Design Director Jobs in Renton, WA (NOW HIRING)

The Design Principal plays a key role in partnership with the Managing Principal, Project Manager, and team in strategically directing the firm’s performance on behalf of our clients and that grows our portfolio. The Design Principal is responsible for leading teams in the development of compelling design solutions that address the client’s requirements, meet their needs, reflect their values, support their culture, and fulfills the firm’s commitment to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design. Design Principals should foster a culture of technical excellence and teamwork in the studio, drawing on firmwide and local expertise as necessary, resulting in high quality work that achieves strong financial performance and minimal risk. 

• Leads design teams in successfully delivering high-quality projects that meet all building standards and fulfill the firm’s Living Design framework. 
• Represents the firms’ commitment to design, champions and executes design excellence with clients, projects, and teams in collaboration with the studio Design Director and Practice Leaders.  
• Participates in project scope delineation, work plan creation, implementation, and fee negotiations on projects for which responsible. 
• Participates in discussions with studio leadership regarding the composition and organization of the project teams for which responsible.  
• Monitors overall quality of the project design process, product, and delivery. 
• Monitors the performance and approach of project teams in collaboration with Design Directors to ensure that the firm’s standards and design goals are met at each stage of the project.  
• Conducts regular quality control sessions with project teams. 
• Coordinates and participates in internal peer workshops to ensure design goals and standards are met, presenting projects for which responsible and providing design input on other projects.  
• Keeps abreast of current developments, trends, standards and practices within the firm and the industry. 
• Partners with Design Director in interviewing prospective designers on an as-needed basis. 
• Participates in design staff year-end reviews and mentors design staff. 
• Participates in marketing, business development, and sales activities. Leads interview teams when appropriate. 
• Participates in the identification and development of marketing material and other collateral associated with projects for which responsible.. 
• Participates in firmwide design leadership initiatives as appropriate.  
• Supports design leadership by advancing the design culture of the firm at the local studio level, focusing on local DEI initiatives, career development, and talent advancement.   
• Engages with professional organizations and academic institutions as appropriate.  

Requirements

• LEED GA within 6 months of hire 
• Professional accreditation in one area of Living Design that interests you: LEED AP with Specialty, BREEAM AP, WELL AP, SITES AP, CPHC/CPHE Passive House Institute Certified Passive House, or ILFI Living Future Accreditation
• Architectural license, NCIDQ, or LARE as appropriate 
• Bachelor's degree in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design or related discipline required 

Proficiencies

• Knowledge of industry regulations, health/life safety requirements, and building codes
• Knowledge of site analysis, conceptual design, schematic design, design development, contract documents, and construction 
• Strong design portfolio, ideally broad based in a range of project types
• Strong project budgeting and contract negotiations skills
• Strong working relationships with clients and consultants
• Experience in hiring, directing, mentoring and coordinating successful project teams 
• Strong ideator and conceptual thinker

Software

• Working knowledge of Revit. Working knowledge of conceptual modeling tools such as Rhino and Grasshopper  
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office / Adobe Suite  
• Working knowledge of visualization tools such as Enscape and VRay

Qualified and interested candidates should submit a resume and work samples. Include your resume and a compact, representative sample of your work (no larger than 4MB). 

Compensation & Benefits

At Perkins&Will, we foster a culture that is diverse and inclusive and strive for pay practices that are fair, and competitive and reflect our commitment to pay equity. Our 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. We additionally review our pay practices, conduct pay equity audits and ensure our managers are trained in our pay practices on an annual basis. At the time of posting this job advertisement, the annual pay range for this position is between $175,300 and $257,700 commensurate with qualifications. In addition, we provide a comprehensive benefits package for full time employees including, medical, dental, vision, FSA/HSA accounts, 401k with employer match, PTO and paid holidays, short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, commuter benefits, life insurance, and learning and development opportunities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Perkins&Will 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
Perkins&Will 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.