Intermediate Architectural Designer

About the Role

NBBJ is an award-winning design firm recognized as a TIME100 Most Influential Company, a Fast Company Most Innovative Architecture Firm and a two-time 2025 AIA National Honor Award recipient. These recognitions reflect our purpose-driven approach that, fueled by ideas and a culture of collaboration, creates healthy buildings, strong communities and a resilient environment. That’s where you come in. With leading clients, diverse colleagues and offices in creative capitals around the globe, a career at NBBJ will inspire you to be extraordinary. You can learn more about our firm, see what it’s like to work here and explore recent projects and ideas at NBBJ.com. Join us to make an impact today!

The role at a glance:

NBBJ Columbus is seeking an Intermediate Architectural Designer to join our team. We are seeking an Architect, with experience with good conceptual, visual, and communication skills to work in a highly collaborative and design-oriented studio. At NBBJ, an Intermediate Architectural Designer is responsible for supporting design leadership on projects, contributing to setting design quality standards, fostering a collaborative design environment, and advancing the firm’s design reputation through active participation in project work, team mentorship, and client interactions.

In your new role, you will:

• Set Expectations: Define and exemplify quality standards through design reviews, mentoring, and open discussions.
• Inspire: Encourage radical thinking and creativity at all levels, leading the studio toward impactful design.
• Create: Provide hands-on design work for 1-2 projects, ranging in concept to construction, ensuring holistic design continuity.
• Review/Critique: Ensure design quality by reviewing projects and engaging teams in firm-wide peer reviews.
• Present/Communicate: Craft and present compelling design stories to clients and peers.
• Network Internally: Connect with design peers firm-wide, enhancing collaboration and design quality.
• Methodologies: Ensure projects utilize the latest design/visualization methods and technologies.
• Process: Champion proper process design and encourage designers to lead alongside PMs and PAs.
• Expertise: Apply sound design methods across practices, while developing expertise in a single typology.
• Integrated Design Delivery: Collaborate with multiple disciplines to ensure rigorous, integrated project delivery.

What you will need to succeed:

• 8+ years of experience
• Bachelor's Degree: B Arch or M Arch desired
• Architectural licensure a plus
• Experience with healthcare projects is desirable
• Deep understanding of high-performance building concepts, with LEED Accreditation or at-or-within 18 months of hire
• Demonstrated conceptual design and schematic design skills
• Strong verbal and graphic communication skills and ability to work with diverse teams of designers
• Proficiency in Revit with 3D modeling skills; Sketchup, and/or Rhino desired
• Working knowledge of Adobe Suite; Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
• Interest and experience in Grasshopper workflows are beneficial
• An interest in the use of AI to evolve our practice towards meaningful, original solutions.
• Capable of participating in multiple projects and managing deadlines
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative, open environment
• Willingness to travel, if the project requires

Why choose NBBJ?

We believe that all NBBJ employees should love their work. This means not only loving what you do but having pride in your workplace. We strive to be that irresistible place to work by enhancing your employee experience with customized programs and comprehensive benefits. In addition to 100% covered employee healthcare costs and 401k contributions, we offer unique professional development opportunities, volunteer opportunities and access to leading technology and resources to further help you love your work and advance your career.

• NBBJ has been named three times by Fast Company as one of the most innovative architecture firms.
• Founded in 1943, our first office opened over 75 years ago in Seattle, Washington. We now have over 10 office locations around the globe.
• We are a transdisciplinary, cross-practice focused firm with a deep portfolio of Civic & Cultural, Commercial, Corporate, Healthcare, Higher Education, Science and Technology, Sports, and Urban Environment projects. We also have several areas of service expertise including: Architecture, Environmental Graphic Design, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Workplace Consulting and more.
• In the past decade, NBBJ has received more than 300 awards from leading global, national and regional award programs across the business, real estate and design communities.
• We work with 5 of the top global high-tech companies, 14 of the U.S. News and World Report Top Hospitals, and 4 of the top 10 highest-ranked learning institutions.
• Our clients include institutional leaders such as Cambridge University, Google, Samsung, Cleveland Clinic, Tencent, and Stanford University.