Building Designer Jobs in Maryland (NOW HIRING)

Department: Building Science

Lerch Bates is seeking a Building Enclosure Designer to join our Design & Performance Studio. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented design professional who enjoys developing technical construction documents, solving building enclosure challenges, and collaborating with architects, engineers, and consultants to improve building performance.

As a Building Enclosure Designer, you will support the design and documentation of building enclosure systems for new construction, restoration, and rehabilitation projects. Working alongside Design Studio Architects and senior technical leaders, you'll help develop constructable, code-compliant solutions involving façades, roofing, waterproofing, glazing, curtain walls, and other building envelope systems.

This position offers an excellent opportunity to build expertise in building science, enclosure design, and technical documentation while contributing to a wide variety of challenging and impactful projects.

About Lerch Bates:

Lerch Bates (LB) is a global technical consulting firm focused on improving how buildings perform for owners, designers, and the people who use them every day. For more than 75 years we’ve partnered on some of the world’s most complex and high-profile projects. Today we provide Total Building Performance expertise that integrates Building Science and Building Flow into a unified delivery model.

Our work spans design, construction, investigation, repair, rehabilitation, management, and modernization with one consistent goal: helping clients make confident, well-informed decisions in an increasingly complex built environment.

We are 100% employee-owned through our ESOP, which fosters an ownership mindset and accountability in everything we do. At Lerch Bates, your expertise matters, your voice carries weight, and your work directly contributes to our shared success as OneLB. 

What You’ll Do:

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed in this position. They are not intended to prescribe or restrict the assignments that management may make.

Building Enclosure Design & Documentation

• Prepare accurate construction documents, technical drawings, details, and specifications using AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and related software
• Develop building enclosure details for façade systems, curtain walls, glazing, roofing, waterproofing, exterior cladding, and air and vapor barrier assemblies
• Interpret architectural and structural drawings to support coordinated, constructable design solutions
• Apply building science principles related to moisture management, thermal performance, air control, and durability to enclosure system designs
• Assist with building code research, technical evaluations, and enclosure system analysis

Technical Research & Material Evaluation

• Research building enclosure materials, products, and systems to support project design decisions
• Assist in preparing technical specifications and supporting project documentation
• Evaluate material compatibility, system performance, and constructability
• Stay current on industry trends, building science practices, codes, and emerging technologies

Project Coordination & Delivery

• Collaborate with architects, engineers, consultants, and project teams throughout project development
• Participate in design reviews, coordination meetings, and production efforts
• Communicate project progress, technical questions, and potential design issues proactively
• Support delivery of projects that meet quality, schedule, and documentation requirements

Construction Support & Professional Development

• Assist with construction administration activities, including shop drawing reviews, RFIs, submittals, and field coordination
• Participate in site visits, field observations, mock-ups, and building enclosure performance testing as needed
• Document field conditions and assist in preparing technical reports and project documentation
• Contribute to internal technical standards, drawing libraries, specification templates, and continuous improvement initiatives

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Structural Engineering, Building Science, Construction Management, or a related discipline
• 2+ years of experience in architectural drafting, construction document production, building enclosure design, or related technical design work
• Proficiency with AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office
• Working knowledge of building enclosure systems, including roofing, waterproofing, glazing, curtain walls, exterior cladding, and air and vapor barrier systems
• Understanding of construction documentation, architectural detailing, and building science principles
• Ability to read and interpret architectural drawings, details, plans, elevations, and specifications
• Familiarity with applicable building codes, energy codes, and industry standards
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple assignments while maintaining a high level of quality and attention to detail
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary project teams

Why Work with Lerch Bates?

• Competitive compensation
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off (starting at 17 days annually)
• 9 paid holidays
• 401(k) with employer match
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)
• Paid parental leave
• Professional development and tuition reimbursement
• Performance-based incentives and bonuses
• Employee assistance and wellness programs

Be more than just an employee…

Lerch Bates is 100% employee-owned! Our employee-owners bring a distinct “we own what we do” brand of technical consulting to every project and partnership. When you work with us, you join a company with an ownership mindset. Expect responsibility, service, and performance in everything we do. So, what does that mean for you? After a certain service time, you are eligible for stock ownership, which essentially works as an additional wealth accumulation and/or retirement account! 

Core Values

Ownership • Community • Integrity • Respect • Optimism

Working Environment:

This position is primarily performed in a professional office environment and requires regular interaction with employees, clients, vendors, and visitors. The role involves supporting daily office operations, coordinating administrative activities, and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced setting.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this position, an employee is regularly required to sit; talk or hear, in meetings, in person and via telephone; crawl through tight spaces to access elevator pits and elevator car tops; climb ladders; move around construction sites to conduct inspection; stretch, reach or other physical motions to take measurements and observe project requirements; travel via car, air or rail to visit customer sites; work at extreme heights; use fingers, hands and arms for functions such as typing, operating elevators from top of car, controlling and reaching interlock switches, prying elevator doors; work in confined spaces; see details at within a few feet of the observer.

Mental Demands:

While performing the duties of this position, an employee is are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret complex data, information and documents; analyze and solve problems; use math and mathematical reasoning; arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g. patterns of numbers, objects, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations); apply general rules to specific problems to produce sensible answers (deductive reasoning); combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (inductive reasoning; observe and interpret people and situations; learn and apply new skills and information rapidly; perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks with frequently changing deadlines and interruptions; and interact with LB Executives, Project Managers and Administrative Assistants as well as clients, members of governmental agencies, professional and community organizations and committees, the media and the public.

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment background check and drug test. The drug test includes screening for marijuana, regardless of state or local laws permitting its use. A conditional offer of employment will be rescinded if a candidate fails either the background check or the drug test. This requirement is mandated by federal regulations applicable to our government contracting obligations.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.