This nationally celebrated Architecture and Design firm is renowned for their context-driven spaces that blend creativity with meticulous craftsmanship. Their award-winning work spans Hospitality, Single-Family Residences, Multifamily Developments, Masterplanning, Product Design and Brand Design. Employing a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, they seamlessly integrate architecture, interior design, and visual identity to deliver thoughtful, human-centered solutions.

Committed to a people-first philosophy, the firm fosters an inclusive culture that values diversity, mentorship, and sustainable practices. They are dedicated to providing exceptional client experiences while continuously shaping the future of design through innovative exploration and flawless execution. As the firm experiences continued organic growth and success, they are seeking a Managing Director of Operations to join their industry-leading team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Working closely with the Principals, the Managing Director of Operations will lead the day-to-day operations of their 90+ person firm, including people & culture, business management, strategic planning and administration. The Managing Director of Operations will foster a culture of transparency, collaboration and accountability, ensuring that all teams and firm leadership are aligned with the firm's goals while effectively driving and implementing key initiatives across the organization. They will collaborate closely with studio leadership across Architecture & Design, and leaders of Finance, Marketing, IT, Human Resources and Administration to ensure unity and efficiency for the firm as a whole.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Operational, Administrative and Financial  

·      Responsible for creatively and effectively aligning the operational and organizational structure to support firm’s objectives.

·      Liaise with department leaders across human resources, information technology, administrative resources, finance, and marketing; monitoring performance including adherence to annual budgets and strategic initiatives. 

·      Collaborate with human resources and office leadership, with participation in recruitment, retention, employee relations, performance reviews, staff development, and compensation and benefits practices. 

·      Actively engage outside the office to gather insights and identify best practices that drive continuous improvement and enhance the firm’s competitive edge.

·      Collaborate with the Principals to lead the overall strategic direction of the firm, with oversight of financial/administrative operations and project delivery. 

·      Provide oversight of annual office financial plan, monitoring and assuring compliance throughout the fiscal year in collaboration with the Director of Finance.

·      Review, monitor and approve G&A expense requests, assure monthly collections and earnings, lead all collection efforts when required.

·      Review timesheets, expense reports, direct and indirect labor, overtime and trends. 

Studio & Culture

·         Champion the firm’s inclusive and collaborative studio culture, fostering a positive, creative, and high-performance work environment that aligns with the company’s vision and values.

·         Support Studio Leaders in developing a cohesive studio culture by promoting mentorship, staff development, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

·         Ensure that the studio maintains its commitment to diversity, sustainability, and innovative design practices.

·         Lead initiatives to strengthen team cohesion, communication, and culture, ensuring alignment between operational goals and the firm’s creative ethos.

·         Drive the development of studio-wide standards and processes that reinforce the firm’s high-quality design and craftsmanship, while maintaining a strong culture of accountability and collaboration. 

Design & Project Delivery  

·      Work with Studio Leaders to implement studio-wide initiatives and SOPs to control quality, risk, and delivery of projects across the different disciplines.

·      Support the effort to enhance and embrace project delivery systems and innovation at the office level. 

·      Review reporting related to project work plans including milestones, workflow, staffing, and project budgets.

·      Work with the Director of Finance and 3rd party finance consultants to ensure compliance with best practices in financial performance and planning for all projects in the studio. 

·      Assure adherence to budgets, monitoring all project earnings, collections, and expenditures.

·      Guide Studio Leaders toward continually improving project delivery, quality, and profitability. 

Risk Management 

·      Review and approve fee proposals and contracts with respect to scope, fee, and schedule.

·      In conjunction with legal counsel, review and approve fee proposals and contracts with respect to the allocation of risk and liability, insurability, rights of intellectual property, dispute resolution and other key contractual issues.  

·      Assess and update the firm’s insurance policies to ensure alignment with risk mitigation objectives and financial impact.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS:

·      15+ years combined design practice, project management, and/or practice management experience. Including at least 10 years of direct experience focused on Practice/Office operations management.

·      Professional Degree in Architecture or Design would be an asset but not required.

·      Enhanced knowledge of project design and delivery including proposal development, management of fee, contract, time and staffing. 

·      Experience working directly with clients, and in conversations surrounding negotiations of fees, contract terms and project schedule. 

·      In depth experience of the full cycle of HR processes including hiring, compensation, interviewing, terminations, and HR related decisions. 

·      Strong financial acumen, including experience in collections management, budgeting, financial forecasting, and performance tracking, with the ability to ensure fiscal accountability across projects and operations.

·      Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel)

·      Experience with Procore, Monograph, Rippling, Greenhouse and/or Leapsome desirable.

·      Excellent communication & interpersonal skills, experience managing & directing project teams. 

·      Exceptional collaboration and people skills with the ability to help others understand financial parameters and business practices.

Salary Range Information

Our client fosters a culture that is diverse and inclusive, and strives for pay practices that are fair, and competitive and reflect their commitment to pay equity. Their compensation decisions include but are not limited to a candidate’s qualifications including skill sets, education, experience and training, licensure and certifications credentials if applicable, and business-related factors. This practice extends to all employees, including performance considerations for merit increases, job promotions, and transfer opportunities. They additionally review their pay practices, conduct pay equity audits, and ensure their managers are trained in their pay practices on an annual basis. At the time of posting this job advertisement, the annual pay salary range for this position is between $175,000 and $215,000 commensurate with qualifications.

*Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Our client has established and adopted an Equal Employment Opportunity Employment policy (“EEO”), which is part of the Company’s Human Resources Policy. The purpose of this EEO policy is to ensure that all employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis, and without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, gender reassignment, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law. In some cases, local laws and regulations may provide greater protections than those outlined here and employees will be covered by the laws of their local jurisdiction.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision

Our client 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. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

API Partners is a retained executive search and strategic consulting firm focused on pr

For more Information please contact Lonny Rossman, AIA @ 646.717.4810 + resume to lr@apipartners.com

KP a+d is an award-winning San Francisco architecture firm, looking for an intern architect with an interest in the technical aspects of our profession and very good Revit skills. They are a 5-person firm in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, with a disciplined approach to design and a very wide array of projects in architecture and interior architecture. This woman-owned firm is notable for design work as well as our commitment to a healthy work-life balance.

If you have at least 3 years’ experience working full time in an architecture firm, and enjoying problem-solving and production drawing in Revit, KP a+d is eager to speak with you. The firm currently has an exciting mix of commercial, public and private sector work in all stages of development from conceptual design, construction documentation, and contract negotiation to construction administration. Their current slate of work includes a high-profile institutional project which will require them to produce solid drawing sets and custom detailing. Current project values range from $2.5 - $22 Million in probable construction cost.

The firm’s design approach is focused less on stylistic dogma and more on strong planning principles, the integration of natural light and landscape and meticulous detailing. The office engages in a variety of architectural and interiors projects, from single-family homes to public buildings to larger, urban-scaled housing and office buildings. They have completed numerous high-end private residences, several public libraries and custom commercial and institutional interiors throughout Northern California, as well as projects in New York State and Wyoming. Their work has been published in California Home and Design, Marin Magazine, PLAIN Magazine, Library Journal, Architectural Digest, California Homes, Sunset Magazine, and the local newspapers.

The Job: KP a+d is looking for an architectural intern or recently licensed architect with solid technical skills and good problem-solving instinct. In this small office each individual has a variety of responsibilities and opportunities; however, your principle role will be to produce drawings in Revit, working collaboratively with the project manager and principal. You will produce and coordinate design development and construction documents under direction of the Project Manager. If the opportunity arises you may be able to personally manage selected smaller projects.

Candidate should enjoy working in person, in the office, in a small-firm environment. The successful candidate will be a well-educated, self-motivated architect who enjoys producing well-coordinated drawings You are well organized, have excellent work habits and computer skills and have worked for at least 3 years, (ideally 3 - 5) in the United States since receiving your professional degree. At minimum, a B.Arch is required. Skill in Revit is required.

Skill and experience in Vectorworks and AutoCAD are a plus. Talented sketchers are always appreciated. Also required are fluency in English, both spoken and written, as well as legal status to work in the US, (no visa seekers, please).

Salary and benefits are competitive. KP a+d values and strives for optimal work/life balance and structure their schedule taking alternate Fridays off, year-round. The office culture reflects our commitment to nurturing a career while protecting your creative spirit. They insist that people take time off and encourage everyone to work hard but use your personal time. KP a+p cultivates whole lives. People are empowered to step up to opportunities, to interact with clients and to grow.

If you value a small firm structure with limited hierarchy in a firm that already has GREAT momentum, and if you think this might be the right career move for you, please send your resume to admin@kpad.com.

In an interview with Jason Hartman, Esther Sperber of Studio ST Architects shares five things you need to create a highly successful career in architecture and so much more.

To highlight from the article, here are Esther’s Five Things:

1. Love architecture — You need to love buildings and get excited about the beauty of stone or the smell of wet poured concrete.

2. Love people — In my opinion, you cannot create good architecture if you do not enjoy people. Buildings are designed to be inhabited and I love imagining how people would use the spaces we create. It used to be common to photograph buildings without any people in them. In recent years we have started photographing our work, especially public buildings, with people in them. I feel that this gives a better sense of what we are trying to accomplish.

3. Love your staff — Like other service professions, we are only as good as our team. Architecture cannot be created alone, and I am fortunate to have a great team at my office. We share ideas, suggestions and bring our own strength to the team.

4. Love running a business — When I started my firm, I did not know much about running a business, tracking costs and projecting profits. Over the past two decades I have learned from friends, colleagues, YouTube and coaches. I enjoy the task of running my business and making sure we are financially stable alongside the creativity of the design process. My work week is incredibly varied. I spend a few hours sketching a new design on trace paper, putting together a fee proposal and spreadsheet schedule for our team, learning about a new product, putting on my work boots to visit the concrete foundation work on a multifamily building, selecting stone for a countertop and giving a lecture to students about the architecture of synagogues. What could be more exciting?

5. Love a new challenge — When you are an architect there is always more to learn than one person can handle. We need to be able to learn from others, ask the right questions and have good intuition about mechanical systems, structure, sustainability and city codes. But there will always be something new that we have not encountered, and a good architect needs to not be intimidated by this, but rather find these new challenges exciting.

Right on, Esther! These are a great five.

Don’t miss out on the other gems Esther shares in the complete interview published here.

Current Design Advocates Volunteer Opportunities

D/A are excited to be launching their next project term which will run from January-July of 2023. Their network of participating firms and designers organize their efforts in six-month blocks of time, collaborating with non-profit and institutional clients and the communities they serve.

The current term is a mix of pro-bono and low-bono projects and initiatives addressing hunger, reproductive rights, arts and design based learning, family services, and public space advocacy. Please take a look at the opportunities outlined below, and please get in touch if you’d like to support or participate in these efforts!

Learn more here!

Yellow House Architects, PLLC | Intermediate Architect

About Yellow House:

Yellow House Architects is a Manhattan-based fellowship of design creatives with diverse voices, working collaboratively to realize our clients’ architectural vision. We offer highly personalized design service to clients in residential, hospitality, and commercial architecture. Our office is a gathering place where avid learners and thinkers share diverse points of view. For us, Yellow House is a forward-thinking space which fosters creative collaboration, expressed in the language of architecture.

About the Position:

Founded in 2020, YHA is looking for an Intermediate Architect to join our team. The ideal candidate will have solid experience in classical and traditional architecture. We look for people who are passionate about the art of architecture, enjoy working collaboratively on a shared vision, can work with a high level of detail and materiality when collaborating with top craftsmen, and embrace new materials and state of the art technology in their designs.

YHA offers a full benefits package and participates in mentorship programs, professional development, and educational initiatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Produce drawings with direction from the design team

2. Review redlines and incorporate into design drawings

3. Collaborate with the Project Manager to produce deliverable

4. Prepare for and attend meetings with clients and consultants, record decisions and issue notes

5. Participate in weekly coordination meetings with MEP and structural related disciplines

6. Attend site visits and evaluate site conditions and constraints

7. Adapt plans accordingly to resolve any problems that may arise during construction

8. Research current zoning and building code requirements

9. Survey new project sites and as-built conditions.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Four to five-plus years professional experience

2. Strong proficiency in AutoCAD and Revit

3. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word

4. Strong proficiency In Bluebeam a plus

5. Ability to multi-task and work within a team to meet deadlines

6. Good organizational skills with good oral and written communication skills

 Direct all inquiries to liz@yellowhousearchitects.com.