EXP · 1 day ago
Principal Architect & Market Lead – Education & Residential
Fort Myers, FL
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$140K/yr - $190K/yr
15+ years expEXP is a company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the built and natural environments. They are seeking a Principal Architect & Market Lead for their educational architecture practice to drive strategic growth and design excellence, focusing on K-12 and higher education projects across South and Central Florida.
ConsultingInternet
Responsibilities
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
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
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
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
Qualification
Required
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
Preferred
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
Benefits
Health insurance
Vacation time
401(k) retirement benefits
Company
EXP
With a mission to understand, innovate, partner and deliver, EXP provides engineering, architecture, design and consulting services to the world’s built and natural environments.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
EXP has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (19)
2024 (14)
2023 (11)
2022 (14)
2021 (14)
2020 (11)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$33M2008-06-16Private Equity
2000-06-26Series Unknown· $33M
Leadership Team
Deborah W.
Executive Vice President and CFO
Mark Dvorak
President and Chief Operations Officer
Recent News
GlobeNewswire News Room
2025-03-14
2025-01-29
2024-04-06
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