Senior Architect | Higher Education

Market: Higher Education

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Reports to: TBD

FLSA: Exempt

Work Mode: Monday - Friday; 8:00 - 5:00; In-Office Monday - Thursday; Hybrid (remote or in-office) Friday

Employment Type: Full-time

At BHDP, we believe great design does more than define spaces-it influences behavior, drives performance, and creates meaningful experiences. Guided by our purpose to Inspire People and Impact Results, By Design, we collaborate across architecture, interiors, strategy, and research to solve complex challenges in integrated ways. Here, your ideas matter, your voice is heard, and your work has the power to shape experiences that truly make a difference.

Role Summary

The Senior Architect is a senior technical leader who elevates project outcomes through disciplined coordination and clear documentation. Building on the Architect III role, this position takes broader responsibility for technical delivery on more complex efforts-driving consistency across teams and projects, proactively identifying and resolving risk, and ensuring design intent translates into buildable, well-coordinated solutions that meet client goals.

The Senior Architect also supports strong team performance by providing guidance, setting clear expectations for quality and completion, and mentoring others as needed-while remaining primarily focused on technical excellence, coordination, and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provides project-specific technical leadership by setting clear expectations, assigning ownership, and driving follow-through on high-risk decisions and deliverables.
• Serves as the primary project technical expert and risk steward, ensuring decisions are documented and implemented consistently with BHDP standards, while supporting the PM with client-ready guidance on risks, options, and impacts.
• Leads and enforces QA/QC at key milestones by setting clear team expectations and ensuring critical comments are resolved before issuance.
• Assigns owners and due dates, drives follow-through to verified closure, and drives root-cause correction and project delivery standards reinforcement-serving as a trusted advisor by communicating key risks, options, and impacts to the Project Manager and client.
• Delivers high-quality technical solutions efficiently on assigned projects by standardizing repeatable approaches and focusing effort on high-risk interfaces.
• Reduces redesign/rework and protects fee and schedule through coordination, clear documentation, disciplined decision-making, and early issue resolution-preventing late-stage changes and supporting predictable client delivery.
• Develops Architects and Designers on assigned projects through coaching that teaches the "why" via real-time feedback and live markups and reinforces growth through documented development goals and performance input.
• Creates and reinforces reusable learning assets that measurably improve others' quality, independence, while reducing repeat errors over time.
• Ensures team compliance with BHDP delivery platforms and digital standards (Revit template discipline, model/sheet hygiene, and naming/issue protocols) and uses tools effectively (Bluebeam, issue/decision logs) to drive coordination, documentation clarity, and QA/QC closure.
• Prevents workflow and tool breakdowns from creating rework, coordination drift, milestone delays, or client-facing surprises.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Architecture degree (NAAB accredited program preferred)
• 12+ years in the design and/or architecture industry
• Licensed Architect
• Advanced Revit knowledge - independently deliver defined drawing packages/projects and teach others on best practice.
• Advanced knowledge of production-ready visualization capabilities (SketchUp, Enscape, Lumion).
• Demonstrated capability to delegate, coach, and raise team performance
• Demonstrated initiative; sees challenges as opportunities
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong communication and collaboration within a team
• Models professional workplace behaviors: reliable follow-through, constructive feedback, and calm, solutions-oriented communication with co-workers and clients

Physical and Mental Demands

• Sustained attention to detail
• Sitting/standing
• Occasional lifting of 20 pounds or less
• Ability to work in an open office environment

Life at BHDP

Our comprehensive benefit package includes a competitive salary, medical, dental, vision, disability, flexible spending accounts, paid holidays, paid time off, and a 401(k), which aligns with our commitment to rewarding our high-performing professionals.

BHDP Architecture is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Individuals with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

This position description is prepared to provide a general understanding of the responsibilities of the position and does not include a comprehensive list of activities, duties, success factors, or responsibilities that are required for a specific employee. Success Factors, duties, responsibilities, and activities may be modified or augmented at any time with or without notice.