Senior Project Designer

We are currently hiring for a Senior Project Designer in our Architectural Division at our Richmond, VA office.

The Architectural Division at LaBella provides comprehensive planning and design services across a wide variety of markets, including Healthcare, K-12 and Higher Education, Sports & Entertainment, Mixed Use Developments, Residential, Commercial, and Municipal.

The Senior Project Designer will perform at a project leadership level, working closely with Project Managers, licensed Project Architects, consultants, and internal design teams to lead the development and coordination of architectural projects from concept design through construction.

This position will be responsible for leading significant portions of project design and documentation, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, participating in client meetings, managing project workflows, and helping ensure that design intent, quality, schedule, and project objectives are maintained throughout the project.

In addition to project responsibilities, the Senior Project Designer will serve as a senior design and mentorship resource within the Richmond studio. The position will help elevate design quality, improve consistency across project deliverables, mentor developing staff, and foster a collaborative studio culture through design reviews, shared problem-solving, and active engagement with project teams.

The successful candidate will be self-motivated, highly collaborative, and capable of independently leading project efforts with limited oversight. Strong design judgment, technical coordination skills, communication ability, and a willingness to mentor and support others are essential.

• Lead architectural project efforts from concept design through construction
• Coordinate project teams, consultants, and internal disciplines
• Develop and maintain project design intent, quality, and consistency
• Lead or support client meetings, design presentations, and project workshops
• Coordinate architectural documentation and multidisciplinary design requirements
• Delegate and review work performed by project team members
• Support Project Managers with project planning, scheduling, coordination, and delivery
• Participate in construction administration, including submittal review, RFIs, field observations, and coordination with contractors
• Mentor junior and mid-level staff in design, documentation, coordination, and project delivery
• Provide design and technical review across selected studio projects
• Facilitate collaborative design reviews, pin-ups, and internal project discussions
• Contribute to business development, interviews, proposals, and client relationship building
• Help improve studio design standards, workflows, and project delivery processes
• Work with licensed architects to ensure projects meet applicable code, regulatory, and professional requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture
• Actively working toward architectural licensure
• Approximately 6-10+ years of relevant architectural experience
• Demonstrated experience leading architectural projects or major project components
  
  Strong architectural design and planning skills
• Strong construction document and technical coordination experience
• Ability to coordinate multidisciplinary project teams and outside consultants
• Strong knowledge of building codes, construction systems, and project delivery
• Experience participating in client meetings and presentations
• Strong interpersonal, communication, mentorship, and organizational skills
• Proficiency in Revit and BIM-based project delivery
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
• Proficiency with Bluebeam
• Visualization experience using Enscape, Lumion, or similar platforms
• Microsoft Office proficiency