Principal Architect & Market Lead – Education & Residential

At EXP, we’re driven to provide innovative solutions for the world’s built and natural environments. As a team of architects, engineers, designers, and planners, we create spaces that shape communities and inspire learning. Here, you join a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture within an employee-owned firm that values diversity, innovation, and lasting partnerships.

Are you ready to design your future?

Be our next Principal Architect & Market Lead – Education & Residential

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Your Work Environment at EXP

This leadership role is accountable for driving both strategic growth and design excellence within EXP’s educational architecture practice across South and Central Florida, with potential for expanding the practice into other geographic markets as success is demonstrated. The successful candidate will leverage current personal  expertise in K-12 and higher education programming and  design to build client partnerships, lead pursuits, and position EXP as a trusted partner for school districts and universities across the region.

You will serve as both a practice leader and business developer, responsible for winning work and expanding our presence in a competitive market where population growth, aging infrastructure, and educational innovation are fueling demand for new and modernized facilities.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in identifying opportunities, cultivating relationships with decision-makers, and delivering exceptional design solutions that reflect EXP’s mission of understanding, innovating, partnering, and delivering.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Growth & Market Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive three-year strategy to grow EXP’s educational architecture practice, focusing on both K-12 and higher education markets.
• Leverage relationships and market insights to position EXP for success in the region’s largest and most active education capital programs.
• Experience working on residential buildings, student housing, dormitories, and repair/rehabilitation projects to strengthen EXP’s multidisciplinary approach across education and housing portfolios.
• Identify, pursue, and capture new projects through deliberate, relationship-driven engagement with key education clients.
• Collaborate closely with Regional Marketing, Business Development, and Operations to align pursuits with EXP’s long-term growth strategy.

Key Target Clients

To maximize addressable opportunity, this role will focus on high-growth, high-investment education agencies that collectively represent the largest upcoming pipeline of school and campus projects in the region over the next five years. The successful candidate will be expected to proactively engage and expand existing or build new relationships with the following institutions to position EXP as a design leader for educational facilities, with a significant measurable market share in the space: 

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• School District of Palm Beach County
• Collier County Public Schools
• Pasco County Schools
• Monroe County School District
• Florida International University (FIU)
• University of Central Florida (UCF)
• Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
• University of Florida (UF)
• Florida College System (FCS)

Florida-based Public Housing Authorities, Affordable Housing Agencies, and University Housing Departments (student housing & residential life divisions) as secondary but strategically aligned targets for campus-adjacent and residential portfolio growth.

Client Engagement & Business Development

• Create, leverage, build and maintain long-term relationships with facilities directors, procurement officials, and executive leadership at target school districts and universities.
• Serve as the primary client manager for key accounts, leading strategic growth efforts in collaboration with EXP’s operations and marketing teams.
• Represent EXP at conferences, client meetings, and education-sector forums across Florida with active involvement and leadership positions to promote our thought leadership and design excellence to our peers.
• Develop capture plans and pursuit strategies tailored to each client’s capital priorities, aligning EXP’s services with their long-term facility goals.
• Leverage experience in residential buildings to identify cross‑sector opportunities supporting both academic and residential facility needs.
• Collaborate with proposal, engineering, and design teams to produce winning submissions that differentiate EXP through innovation and client value.

Operational & Project Leadership

• Oversee the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education projects, ensuring alignment with client objectives, schedule, and budget.
• Lead the planning, design, and rehabilitation of residential buildings, ensuring safety, durability, and long‑term asset performance.
• Serve as the Project Manager on Strategic project Pursuits as needed.
• Lead Project Work Plan (PWP) development for all education projects in the sector.
• Serve as the lead decision maker on Building and Energy Code related issues in our designs and in service to our clients.
• Partner with multidisciplinary divisions, including project controls and engineering, to deliver integrated solutions across EXP’s service lines.
• Mentor and develop junior architects and emerging leaders within the education practice.
• Establish design standards, QA/QC processes, and operational best practices that support excellence and consistency across projects.
• Establish building envelope, life‑safety, and rehabilitation standards specific to residential and housing facilities, aligning with best practices in campus living environments.

Market Intelligence & Innovation

• Identify and Stay ahead of emerging trends in educational facility design, including flexible learning environments, safety/security integration, sustainability, and hurricane resiliency.
• Anticipate changes in the make-up of design teams needed to successfully deliver to meet clients needs and work with sector management to identify, recruit, hire and retain the best talent to serve our Clients. 
• Contribute to EXP’s growth in industry profile through active engagement in thought leadership: speaking engagements, publications, and community partnerships.
• Evaluate alternative delivery strategies (Design-Build, CM-at-Risk, PPP) to position EXP for upcoming state and district procurements.
• Monitor evolving trends in university and K‑12 residential environments, including student housing affordability, micro‑dorm typologies, adaptive reuse, and modernization of aging residence halls.

What Your Experience Looks Like

• Florida Licensed Architect with 15 years of progressive experience in educational facility design (K-12 and/or higher education).
• Proven record of winning and delivering projects with Florida school districts and universities.
• Experience delivering residential, student housing, dormitory, and repair/rehabilitation projects for academic or multifamily clients.
• Established network and reputation within target agencies listed above.
• Strong understanding of Florida’s funding, capital planning, and procurement processes for education projects.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, develop capture strategies, and drive growth in a competitive AEC environment.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Willingness to travel throughout Florida to meet clients and pursue opportunities, wind and deliver work for EXP.

Desired Attributes

• Entrepreneurial and self-motivated with the ability to operate independently and build a practice from the ground up.
• Relationship-driven leader who thrives on collaboration and client success.
• Strategic thinker who can balance business growth with design excellence.
• Passionate about creating learning environments that positively impact students, educators, and communities.

Performance Metrics

• Demonstrated revenue and portfolio growth for the educational practice year-over-year 
• Establishment of a robust opportunity pipeline ($30M) within 12 months across target agencies.
• Demonstrated expansion into student housing and residential rehabilitation markets, generating measurable growth in campus housing design work.
•  Securing multiple new design contracts in K-12 or higher education markets within 12 months, achieving $5 Million in booked fees.
• Formation of a dedicated design team as the practice scales.

The salary range for this role is $140,000 to $190,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate's skill set, experience, certifications, and geographic location. Compensation may vary by location due to differences in the cost of labor.

In addition to competitive pay, we offer a comprehensive benefits package for all full-time employees, including health insurance, vacation time, and 401(k) retirement benefits.

Salary : $140,000 - $190,000