District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the public school district in Washington, D.C., serving over 51,000 students with the efforts of about 4,000 educators in 117 schools. DCPS aims to be the preeminent urban school system in America, with highly performing educators and central office staff driving instructional excellence and student achievement gains.

Position Description

The Design Specialist, Facility Planning and Design will provide critical design-related support to the FPD Design Manager on all active school construction projects. The Design arm of the team will oversee the design process from Concept Design through Construction in order to ensure that schools are constructed to DCPS standards. Additionally, the Design Specialist will work with the manager to develop and maintain codified documentation of DCPS’s design standards and processes.

The Design Specialist will also serve as Project Coordinator for a limited number of construction projects where they will manage the day-to-day functions of the project-specific workgroups, represent Facility Planning and Design, and facilitate community engagement, with the goal of building relationships with school leadership and communities in support of school modernization projects. This collaboration will be critical to the planning and design of each school’s construction effort.

The Specialist, Facilities Planning and Design will report to the Manager, Facility Planning and Design.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Provide support to the Design Manager, Facilities Planning and Design in the review of designs for all active modernization, addition, and expansion projects from Concept Design through Construction.
• Engage with bodies such as Historic Preservation Office and Commission of Fine Arts on project design reviews.
• Participate in finishes, FF&E, and other review and approval processes as a representative of DCPS.
• Respond to Requests for Information and other Client Agency Input Requests from Architect/Construction teams for facility construction projects.
• Participate in project “punch list” processes and project closeout processes with the Department of General Services.
• Assist with production, maintenance, and revision of design standard documents such as product bases of design and education specifications to be referenced across projects.
• Coordinate School Construction Projects.
• Serve as the representative and main point of contact of the school construction project to the community.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders during school construction projects.
• Communicate clearly and effectively project milestones to school leadership and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate with DCPS Central Office departments to provide site-specific programmatic input.
• Participate in project meetings with the Department of General Services (DGS) and the DCPS contracted Construction and Design team to stay up to date on the project’s design and implementation.
• Assist with planning and coordinating construction related school facility moves.
• Liaise between school leadership, other DCPS teams, and DGS to address facility-related issues during the building turnover process.
• Attend local political and community meetings such as ANC meetings to represent DCPS Facilities.
• Occasionally serve on technical evaluation panels for contracting design-build services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and three to five years of related work experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in design, architecture, urban planning, or similar preferred.
• Previous experience in public speaking and/or meeting facilitation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a variety of audiences.
• Great interpersonal skills and good with building rapport and being a speaker-centered listener.
• Previous architecture, facilities, construction, and/or project management experience a plus.

DCPS Values

STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.

COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.

EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.

EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.

TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and

authentically.

JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.