K-12 Education Design Leader

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients, our communities, and our planet. If this sparks your interest, you’re in the right place.

We have an opening for a Senior Project Designer within our K-12 Education practice in our Orlando studio . We operate within a hybrid work model, supporting flexibility between office time and work from home.

About K-12 Education at DLR Group:

DLR Group is helping shape the future of education through design. Recognized as the No. 1 education architecture firm in Building Design’s 2026 World Architecture 100 report, our firm brings 60 years of experience in educational design to creating places that empower students, support educators, and strengthen communities.

Our K-12 Education practice brings together educators, researchers, planners, architects, engineers, and interior designers to reimagine how learning happens. Through BOLD, our education change management service, we help school districts connect their educational vision with teaching practices and learning environments. This collaboration brings research and firsthand educational experience directly into the design process.

As a leader in our Orlando studio, you will bring this expertise to local school communities while helping shape the growth of our practice across Florida. This is an opportunity to build lasting client relationships, champion design excellence, and help create learning environments that will serve generations of students.

Position Summary

As a Senior Project Designer, you will lead the design vision for K-12 Education projects, translating educational goals into inspiring, functional learning environments. You will guide design from early concepts through project completion, collaborating with clients and integrated design teams to deliver thoughtful solutions that reflect each school community’s needs.

Working closely with Project Managers and project teams, you will balance design excellence with project scope, schedules, and budgets. You will lead design conversations, communicate ideas through compelling presentations, and mentor emerging designers while ensuring design intent is maintained throughout every phase.

If you are a collaborative design leader with a strategic mindset and a passion for shaping the future of learning, this might be the position for you. DLR Group is 100% employee owned, offering you the opportunity to have ownership in the firm. We rely on all our employee-owners to apply their financial acumen to grow the firm profitably.

What You Will Do:

Lead the design vision and development of K-12 Education projects, from initial concepts through project completion.

Partner with school district leaders, educators, and stakeholders to translate educational priorities into meaningful design solutions.

Collaborate with Project Managers and integrated design teams to align design goals with project scope, schedules, and budgets.

Develop and present compelling design concepts that communicate the project vision and build client consensus.

Guide the integration of architecture, interiors, engineering, and sustainable design strategies into cohesive learning environments.

Ensure design intent is maintained through documentation and construction in coordination with project teams.

Lead design reviews and support quality assurance processes consistent with firm standards.

Mentor designers and foster a collaborative studio culture centered on creativity, continuous learning, and design excellence.

Support marketing, project pursuits, and business development through design storytelling, interviews, and client engagement.

Required Qualifications:

Undergraduate degree in Architecture; a graduate degree is not required unless mandated for licensure.

Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in architecture, including experience designing K-12 educational environments.

Strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual design ability, design development, and the successful translation of design ideas into built work.

Ability to lead design efforts and collaborate effectively with clients, stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams.

Strong visual, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to present design ideas to diverse audiences.

Proficiency in Revit, Bluebeam, and architectural design, visualization, and presentation software.

Ability to integrate sustainable design principles and technical requirements into thoughtful architectural solutions.

Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with attention to detail and design quality.

Ability to manage multiple design priorities while meeting project commitments.

Experience mentoring team members and supporting marketing and business development efforts.

*TO BE CONSIDERED, PLEASE SUBMIT A CURRENT PORTFOLIO/WORK SAMPLES IN PDF FORMAT.*

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new builds, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects.

We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients’ success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the ME2040, and the SE2050, and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Through our values – commitment, creativity, environmental stewardship, fun, integrity, ownership, sharing, teamwork – we elevate the human experience through design, together.

DLR Group follows a four-day in-office work model, with employees having the flexibility to work somewhere other than the office on Fridays.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.