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Senior Technical Architect Position Open

JOB OPENING: SENIOR TECHNICAL ARCHITECT

3North is a 42-person multidisciplinary design practice with studios in Richmond, VA and San Francisco, CA. For 27 years, we have built a body of work spanning cultural institutions, hospitality, education, and luxury residential commissions that consistently earns recognition at the highest levels of the profession.  This includes AIA Virginia’s T. David Fitzgibbon Distinguished Firm Award, the Commonwealth’s foremost acknowledgment of sustained design excellence and professional contribution.

We bring architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture together under one roof, and we believe that integration among design disciplines is essential to meaningful work. We’re not a firm that talks about culture and design commitment as aspirational goals. They are simply how we work. If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to move, this is worth your attention.

We are seeking a Senior Technical Architect to join our studio and take an integral role in delivering some of our most complex and ambitious projects. This is not a document-production role — it is a position of craft and leadership. You will own the technical architecture of intricate building types, mentor project teams, and help elevate the standard of what our drawings communicate and achieve.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Lead technical detailing on complex project types across cultural, hospitality, and educational markets
  • Develop and champion construction documentation that reflects the ambition of the design
  • Engage actively with contractors and construction processes — from pre-construction coordination through site observation — ensuring that design intent is realized in the field
  • Collaborate closely with architects, interior designers, and landscape architects in an integrated studio environment
  • Mentor and elevate the technical abilities of project team members
  • Partner with project leadership to navigate building codes, consultant coordination, and constructability
  • Contribute to the firm’s evolving documentation standards, details library, and technical knowledge base

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture
  • 15+ years of experience in architectural practice with a demonstrated focus on technical excellence and design integration
  • Architectural licensure
  • Demonstrated mastery of complex detailing — including complex envelope assemblies, custom millwork, and high-performance building systems
  • Experience across one or more of our core market sectors: cultural, hospitality, or education
  • A track record of collaborative and productive engagement with contractors and construction teams — someone who earns trust in the field while holding the line on design intent.
  • A meticulous eye, a collaborative spirit, and the professional confidence to own your work
  • Proficiency in Revit, BIM 360, and Bluebeam Revu; working knowledge of SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and AutoCAD is a plus
  • MS Office proficiency assumed

WHY 3NORTH?
We know that highly capable and experienced architects are selective about where they invest their talents. Here is what 3North can offer with confidence:

  • A distinguished 27-year practice built on design excellence and sound business leadership — with the stability and financial health to attract ambitious projects and support the people who deliver them
  • An award-winning portfolio of published, recognized work built with intention across cultural, hospitality, and educational markets
  • Genuine multidisciplinary integration of architecture, interiors, and landscape under one roof, collaborating daily
  • A 42-person studio culture that values craft, conversation, and continuous growth — large enough to do consequential work, small enough that your contribution is visible and valued
  • Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and participation in the firm’s profit-sharing program
  • Long-term potential for ownership and meaningful participation in the future of the practice
  • A primarily in-person, studio-based environment in Richmond, VA, with flexibility for occasional remote work
  • A home base in Richmond — a city with a thriving arts and culinary scene, a walkable urban core, exceptional outdoor recreation, and a cost of living that lets you actually enjoy it

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter (we do read them), your resume, and a curated selection of relevant work as a single PDF (not to exceed 15MB) to [email protected].

Every submission is reviewed personally, and we respond to all qualified candidates. Please include “3North Senior Technical Architect” in the subject line.

3North is an equal opportunity employer.