Principal of Higher Education | Senior Design Architect

About TowerPinkster

TowerPinkster is an innovative architecture, engineering, and interior design firm rooted in the Midwest, with offices spanning Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. Since opening our doors in 1953 with just six people, we have grown to over 230 of the best employees in the region. We are a firm of architects, engineers, and designers committed to design integrity, quality, and environmental responsibility.

Our culture is defined by our people. We offer the freedom to explore new ideas, the tools to create innovative strategies, and the talent to inspire clients through interactive design. Our collaborative, client-centered approach ensures that the best ideas rise to the top. TowerPinkster has been recognized as a 2025 National 101 Best and Brightest Company to Work For and received the 2025 Best Firm Award from Zweig Group.

We strive to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture that empowers each person to be their genuine self. For more than 70 years, we have made significant contributions to our communities through a commitment to quality, sustainability, and equitable design.

About the Role

We are seeking a talented leader and senior designer (Architect, Interior Designer, Planner, or Landscape Architect) to drive the vision for business development, client relations, and design expertise within our Higher Education market sector. This role is designed for a strategic professional with drive and initiative who thrives in a collaborative environment.

In this position, you will split your time between business development activities and design responsibilities. You will identify and cultivate client and community contacts to ensure the firm's long-term success, while listening and collaborating with clients to develop planning, programming, and design concepts that bring creativity and innovation. You will also mentor younger designers, providing insights and guidance to the design team.

While your primary focus is Higher Education, you will contribute to our diverse practice across all five core market sectors. You may lead medium to large-scale projects (25,000 sf to 200,000+ sf), manage project teams, and handle complex design phases from programming through construction administration. This role requires a balance of strategic business growth and hands-on design leadership.

Our Culture & Benefits

TowerPinkster takes a holistic approach to ensure the wellbeing of our team members. We offer a robust compensation and benefits package designed to help you balance work and life goals. This includes industry-leading compensation with paid overtime, performance bonuses, and profit sharing, as well as a flexible work hours program providing six additional days off per year.

Our award-winning culture features a supportive work environment with many connection events, including fitness challenges, book clubs, and in-office massages. We provide a comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision, 401(k), life insurance, and disability), annual team training, and tuition reimbursement. We also offer firm-paid life and wellness coaching for individuals and families.

We highly encourage licensure, certification, and professional organization memberships, which are firm-paid. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to Apply

TowerPinkster is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants regardless of background. To learn more about our firm and culture, visit www.towerpinkster.com.