Design Leader II

About the Role

If you think your skills and experience make you a good match for this position, we'd love to hear from you.

We are seeking a creative leader who has the skills, experience, and reputation that reflect the importance of this role in our design practice. You will be responsible for the successful implementation of our goal to be one of the most innovative, creative, and highly regarded design firms in the world. You will be an integral part of the office leadership team, nurturing and developing the people and culture of the office and acting as a voice for design excellence firm-wide and to the outside world.

• Lead the design effort, communicating and representing design goals to clients and the team throughout the project with a focus on early‑phase development. Partner with strategic thinkers, co‑lead visioning, set conceptual direction, collaborate with teams through all phases to ensure design quality, and support Senior Design Leaders on significant strategic pursuits.
• Create innovative design concepts that synthesize clients’ culture, goals, and aspirations with the needs of people, community, society, and the environment, delivering solutions uniquely responsive to this expanded view of design impact.
• Prepare and direct client presentation materials that convey the design in a compelling, sophisticated manner; lead design presentations emphasizing storytelling; capture and communicate key client goals and metrics and how our design solutions add value. Collaborate with marketing and communications to build strong narratives.
• Work within our integrated practice culture by collaborating with technical leaders, subject‑matter experts, and others to create holistic design solutions that fulfill the complex demands of our projects.
• Integrate performance‑based and sustainable design strategies into solutions; further our goals to decarbonize the built environment and meet the AIA 2030 Commitment. Contribute to the firm’s portfolio with externally recognized design work and submit projects for publication and award programs.
• Engage in activities that strengthen, differentiate, and promote our brand locally, regionally, and nationally. Cultivate your personal reputation as a creative leader in the profession and present at conferences.

Partner with us in creating a strong design culture in your office and region. You will be responsible for:

• Mentoring and growing emerging professionals toward future creative leadership, fostering an environment of collaboration, experimentation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Recruiting and retaining design talent.
• Creating a stimulating and rewarding environment that sets the tone for design excellence and demonstrates it across the firm.
• Empowering staff, delegating effectively, and building high‑performance teams that encourage innovation and continuous improvement.
• Provoking critical thinking and critique of our work.
• Leading by example, pursuing and winning design work that represents our future selves and advances our Living‑Centered Design philosophy.

You will develop and maintain client relationships, build client trust and loyalty, and collaborate in bringing in work. You will build upon Cannon Design’s legacy clients as well as your own prior relationships. You will identify new client opportunities in collaboration with business development and marketing teams, participate in client and project pursuit strategies from early identification through proposal submission and interview, and have a contributory goal of $2M in net signed fees annually in collaboration with your office practice and market leaders.

Targets and performance metrics for this role are subject to change as Cannon Design periodically evaluates our performance metrics.

• Bachelor or Master degree in Architecture required; preferred from an accredited program.
• 15 years minimum experience in a design leadership role, with at least 3 years leading others in a design studio or practice segment.
• Current U.S. Architectural Registration preferred.
• Additional accreditation or training…