Technical Architect, Sports Design

Position Summary

The Technical Architect, Sports Design is responsible for the technical leadership, innovation, integration, documentation, and execution of complex sports and entertainment projects, including stadiums, arenas, and training facilities. This position serves as a day‑to‑day technical leader across project phases, from Concept Design through Construction Administration, and leads code review, material and systems research, specifications coordination, and construction documentation. The role is also a firm‑wide subject matter expert in the technical execution of sports venues and facilities.

• Establishes the technical resolution and innovation strategy for sports and entertainment projects through all phases, consistent with project scope, schedule, budget, and SOM quality standards.
• Integrates criteria and input from architecture, structures, MEP, acoustics, AV/IT, security, vertical transportation, code, landscape, and other disciplines into coordinated design solutions for stadiums, arenas, and training facilities.
• Establishes, communicates, and maintains standards of quality for technical documentation across the full internal and external project team, and oversees implementation of the Quality Management System for assigned projects.
• Leads or oversees the research, review, and analysis of applicable building codes, accessibility requirements, life safety criteria, crowd egress, occupancy classifications, event operations requirements, and jurisdictional approvals, providing parameters and restrictions early in the design process.
• Oversees team selection and assessment of construction systems, enclosure strategies, seating bowl integration, long‑span structural coordination, premium and hospitality fit‑out requirements, and high‑performance venue components appropriate to sports facility delivery.
• Oversees and/or leads design and construction documentation, including drawings, details, specifications, technical narratives, and presentation materials, ensuring consistency with firm standards for publication and presentation of work.
• Develops, coordinates, and reviews technical specifications for venue and facility projects, including specialty systems relevant to sports environments.
• Collaborates with project leadership and specialist consultants to address venue‑specific planning issues such as spectator circulation, team operations, broadcast integration, loading and service, security zoning, event conversion, and operational resilience.
• Works closely with design leadership to ensure technical decisions support design intent, revenue‑driving program elements, operational performance, and long‑term flexibility of sports facilities.
• Oversees the team’s construction phase services scope and participates in contractor review, technical clarifications, submittal review, mockups, field observation, and issue resolution as appropriate.
• Attends and presents in owner/architect and owner/architect/contractor meetings, reviews and approves meeting minutes, and helps facilitate weekly internal project team meetings and project status updates.
• Actively participates in local and firm‑wide technical meetings and contributes meaningfully to the advancement of technical practice, standards, and knowledge‑sharing activities.
• Conducts ongoing research into sports venue trends, evolving fan expectations, athlete performance environments, materials, systems, sustainability approaches, operational technologies, and construction innovations relevant to stadiums, arenas, and training facilities.
• Maintains awareness of peer venue benchmarks, emerging market expectations, and leading‑edge delivery strategies, and translates that research into recommendations, lessons learned, technical guidance, and design opportunities for SOM teams.
• Helps develop and maintain internal knowledge resources, precedent libraries, technical standards, and market intelligence related to sports and entertainment architecture.

• Actively leads multiple projects and teams.
• Serves as an office‑wide and firm‑wide resource in sports venue and facility technical design, with recognized subject…