A highly visible residential leadership role for an accomplished architect who can combine design excellence, technical judgment, client leadership, team development, and business acumen. The position is based in the firm's Pleasanton, California office and sits at the intersection of project leadership, market influence, and practice growth.
Position OverviewOur client is seeking an Architectural Principal to join its Residential team. This leader will guide complex residential work, strengthen client relationships, mentor high-performing teams, and help shape strategic growth. The role calls for someone who is equally credible in a design conversation, a client presentation, a team-development discussion, and a financial or operational review.
Why This Role Stands Out- Visible leadership: influence the direction of a residential practice while representing the firm with clients, partners, and the broader industry.
- Design + business integration: champion design excellence while helping translate strong work into durable client relationships and new opportunities.
- Meaningful people leadership: coach architects and project leaders, build balanced teams, and create opportunities for emerging professionals to expand their responsibilities.
- Enterprise perspective: collaborate with practice and firm leaders on strategy, innovation, market expansion, staffing, forecasting, and financial performance.
- Leadership culture: the firm explicitly values humility over ego, clarity over complexity, teamwork over individual achievement, and organizational health alongside technical excellence.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Leadership- Advance strategic goals aligned with the firm's business plan and growth initiatives.
- Develop action plans that support practice or sector growth.
- Communicate priorities internally and externally and collaborate on growth, innovation, and market expansion.
Design & Technical Leadership- Champion innovative, creative, high-quality design.
- Provide high-level architectural and technical direction on complex projects.
- Bring strong design sensibility and presentation skills to client meetings, pursuits, and industry engagements.
- Advance design thinking through collaboration, research, mentorship, and professional engagement.
Client & Market Leadership- Strengthen existing client relationships and cultivate prospective clients and strategic partners.
- Lead or participate in presentations, interviews, proposals, and major pursuits.
- Partner with marketing and leadership on business-development and market-development goals.
- Maintain a strong understanding of market conditions, client needs, and emerging opportunities.
Financial & Operational Leadership - Take responsibility for team financial goals and support broader practice performance.
- Monitor project and team performance; contribute to forecasting, staffing, contracting, resource planning, revenue, profitability, and pipeline goals.
People & Team Leadership- Create a collaborative, inclusive, accountable environment.
- Set expectations, provide feedback and coaching, and mentor architects, project leaders, and emerging professionals.
- Participate in recruiting and selection, build and retain a balanced high-performing team, and address performance or collaboration issues constructively.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Planning, or a related design discipline.
- Active professional architecture license.
- 15+ years of progressively increasing experience in architecture, design, project leadership, and management within a highly regarded design firm.
- Experience leading complex projects, teams, and client relationships.
- Track record of achieving or exceeding team financial and project-performance goals.
- Strong design sensibility and exceptional presentation skills.
- Success developing and maintaining client relationships and contributing to business development.
- Strong technical, analytical, financial, and operational judgment.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, develop, and retain high-performing teams.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience leading strategic growth initiatives within an architecture or design practice.
- Established relationships within relevant markets and industry organizations.
- Experience with complex contract negotiations and professional service agreements.
- Active involvement in professional organizations, industry events, publications, or speaking engagements.
Skills / SoftwareThe source material emphasizes architectural, technical, financial, operational, presentation, negotiation, and leadership capability. It does not identify required software platforms; no software requirement should be represented as mandatory without client confirmation.
Ideal Candidate ProfileThe strongest candidate is a licensed senior architect with substantial residential-practice leadership experience who can operate credibly across design, technical direction, client stewardship, business development, financial performance, and talent development. They should be collaborative and low-ego, comfortable with accountability, and motivated by enterprise success rather than individual recognition.
Compensation & BenefitsSalary range: $150,000-$162,500, depending on qualifications. The source also identifies medical, dental, and vision coverage; pre-tax Flexible Spending Plans for medical, childcare, and commuter expenses; an Employee Stock Ownership Plan; and a 401(k).
