Project Director

Job Description:

CannonDesign has an exciting opportunity for a Project Director based in our Arlington, VA office. Look at the description below. If you think your skills and experience make you a good match for this position, we’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for creative, curious, empathetic people to join our Living-Centered Design movement.

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ABOUT OUR FIRM

CannonDesign is an integrated design solutions firm focused on helping people continuously flourish. Whether designing for innovations in health, new scientific discoveries, equity in education, or the next big idea in business, we use our Living-Centered Design approach to help organizations realize widespread change. Our ability to design transformational places, plans, and strategies is why Fast Company named us a World Changing Company and one of the most innovative design firms in the world.

ABOUT THE ROLE

You will be responsible for creating the strategy for the project delivery and leading the project management on very large, complex design projects. This includes leading clients and teams, mentoring our people, advancing the quality of our work, integrating our range of design services, managing our processes, and delivering solid financial performance.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

As a Project Director, you will:

- Develop and lead the overall strategy for project delivery on large, complex design projects.
- Lead large project teams, in conjunction with the client and other project and firm leadership, to develop project goals and work plans, to achieve design excellence, quality, budget, schedule, innovation, and profitability objectives.
- In conjunction with the client and other project and firm leadership, lead the development of project goals and work plans, to achieve design excellence, quality, budget, schedule, innovation, and profitability objectives.
- Responsible for the day-to-day leadership, management, and overall delivery success of large-scale, multi-year projects – including defining project controls, managing project scope, schedule, and budget, managing risks.
- Develop a partnering relationship with the client early in an engagement to establish shared expectations and provide clarity on how we will work together, the involvement of key stakeholders, identify decision-making authority, and the timing of key decisions.
- Participate in negotiating the contract with other project leadership, the Business Practice Leader, Legal Team, and firm leadership.
- Facilitate the development, evolution, and management of the work plan, budget, and schedule.
- Understand contractual obligations to the client to ensure that the team delivers on expectations for approved scope of work and required services.
- Work proactively with the client to identify and obtain approvals for additions to scope of work or services prior to undertaking the work.
- Proactively communicate with and influence clients to approve and process payables for our services.
- Accountable for developing a risk management plan, risk mitigation, and compliance plan.
- Coordinate work effort and resources across multiple teams, workstreams, and interdependencies to meet milestones and ensure successful project delivery.
- Implement CannonDesign process expectations, best practices, reference standards, tools, templates, and technology to achieve competitive advantage, quality service delivery, enhanced team productivity, and profitability.
- Responsible for ensuring that the team meets statutory requirements for the project.
- Leverage experience and judgment to anticipate potential issues and ensure appropriate client and internal communication, including written project documentation regarding design, construction, and other issues to clients in a clear and compelling way.
- Accountable for maintaining the project record, including but not limited to capturing and documenting key decisions and records within the CannonDesign standard file structure