Senior Managing Landscape Architect

Title:

Senior Managing / Principal Landscape Architect

Reports to:

Anna Spooner

Location:

California – Irvine/Other in CA

Job Type: Regular Full-Time

Anchor QEA is seeking a Senior Managing Landscape Architect to help lead and grow our landscape architecture practice in California. This is a senior leadership role for a California-licensed landscape architect who brings strong technical expertise, proven business development experience, and the ability to win and lead complex, multidisciplinary work.

This position offers the opportunity to join a growing firm with a strong foundation in restoration, resilience, and development. Working alongside Anchor QEA’s multidisciplinary teams of landscape architects, engineers, planners, scientists, natural resource specialists, permitting professionals, and construction managers, the Senior Managing / Principal Landscape Architect will help expand our design leadership and market presence in California.

The successful candidate will be a strategic, client-facing leader who can identify opportunities, build relationships, develop competitive proposals, and help secure landscape architecture and integrated multidisciplinary work. This person will also provide senior leadership for projects involving public access design, shoreline resilience, habitat restoration, parks and recreation, climate adaptation, and multi-benefit infrastructure.

• Support the growth and strategic direction of Anchor QEA’s landscape architecture practice in California.
• Serve as a senior client-facing leader for landscape architecture, restoration, resilience, public access, parks, recreation, and climate adaptation work.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level staff and help identify future staffing needs for the growing practice.
• Collaborate with Anchor QEA leadership on market strategy, business planning, staffing, teaming, and long-term practice growth.

• Identify, pursue, and help win competitive landscape architecture and multidisciplinary consulting opportunities.
• Develop and lead client engagement strategies, pursuit planning, proposal development, interviews, scopes of work, fee estimates, and teaming approaches.
• Build and maintain relationships with public agencies, ports, municipalities, special districts, regulatory agencies, community organizations, and consultant teaming partners.
• Represent Anchor QEA externally with clients, agencies, professional organizations, strategic partners, and stakeholders.

• Serve as project director, senior technical lead, or project manager on complex projects.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams that include landscape architects, engineers, planners, scientists, permitting specialists, restoration practitioners, designers, and subconsultants.
• Provide senior design leadership and mentorship from early planning and visioning through development, permitting support, construction documents, and implementation.
• Guide design strategy for shoreline resilience, habitat restoration, public access, recreation, planting, irrigation, grading coordination, materials, site furnishings, and constructability.
• Oversee the preparation of high-quality plans, graphics, reports, presentations, construction documents, specifications, cost estimates, and technical details.
• Facilitate and lead meetings with clients, agencies, Tribes, stakeholders, community members, and project teams.
• Provide senior review, quality assurance, and technical guidance for landscape architecture deliverables.
• Support construction administration and implementation of landscape architecture elements.

• Master’s or bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from an accredited institution.
• Licensed Landscape Architect in California.
• 15 or more years of relevant professional experience in landscape architecture focused on the integration of restoration, resiliency, and human use, with substantial experience in California.
• Demonstrated success capturing new work, developing client relationships, leading proposals, and contributing to business growth, with a focus on federal, state and local clients.
• Strong…