Civic Market Leader

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!

Role at a glance:

NBBJ is seeking a well-connected and entrepreneurial Civic Market Leader to drive the growth and impact of our Civic Practice, expanding our influence across the Pacific Northwest, California, and the broader West Coast region. This role can be based in our California studio, in our Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego offices.

This is a unique opportunity for a proven business development professional to leverage an extensive network of client and industry relationships to shape the future of civic architecture—delivering transformational design solutions for courthouses, city halls, administrative centers, legislative buildings, and border crossings/land ports of entry.

In this role, you will be responsible for building and strengthening client relationships, driving market growth, and identifying new opportunities, while also contributing to design and thought leadership. Collaborating with our Civic Practice Leadership teams, Marketing Department, and interdisciplinary teams, you will play a critical role in positioning NBBJ as a leader in civic architecture, sustainability, and design excellence.

This position requires a strategic and visionary leader who excels at developing and converting leads, navigating complexity, and inspiring teams to deliver exceptional projects that serve communities for generations to come.

In your new role you will:

Business Development & Market Strategy

• Lead the growth of NBBJ’s Civic Practice by identifying new business opportunities, strengthening client and contractor relationships while expanding our regional and national impact.
• Develop and execute market strategies to secure projects across the public sector, with a focus on courthouses (municipal, state, and federal), city halls, administrative centers, legislative buildings, and border crossings/land ports of entry.
• Partner with public agencies, government officials, and institutional clients to understand their evolving needs and align NBBJ’s expertise accordingly.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with contractors, consultants, and development partners to support successful project execution, particularly in alternative delivery models such as Design-Build (DB), Progressive Design-Build (PDB), and Public-Private Partnerships (P3).
• Lead the pursuit of high-profile civic projects—collaborating with marketing and design teams to craft compelling proposals, presentations, and interview strategies.
• Collaborate with firm-wide practice and marketing leaders, key design leaders, and design teams.
• Monitor industry trends, public funding opportunities, and policy shifts that impact civic architecture and urban planning.

Practice Growth & Thought Leadership

• Serve as a public-facing advocate for civic design, representing NBBJ at industry conferences, government forums, and leadership panels.
• Mentor and develop the next generation of civic design leaders, fostering a collaborative and inclusive team culture.
• Engage with regional, national, and international stakeholders to drive discussions on the future of civic infrastructure, urban governance, and security.
• Collaborate with firm leadership to advance NBBJ’s civic research initiatives, sustainability goals, and cross-disciplinary innovations.

Project & Design Leadership

• Provide visionary leadership for civic projects, ensuring they reflect democratic values, operational efficiency, sustainability, and forward-thinking urban design.
• Serve as a trusted client advisor, guiding decision-making on planning, funding strategies, and long-term facility needs.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop and execute design solutions that balance functionality, security, accessibility, and aesthetics.
• Advocate for design excellence, sustainability, and human-centered civic environments across all project phases—from conceptual development to construction.
• Actively contribute to NBBJ’s design culture, integrating best practices in resiliency, equity, and innovation into our civic portfolio.

What you will need to succeed:

• Be a recognized leader with 15+ years of experience in civic design and public-sector architecture, with a proven track record in courthouses, city halls, legislative buildings, public safety facilities, and/or border crossings.
• At least 8+ years of experience in business development with strong client relationships and experience securing major public-sector projects.
• A visionary thinker who understands the intersection of design, public policy, and urban planning.
• A trusted collaborator with strong relationships with contractors, developers, and industry partners to support successful project execution in the West Coast region and across the country.
• An engaging communicator with a passion for public speaking, community engagement, and advocacy for civic architecture.
• A collaborative team player who thrives in complex environments, balancing multiple stakeholders and priorities.
• Expertise in alternative project delivery models, including Design-Build (DB) and Progressive Design-Build (PDB); DBIA certification is preferred.
• Licensure or equivalent professional certification. 
• LEED AP certification is a plus or required within 18 months of hire.
• Regular travel required on an as-needed basis.  

The annual base pay range for this role is anticipated to be between $150,000 and $180,000. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their skills, qualifications and experience.

This role requires the individual to be based in the United States.

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.