Commercial development lead architect job description
A commercial development lead architect shapes the buildings a builder-developer plans to own, lease or sell. They design or direct the design of each office, retail or light industrial project, coordinate the engineers, carry it through zoning and permits, and answer the field's design questions until the doors open.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $74,350, middle half $81,450 to $129,560, 90th percentile $157,080. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Operating Officer
Department
Engineering
Schedule
Office weekdays, plus site visits · Office hours most days, with site walks, city meetings and an evening hearing now and then when a project needs approval
Also called
Director of design · Design manager · In-house architect · Lead project architect
Commercial development lead architect job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
Builders / Developers - Commercial - Lead Engineer / Architect
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Engineering
Reports to:
[Chief Operating Officer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Serve as the technical lead and architect for commercial building and development projects, providing innovative design solutions and strategic technical direction to ensure project success. Mentor and guide junior team members to elevate their skills and enhance overall department performance. Collaborate closely with commercial builders, developers, and stakeholders to translate complex requirements into practical, scalable designs.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Provide technical direction to project teams, ensuring alignment with business goals and industry standards.
Design and develop innovative architectural solutions tailored for commercial building projects.
Mentor junior engineers and architects to foster skill development and continuous improvement.
Oversee project lifecycle from conceptual design through implementation, ensuring quality and compliance.
Collaborate with stakeholders and external partners to gather requirements and provide expert recommendations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily design reviews and technical meetings to align project objectives and progress.
Provide hands-on guidance and troubleshooting for challenging design and engineering issues.
Foster client relationships by attending project briefings, providing updates, and addressing concerns.
Monitor project schedules and resource allocation to optimize productivity and efficiency.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project completion rate on schedule: target 95%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: target >4.8 stars on project feedback.
Cost efficiency improvement: target 5% reduction in design-related expenses per project.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, or a related field.
Minimum of 8 years of experience in design, project management, and technical leadership.
Strong proficiency in design software, building codes, and industry best practices.
Excellent communication, mentoring, and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in commercial building and development projects within the home services industry.
Prior roles in technical leadership, design review, and cross-functional team collaboration.
Familiarity with sustainable design practices and modern construction techniques.
Proven track record of successfully leading technical projects and mentoring staff.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to conduct periodic site visits with moderate walking and standing.
Occasional lifting of design materials and technical equipment up to 20 lbs.
Capability to work in varied environmental conditions including outdoor site assessments.
Visual and dexterity requirements sufficient to review detailed architectural plans.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional travel to job sites and commercial development locations.
On-call responsibilities may apply during critical project phases.
Collaborative office setting with potential for flexible work arrangements.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $100,000 - $140,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan and other fringe benefits such as paid time off and professional development support.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we cultivate a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Our team is dedicated to excellence in the home services and commercial development industry, offering opportunities for professional growth and impactful contributions.
We value forward-thinking individuals who are passionate about building sustainable and high-quality living spaces, and we strive to support our employees' aspirations every step of the way.
Join us in our mission to lead the industry by example and make a lasting impact on the communities we serve.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What changes when the architect works for the developer
At an architecture firm, the architect serves many clients. Here the architect sits on the owner's side of the table, so each design choice also has to work against rent, construction cost and the schedule.
Architect or engineer: pick by the duties
The blueprint's duties are mostly architectural design, so this page treats the job as an architect's. Engineering still needs its own license. NCEES says only a licensed engineer can prepare, sign, seal and submit engineering drawings. At a developer this size, plan on hiring structural, civil and building systems engineers as consultants. The lead architect pulls their work into one set of drawings. Source: NCEES: Licensure.
Sealing the permit set takes a state license
Each state licenses its own architects. In Washington, for example, only a person licensed there may practice architecture or prepare and seal documents. An architect may seal only drawings they or their own staff prepared, or that came from firms working under contract with them. So if your lead isn't licensed where you build, the outside architect of record has to do or direct real design work, not just stamp your set. Settle that before the first project. Source: Washington State Department of Licensing: Architect seal.
The code depends on where you build
The International Building Code only applies where a state or city adopts it. Some states adopt it for the whole state. In others, each city or county decides. How many codes a state takes on, and how it enacts them, differs widely. Before design starts on a new site, the lead architect confirms the code edition and local amendments in force there. Source: American Wood Council: Building code adoption map.
Accessibility rules sit on top of the code
Under the ADA, new and altered stores, offices and other commercial buildings must follow the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. These are Department of Justice rules that apply alongside the building code your city adopts. The lead architect checks the design against both, from parking and entrances to restrooms and tenant spaces. Source: ADA.gov: 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
Design starts before the land is bought
On a site the company is thinking of buying, the lead architect tests how much building the zoning allows, where parking and truck access fit, and what the city may ask for in its site plan review. Those quick studies feed the go or no-go decision on the land, so speed and a sense of cost matter as much as polish.
How much commercial development lead architects make
Architects who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $48.94 an hour ($101,790 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $99,280 median for architects in all industries. About 1,580 of the 106,770 architects in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
Salary plus bonus, per the template. A license changes what the person can sign, so decide whether the role needs one before you set the range.
Commercial building contractors
$101,790$101,790 median Middle half $81,450–$129,560 10th–90th $74,350–$157,080
All industries
$99,280$99,280 median Middle half $77,960–$126,550 10th–90th $62,300–$161,420
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial building contractors
$74,350
$81,450
$101,790
$129,560
$157,080
All industries
$62,300
$77,960
$99,280
$126,550
$161,420
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial developers on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has led commercial projects from early design through construction
Designs to the building code and accessibility rules from the start, not as a fix at plan review
Can sketch and rough-price site options fast enough to inform a land decision
Coordinates structural, civil and building systems engineers into one set of drawings
Answers field questions and RFIs quickly and clearly
Has reviewed and taught the work of junior designers
Teach these on the job
Your building types, standard details and finish levels
Your pro forma, and how design choices move rent and cost
Your contacts and history with local planning staff
Your document control and RFI process
The tenant improvement standards written into your leases
Expect Revit or AutoCAD for drawings, Navisworks or a similar tool for clash checks, Bluebeam for markups, and SketchUp or another quick tool for early massing studies. Name the tools your team and consultants already share, since a switch costs months.
Commercial development lead architect interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Value engineering
The construction estimate is well over budget, and the developer wants value engineering ideas within a week. Walk me through your approach.
A strong answer: Finds the biggest cost drivers, develops options that keep function and tenant needs (structure, envelope, MEP), prices them with the contractor, explains tradeoffs like operating cost and leasing appeal, and recommends.
Behavioral · Mentoring designers
Tell me about a junior engineer or architect you developed. What did you do?
A strong answer: Gave real responsibility, reviewed work with explanation, took them to sites, and can name what they now do well.
Read the template's numbers as a sketch. Your own goals should come from projects your design team has already delivered.
Project completion rate on schedule
Design milestones and permit submittals met on the dates in each project schedule. Separate the delays the design team caused from the time spent waiting on city review.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
For a developer the customers are tenants, buyers and your own project team. Survey them at turnover and again after a year, and read what they say about layouts, finishes and response times.
Design solution approval rate
Designs accepted on first review by your executives, lenders, tenants and the city's plan reviewers. Log each rejection with its reason so patterns show up.
Cost efficiency improvement
Design fees, consultant costs and redesign hours per project, compared with past projects of a similar size. Count change orders caused by drawing errors as design cost too.
Career path
Architectural designerDraws plans and details while earning experience toward a license.
Project architectRuns one building's drawings and the consultants who feed them.
Lead architectSets the design direction for every project and coaches the design team.
Does a lead architect at a developer need a license?
Usually, if they design. State law defines practicing architecture as more than sealing. In Washington it covers predesign and schematic design through construction documents, and using the title "architect" without a Washington license is unlawful. NCARB says every U.S. licensing board requires passing all six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination, and each state adds its own rules and exemptions. If you hire someone unlicensed, ask your state board before the ad goes up with "architect" in the title.
How much does a commercial development lead architect make?
Architects who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $48.94 an hour ($101,790 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $81,450 and $129,560 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should we hire an architect or an engineer for this job?
Hire for where your risk sits. If the job is mostly plans, elevations and tenant layouts, an architect fits. If most of your trouble comes from grading, utilities and structure on hard sites, a civil or structural engineer may lead better, with an outside architect. Either way, plan on a professional licensed in each discipline sealing that part of the permit set, as your state requires.
What contract do developers use with outside architects?
A common choice is AIA Document B101, AIA's standard form of agreement between owner and architect. It splits basic services into five phases: schematic design, design development, construction documents, procurement and construction. AIA suggests considering B103 instead when a third party will do cost estimates or the job is fast-tracked. Your lead architect should know these forms well enough to scope and police them.
What should a lead architect show in an interview?
Built commercial work, not only renderings. Ask for a permit set they led, a sheet they marked up during construction, and a story about a design change that saved money or weeks. For a developer, ask which of their buildings leased well and why, and what they would change about the ones that didn't.
Can one lead architect handle all of our projects?
At this size, usually yes, if outside firms produce most of the drawings. The lead sets standards, reviews each set, and runs approvals, while consultants do the drafting. If the plan is to draw everything in-house, budget for project architects under the lead, or projects will queue behind one person's desk.
