Architectural Department Manager

Role

The Architectural Department Manager will lead SSOE’s architectural team in India supporting a broad U.S.-based client portfolio. The role combines people leadership, technical oversight, and departmental strategy to deliver high-quality architectural design solutions for large, complex projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a department of 20+ FTEs, including Section Managers, Master Architects, designers, and BIM/VDC professionals.
• Manage staffing, resource planning, hiring, performance management, promotions, and succession planning.
• Provide technical leadership and quality control for architectural deliverables: building planning, envelopes, interiors, code analysis, life-safety, accessibility, and construction documentation.
• Coordinate interdisciplinary design with structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, process, fire protection, construction, and project-management teams.
• Ensure compliance with applicable U.S. building codes, jurisdictional requirements, client standards, and industry best practices.
• Advance Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) and BIM practices, including model-based coordination, clash detection, visualization, and automation.
• Develop and maintain architectural standards, procedures, templates, and continuous-improvement initiatives to improve quality and efficiency.
• Prepare and monitor department schedules, staffing plans, workload forecasts, and financial KPIs; collaborate with Project Managers on budgets and fee estimates.
• Support client account maintenance, proposals, scope development, qualifications packages, and business-development efforts.
• Implement training programs, promote knowledge sharing, and support continuing education for architectural staff.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture.
• Minimum of 20 years of related architectural experience, including at least 5 years in leadership or people-management roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading architectural teams delivering projects for U.S.-based clients and working across multiple markets (e.g., semiconductor, battery, pharmaceutical, data center, manufacturing, healthcare, institutional, commercial).
• Strong knowledge of architectural design, construction documentation, building-envelope design, building codes, life-safety, and accessibility standards.
• Experience with BIM authoring, VDC, model-based documentation workflows, coordination and clash-detection processes.
• Proven ability to lead geographically distributed and multicultural teams; experience with international workforce coordination across time zones.
• Professional architecture registration preferred, or ability to support projects under licensed U.S. architectural professionals.
• Strong communication, strategic thinking, change agility, and people-management skills.

Technical Environment

• Work within virtual design environments using Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, BIM/VDC tools, and document-management and collaboration platforms.
• Role requires use of AI and digital technologies; training and access to AI Large Language Models and vibe-coding platforms will be provided.