Demo

Chief Design Officer - Architecture

HNTB
Kansas, MO Full Time
POSTED ON 2/5/2025
AVAILABLE BEFORE 3/6/2025
What We're Looking For

At HNTB, you can create a career that is meaningful to you while building communities that matter to all of us. For more than a century, we have been delivering solutions for some of the largest, most complex infrastructure projects across the country. With our historic growth, it is an exciting time to join our team of employee-owners.

This opportunity entails being nationally/regionally recognized as a key technical expert within area of specialty.

Job Title: Chief Design Officer - Architecture

Job Summary: The Chief Design Officer (CDO) is responsible for the overall quality and culture of design across all market sectors. This role leads the firm’s global design vision, ensuring excellence, innovation, and consistency in every project. The CDO fosters a culture of design leadership, collaborates with market sector leaders, and serves as a visible industry thought leader, enhancing the firm’s reputation for design excellence worldwide. The CDO plays a strong role in business development internally and externally fostering a network of opportunity and new creative partnerships focused on the growth and diversification of the practice and driving the design brand of the practice.

Essential Functions

  • Global Design Leadership: Establish and oversee the firm’s design philosophy, vision, and principles, ensuring alignment across all markets and practices.
  • Quality Assurance: Develop and maintain systems for design consistency and excellence, including regular design reviews and critiques.
  • Design Culture: Foster a creative and collaborative culture by mentoring design leaders, encouraging innovation, and promoting professional growth at all levels.
  • Thought Leadership: Represent the firm as a design authority through conferences, panels, publications, and professional organizations.
  • Technology Innovation: Responsible for the strategy, system and talent surrounding innovation and implementation of emerging technologies and workflows supporting pursuit and conceptual design activities.
  • Collaboration and Cross-Market Synergies: Work closely with market sector leaders in sports, aviation, transit, and other sectors to ensure design strategies meet client and market needs.
  • Talent Development: Drive recruitment and retention strategies to attract top-tier design talent, ensuring a pipeline of creative and capable professionals.
  • Client Engagement: Engage with high-profile clients and industry influencers to establish the firm as a trusted partner for landmark projects.
  • Strategic Investment: Guide the allocation of resources for design research, technology, and sustainability initiatives to maintain the firm’s competitive edge.
  • Brand Stewardship: Partner with marketing and communications teams to promote the firm’s design reputation through visual branding and storytelling.
  • Project Oversight: Provide strategic input and direction on large-scale, complex projects to ensure alignment with the firm’s design vision.

Competencies

  • Exceptional leadership and mentorship skills.
  • Strategic and innovative thinking with a focus on design excellence.
  • Outstanding communication and presentation abilities.
  • Strong client relationship and business development skills.
  • Expertise in leveraging technology and sustainability in design practices.

Travel Requirements: 25%-50% to support client engagement, project oversight, and industry participation.

Work Environment: Primarily an office environment with regular travel to project sites, client meetings, and industry events.

What You’ll Do

  • Sought out to provide technical input and possible leadership on complex projects within practice area.
  • Identifies, pursues, and executes high-level projects with assigned departments, agencies, and programs.
  • Manages client relationships and guides the application of HNTB services within a specific practice area to best serve the interests of the client and HNTB.
  • Responsible for successful contracting and project execution, working closely with regional HNTB staff and office leadership.
  • Partners with National Practice Leaders to develop and promote technical knowledge and applicability of practice area.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Need

  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
  • 12 years of relevant experience
  • In lieu of a degree 16 years of relevant experience
  • 20 years of experience in design leadership roles within large, multi-disciplinary firms.
  • Proven track record of delivering design excellence in major projects across diverse market sectors.
  • Master’s Degree in Architecture or related field.
  • Recognized professional registration (AIA, NCARB, etc.).
  • 20 years of experience in design leadership roles within large, multi-disciplinary firms.
  • Proven track record of delivering design excellence in major projects across diverse market sectors.
  • Demonstrated global thought leadership through publications, awards, or industry recognition.
  • Extensive network of professional relationships within the architecture and design industry.

Additional Information

Click here for benefits information: HNTB Total Rewards

Click here to learn more about EOE including disability and vet

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

\#EL

Locations:

Atlanta, GA, Kansas City, MO, Los Angeles, CA (Figueroa Street), New York, NY

The approximate pay range for New York is $211,449.42 - $422,212.33. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent on factors, including but not limited to, the individual’s qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as physical work location within the state.

The approximate pay range for Los Angeles Metro Area and Orange County, CA is $243,166.85 - $388,435.34. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent on factors, including but not limited to, the individual’s qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as physical work location within the state.

Notice To Third-party Agencies

HNTB does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or agencies. Any staffing/employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume to this site does so with the understanding that the applicant's resume will become the property of HNTB. HNTB will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion and without any fee owed to the submitting staffing/employment agency, person or entity. Staffing/employment agencies who have fee agreements with HNTB must submit applicants to the designated HNTB recruiter to be eligible for placement fees.

Job Type: Regular

Full/Part Time: Full time

Job Category: Operations Group

ReqID: R-24587

Salary : $211,449 - $422,212

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