CEO/COO - Architecture

CEO/COO - Architecture

Remote, Nationwide

Our client is building a growth-oriented architecture organization designed to bring established firms together while preserving the expertise, client relationships, and culture that made them successful. This is a rare opportunity for an accomplished architecture executive to help shape that vision from the ground up. The CEO/COO - Architecture will establish the operating foundation for a growing enterprise, strengthen performance across affiliated practices, and serve as a trusted industry leader as the organization expands. The role offers direct influence on strategy, operations, integration, and long-term growth, along with meaningful visibility to the organization's ownership group.

This Role Offers:

• Competitive base salary, plus bonus and equity participation.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Remote, nationwide leadership opportunity with regular travel.
• Direct involvement in strategic planning, business performance, organizational expansion, and executive decision-making.
• Opportunity to build scalable infrastructure while protecting the identity, culture, and client relationships of established architecture practices.

Focus:

• Set the operating agenda for a growing architecture enterprise, connecting project execution, talent deployment, client service, technology, and financial results.
• Create practical operating frameworks that improve consistency across affiliated practices while preserving the relationships, culture, and market strengths that make each firm successful.
• Guide the transition of newly added architecture businesses, coordinating leadership, employees, clients, processes, and systems through integration.
• Develop shared capabilities across functions such as finance, people operations, technology, purchasing, and business development when centralization improves performance.
• Build an executive performance rhythm around measures such as utilization, project economics, backlog, retention, delivery quality, and client health.
• Partner with practice leaders to identify performance gaps early, resolve operating constraints, and strengthen accountability across the organization.
• Use a broad architecture network to develop relationships with firm owners and help assess potential growth opportunities, including operational strength and organizational fit.
• Serve as a senior industry ambassador and strategic partner to ownership, contributing to budgeting, long-range planning, growth initiatives, and major operating decisions.

Skill Set:

• Bring 15 or more years in the architecture sector, including substantial senior operating leadership within an architecture practice as a COO, principal, managing partner, or comparable executive.
• Show measurable success improving the business side of architectural practice, including delivery discipline, profitability, workforce planning, and operating systems.
• Maintain trusted relationships across the architecture community that extend beyond a single firm, geography, or design specialty.
• Bring executive accountability for business results, including P&L ownership and clear communication with a board, investment partner, or comparable ownership group.
• Communicate with credibility and sound judgment, earning the confidence of owners and senior leaders while guiding change through influence rather than hierarchy alone.
• Offer experience integrating acquired organizations or scaling a multi-office or multi-business environment, with shared-services development viewed as especially valuable.
• Understand the architecture profession's leadership ecosystem, ideally through relationships with owners considering succession, professional associations, or industry leadership networks.
• Travel regularly across the United States for practice visits, leadership meetings, industry gatherings, and enterprise-wide initiatives.

About Blue Signal:

Blue Signal is an award-winning, executive search firm specializing in various specialties. Our recruiters have a proven track record of placing top-tier talent across industry verticals, with deep expertise in numerous professional services. Learn more at bit.ly/46Gs4yS