Senior Design Manager/Architect

STV is currently looking for a Senior Design Manager to join our Buildings team in our Los Angeles, CA location.

About STV

STV is a nationally recognized leader in architecture, engineering, planning, and program management services. For more than 100 years, we’ve delivered innovative solutions that shape communities and improve the quality of life. Our reputation is built on technical excellence, integrity, and a commitment to client success. STV’s Buildings group partners with major national, regional and local clients to design and deliver impactful, sustainable, and resilient buildings and places across the nation. From complex transit projects to community-focused buildings that help our cities run, we combine cutting-edge technology with deep local expertise to meet the region’s most critical infrastructure needs. Our team thrives on collaboration, innovation, and delivering projects that make a lasting impact.

Your new role:

As a Senior Design Manager, you will work with autonomy and agency in leading the execution of a variety of project types and sizes. This role works in close partnership with our clients, our Commercial Manager and multidisciplinary team to ensure successful project delivery aligned with STV’s established quality, schedule, and budget expectations.

You will provide leadership and oversight throughout all phases of design, ensuring that deliverables are coordinated, constructible, and compliant with applicable codes and client requirements. This role serves as a key point of contact for both internal teams and clients, maintaining alignment, managing risk, and driving high-quality outcomes consistent with STV’s QA/QC framework and project delivery standards.

What You’ll do:

• Project focused

  • Lead coordination and communication with clients, agency stakeholders, contractors, and external consultants, supporting strong and collaborative working relationships.

  • Direct design planning and interdisciplinary coordination from project initiation through completion, ensuring alignment with scope, schedule, and delivery approach.

  • Partner with the Commercial Manager to monitor project financial performance, proactively identifying risks and implementing mitigation strategies.

  • Support development and maintenance of project schedules, budgets, and staffing plans, ensuring design execution aligns with contract requirements and STV internal QA/QC processes.

  • Ensure compliance with applicable building codes, accessibility requirements, sustainability goals, and client standards.

  • Coordinate across multidisciplinary teams and client stakeholders to manage expectations, facilitate timely decisions, and secure required approvals.

  • Review project financial information and support Commercial Manager in maintaining alignment between design execution and budget expectations.

  • Oversee preparation, coordination, and review of design documentation, including drawings, specifications, and reports, ensuring consistency and quality.

  • Serve as a liaison with agencies having jurisdiction and support public outreach and stakeholder engagement efforts, as required

  • Lead and manage design teams by assigning tasks, monitoring progress, and ensuring accountability for deliverables.

  • Prepare and review proposals, contracts, and consultant agreements. 

• Business Development related:

  • Support proposals, including development of project approaches, staffing strategies, and delivery methodologies in coordination with pursuit teams.

  • Participate in firm marketing, proposal writing, project interviews and cultivate long term client relationships

  • Represent STV at external organizations and events to strengthen local market presence.

• Team and Studio leadership

  • Mentor junior staff and contribute to the development of technical capabilities and overall team performance.

What You Bring:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Architecture or higher

• Licensure: Active California-licensed Registered Architect.

• Experience: 15+ years in design, including project and design management responsibilities within the past 7 years.

• Technical proficiency: Working knowledge of industry standard digital delivery tools like BIM, CAD, Bluebeam etc.

• Leadership skills: Proven track record in budget/schedule control, technical coordination, communication, negotiation, and project oversight.

• Experience within transportation, civic or public sector projects required.

Apply today and help define what’s next for STV!

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Compensation Range:

STV offers the following benefits • Health insurance, including an option with a Health Savings Account • Dental insurance • Vision insurance • Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care and Transit and Parking where applicable) • Disability insurance • Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment • 401(k) Plan • Retirement Counseling • Employee Assistance Program • Paid Time Off (starting at 16 days) • Paid Holidays (9 days) • Back-Up Dependent Care (up to 10 days per year) • Parental Leave (up to 80 hours) • Continuing Education Program • Professional Licensure and Society Memberships

STV is committed to paying all of its employees in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner. The listed pay range is STV’s good-faith salary estimate for this position. Please note that the final salary offered for this position may be outside of this published range based on many factors, including but not limited to geography, education, experience, and/or certifications.

Not sure this role is the perfect match? We encourage you to apply if STV’s work and values resonate with you. We know great candidates don’t always meet every qualification, and research shows women and people of color are less likely to apply unless they do. At STV, we believe strong talent comes from a wide range of backgrounds, and your skills and experience may align with this or another opportunity as we continue to grow.