Project Architect​/Project Manager

Big Tent Design Studio | Washington, DC | Full-time, in-person

$85,000–$115,000, commensurate with experience and licensure

Big Tent Design Studio is a small, growing architecture practice based in Washington, DC. Our projects span residential, educational, retail, commercial, and institutional work, and many share a common thread: building community—creating spaces that foster connection, inclusion, and a sense of belonging.

We care about thoughtful design, pragmatic solutions, and making good architecture accessible across a wide range of project types, scales, and constraints.

We’re looking for an experienced Project Architect / Project Manager who is ready to take meaningful ownership of projects while working closely with the firm principal

This is a hands‑on role in a small practice. You will help lead multiple projects from design through permitting and construction, taking significant responsibility for coordination, documentation, schedules, consultant management, and follow‑through.

At the same time, we are intentionally building the studio’s design approach, standards, and systems. This is therefore a highly collaborative role—not one where projects are simply handed off and managed independently.

We are looking for someone who can take initiative, anticipate what needs to happen next, and make thoughtful recommendations, while also recognizing when a design, technical, or project decision benefits from discussion and collaboration.

As the studio grows, we expect the role to grow with it, with increasing opportunities for independent project leadership, client management, and responsibility within the practice.

• Help lead projects from concept through construction administration, working closely with the principal on design direction and major project decisions
• Take primary responsibility for project coordination, documentation, schedules, deliverables, and follow‑through
• Serve as a key client contact alongside the principal, helping lead meetings, track decisions and action items, and keep projects moving
• Plan and manage consultant coordination across structural, MEP, civil, and other disciplines
• Develop and QC coordinated Revit drawing sets—producing work directly as well as reviewing the work of others
• Research and resolve zoning, building code, accessibility, and permitting issues
• Organize and coordinate permit submissions and responses to agency review comments
• Participate in site visits and construction administration
• Coordinate and mentor junior staff and interns as project teams require
• Help establish and improve office standards, templates, checklists, workflows, and quality‑control procedures

We value clear expectations, direct feedback, thoughtful design, and steady progress over heroics.

The right person:

• Moves comfortably between design thinking, technical production, coordination, and project management as project needs shift
• Can turn broad project goals into an organized sequence of tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines
• Prioritizes effectively—understanding what is urgent, what is blocking others, and what can wait
• Brings a solutions‑oriented mindset: surfaces decisions, offers options, and makes recommendations
• Knows what they can resolve independently, what requires coordination, and when a larger design or technical decision should be discussed
• Understands how buildings are assembled and uses that knowledge to develop and review drawings
• Communicates proactively about progress, assumptions, decisions, and potential problems
• Documents decisions clearly so clients, consultants, and the project team stay aligned
• Maintains a high standard for coordination, accuracy, organization, and graphic quality
• Uses sketches, markups, and diagrams…