About this role
Stantec’s Buildings team is on a mission to become the world’s leading integrated design practice. Our architects, engineers, interior designers, consultants, sustainability specialists, and technologists are passionate about the power of design. Our collaborative culture and our innovative, sustainable approach to projects help us create buildings that matter to our world.
Together, we are enhancing the quality of life globally through design.
Join us and design your place with Stantec.
Your Opportunity
You will join a dynamic and growing K12 and Higher Education practice based in Houston, Texas, serving as a key design and thought leader for education work across the state. You will collaborate with a strong group of education-focused principals and project leaders who maintain deep relationships with Texas school districts, universities, and community stakeholders, while also advancing strategic growth throughout the region.
Through a combination of internal leadership development and targeted external growth, the Texas education practice is expanding its reach and influence—positioning itself as a trusted design partner for institutions navigating enrollment growth, evolving pedagogy, resilience, and community-centered design.
As a Principal Design Lead, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the vision, design quality, and growth of our K12 and higher education work across Texas. You will lead client relationships, guide major pursuits, and oversee complex educational projects, working collaboratively—or independently when needed—to deliver design excellence rooted in pedagogy, campus culture, climate responsiveness, and fiscal stewardship.
Your experience enables you to lead design projects from early visioning and educational programming through construction. You bring deep familiarity with educational planning, stakeholder engagement, Texas-specific codes and regulatory environments, contract documentation, and project delivery. You will lead diverse, integrated teams while balancing design leadership, technical rigor, and strong project management.
As a member of the Houston and Texas leadership teams, you will help cultivate a collaborative, and high-performing studio culture—one that values mentorship, innovation, and continuous learning. You bring a growth mindset, approach challenges as opportunities, and lead with integrity and accountability.
Key Responsibilities
Design Leadership & Vision
- Champion design excellence, creativity, and critical thought across K12 and higher education projects in Houston and potentially throughout Texas.
- Establish and communicate a compelling design vision for learning environments that support pedagogy, student well-being, equity, and aligned with the client vision.
- Serve as a visible design leader internally and externally, representing the firm’s values around quality, sustainability, resilience, community impact, inclusion, and innovation.
Client Development & Texas Market Leadership
- Develop, manage, and grow key client accounts and strategic projects across Texas, with responsibility for design quality, and technical excellence.
- Partner with Business Center and Education Sector leadership to shape and execute the Texas education business strategy and growth plan.
- Cultivate long-term relationships with Texas school districts, higher education systems, boards, and community partners.
- Support business development efforts including proposals, interviews, conferences, and statewide thought leadership initiatives.
Projects & Pursuits
- Lead and oversee major K12 and higher education projects, ensuring excellence in design, technical execution, and delivery.
- Guide interdisciplinary teams through all phases of design, managing workflow, resources, and schedules.
- Evaluate and uphold high standards of design and technical quality across all educational work.
- Support the firm’s brand and education portfolio through award submissions, publications, presentations, and speaking engagements.
- Direct project photography, narratives, and media to strengthen the firm’s Texas education portfolio.
People, Culture & Mentorship
- Mentor, coach, and inspire designers at all levels, supporting career growth and leadership development.
- Assist with recruitment, interviewing, and development of education-focused design talent in Texas.
- Participate in performance reviews, goal setting, and talent development initiatives.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable culture across disciplines, offices, and Texas markets.
Other facts
About Stantec
Stantec provides professional design and consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, and project management. At Stantec, we offer integrated service delivery. We are one of the few industry leaders that can offer professional services throughout the entire infrastructure and facility life cycle: plan, design, build, monitor, assess, restore, and decommission. Continually striving to balance economic, environmental, and social responsibilities, we are recognized as a world-class leader and innovator in the delivery of sustainable solutions. Stantec supports the delivery of a continuous learning program focused on the principles of sustainable design, for the benefit of personnel, clients, and our community, following through on our goal to make our world a better place. A commitment to continuous learning and the understanding of sustainable design practices is key to Stantec's promise of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Stantec is registered with, and carries out projects funded by all the major International Funding Institutions. Projects are also carried out for private sector clients including utility and large multi-national companies. In 1954, Dr. Don Stanley, an environmental engineer, founded Stanley Associates Engineering Ltd. in Western Canada. Sixty years later, Stantec Consulting Ltd. has grown to encompass over 200 offices in North America and worldwide. The Stantec team of over 15,000 employees has completed more than 60,000 projects for over 6,000 clients in over 100 countries around the world. Our staff have successfully completed projects on six continents from Australia to Zambia for public and private sector clients. Stantec began working internationally in 1967 on a sewerage system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and has continued to do so for last 45 years. Stantec Consulting International Ltd. (SCIL) provides the specialized professional consulting services of Stantec to international funding agencies and clients in the government, institutional, industrial and commercial sectors. Corporate headquarters are located in the Stantec Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Additional international offices are located in Barbados; Puerto Rico; Qatar; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates; the United Kingdom; and India. Project offices are located around the world specific to on-going projects.
What you'll do
- The Principal Design Lead will champion design excellence and oversee major K12 and higher education projects, ensuring high standards of design and technical quality. They will also develop client relationships and guide interdisciplinary teams through all phases of design.
Ready to join Stantec?
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