Director of Specifications

We are seeking a Director of Specifications for the firm who will be responsible for managing, coordinating and supervising a North American team of specification writers and coordinators as well as spending time as a specifications writer on projects. This is a key and critical leadership role in our firm and the individual can be located in any location where we have an office across the US.

Director responsibilities include:

• Managing, coordinating and supervising a North American team of specification writers and coordinators.
• Collaborating with the Chief Practice Officer and Firmwide Director of Technical Design to establish Specification Team goals and strategy.
• Coordinating the assignment of specification production for all projects delivered by North American Studios.
• Providing Quality Assurance/Quality Control oversight for specifications on projects delivered by North American Studios.
• Leading and overseeing selection and development of Firmwide master specification sections.
• Leading regularly scheduled Specifications Team meetings to monitor team member workload and deadlines, discuss and advance technical topics and communicate and set Specification Team goals and strategies.
• Authoring technical articles for publication in architectural or construction industry and conducts technical seminars and workshops.
• Assisting in developing specifications-related training materials for Firmwide delivery (Perkins&Will University/Core eXchange.)
• Acting as the primary source for monitoring North American specifications staff performance and takes the appropriate actions to report both positive and negative outcomes.
• Serving as the primary supervisor for specifications staff and primary reviewer for annual evaluations, in consultation and coordination with each staff member’s local Studio leadership.

Specification Writer responsibilities include:

• Developing appropriate technical specifications (Project Summaries, Outline Specifications, and 3-Part CSI Specifications) to meet project needs at all phases.
• Establishing and maintaining project specification budgets, staffing and schedules.
• Monitoring adherence of terms of the design contract relative to specifications, and reviews contracts for construction.
• Ensuring that clients’ standards are followed.
• Collaborating with other members of the Project Team to meet goals and project objectives.
• Participating in project marketing, proposals and interviews when requested.
• Coordinating with consultants to resolve issues related to consultants' specifications.
• Meeting with and assisting the leaders of Project Teams in resolving specifications-related technical issues.
• Developing new technical specification sections addressing new products or new methods of construction as appropriate to the project needs.
• Assisting the Project Team leaders in developing fees to prepare RFP's, as they relate to developing the specifications.
• Assisting Project Team leaders in setting budgets, goals and work plans as they relate to specifications.
• Collaborating with design and production staff, construction administrator, and consultants.
• Receiving, reviewing and compiling technical specifications prepared by consultants for deliverable issuances.
• Pursuing involvement in external technical associations.
• Promoting design, technical and financial excellence.
• Professional and respectful communication, verbally and in writing, with the project team, support staff, consultants and vendors in a clear, concise manner.
• Diligently pursues solutions with Project Teams when project issues arise.
• Possesses the ability to supervise multiple specification writers and coordinators and to delegate and monitor progress on assignments.
• Demonstrates motivation in seeking new responsibilities and challenges.
• Demonstrates superior accuracy and thoroughness of performed work.
• Able to collaborate with Project Teams throughout the life cycle of the Project.
• Exhibits drive, positive attitude and enthusiasm.
• Has a comprehensive understanding of the most current CSI Master Format method of Specification Writing and organization.
• Has extensive knowledge of construction materials and methods, as well as detailed knowledge and understanding of the practice of Architecture, building codes and industry national standards.
• Understands and coordinates technical terminology between drawings and specifications.

Software:

• R IB SpecLink
• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, OneNote, Teams, Outlook)
• Adobe Acrobat

Licensure/Certifications/Education:

• Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Architecture or Engineering Degree
• Professional Accreditation, within 6 months of hire, in one area of Living Design that interests you: LEED AP with Specialty, BREEAM AP, WELL AP, SITES AP, Passive House Institute Certified Passive House Consultant/Designer CPHC/CPHD, or ILFI Living Future Accreditation
• Construction Documents Technology (CDT) Certification

We foster a culture that is diverse and inclusive and strive for pay practices that are fair, competitive and reflect our commitment to pay equity. Our compensation decisions include but are not limited to a candidate’s qualifications including skill sets, education, experience and training, licensure and certifications credentials if applicable, and business-related factors. This practice extends to all employees, including performance considerations for merit increases, job promotions, and transfer opportunities. We additionally review our pay practices, conduct pay equity audits, and ensure our managers are trained in our pay practices on an annual basis. At the time of posting this job advertisement, the annual pay salary range for this position, is dependent upon office location but between $110,000-$160,000k, commensurate with qualifications.

Qualified and interested candidates should submit a resume and work samples. Include your resume and a compact, representative sample of your work (no larger than 6MB).