital workflows.
Proficiency with Deltek Vision and Salesforce.
Portfolios must be submitted for all design and project management positions.
Applications without work samples will not be reviewed.
Portfolios should be one PDF attachment, 10-20 pages, maximum 5 MB.

Skills

Campus master planning
Space programming
Stakeholder engagement
Community outreach
Business development
Market leadership
Professional engagement
Design quality
Client relationships
Mentorship
Innovation
Operational excellence
Organizational leadership
Understanding of education market
Development of relevant data, tools, and models
Design innovation
Integrated, participatory, and data-informed planning and design processes
Best practices, trends, and strategies for teaching and learning environments
Design reviews
Client engagements
Internal collaboration
Programming
Scope definition
Design excellence
Technical rigor
Client outcomes
Design direction
Decision-making frameworks
Integrated work plans
Conceptual design
Interdisciplinary criteria
Design deliverables
Communication
Compliance plans
Project goals
Budget management
Schedule management
Labor allocation
Team meetings
Project schedule
Work plan
Meetings and presentations
Quality standards
Documentation output
Project goals alignment
Design intent
Technical requirements
SOM standards
Project discussions
Issue resolution
Client trust building
Design strategy translation
Workshop facilitation
Client priorities
SOM standards of excellence
Client Services Agreement
Sub-Consultant Agreements
Additional services requests
Contract compliance
Financial performance monitoring
Project risk management
Team leadership
Staff mentoring
Staff training
Expectation setting
Empowerment
Delegation
Supervision
Professional development
Talent strategy
Resume review
Interviews
Networking
Sustainable strategies implementation
Development of services, standards, and procedures
Business principles
Financial risk protection
Legal risk protection
Microsoft Office
Smartsheets
Adobe Suite
Google Workspace
Revit
Rhino
Digital workflows
Deltek Vision
Salesforce

Experience Level

Minimum 12 years of experience

Education Level

Professional degree in Architecture
Licensed in state of practice
LEED accreditation preferred

Salary/Compensations

$150,000 to $200,000

About the Company

At SOM, we are a collective committed to shaping a better future for our clients, communities and planet.
We aspire to create the most sustainable, impactful work through creative, interdisciplinary teams with all the resources and diversity of a global firm.
We value those who are passionate about excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
Success at SOM Means: Ideas, Knowledge, Product, Individual, Team, Firm.
We have a history of making transformative contributions to the profession and our communities.
We are constantly innovating and attempting to bring new approaches, solutions and processes to our work.