Associate Director / Director (Architecture)

Key responsibilities
Practice and design leadership
•      Set direction. Translate the firm’s architectural vision into clear design standards, priorities, project governance, and team objectives.

•      Protect quality. Lead stage-gate reviews and quality assurance from concept through detailed design, documentation, and construction support.

•      Make design buildable. Balance creativity with code compliance, constructability, program, budget, client requirements, and approved design intent.

Portfolio and project delivery
•      Oversee performance. Direct multiple projects to meet agreed scope, fee, schedule, resource, documentation, and quality targets; intervene early when delivery is at risk.

•      Plan resources. Allocate project leadership and team capacity, manage workforce priorities, and improve workflow efficiency across the department.

•      Resolve complexity. Coordinate consultants, engineers, contractors, authorities, and project leaders on technical, statutory, contractual, and site issues.

Clients and business growth
•      Lead key relationships. Build confidence with major clients, developers, and strategic partners; lead senior presentations, negotiations, and difficult project conversations when authorized.

•      Support growth. Identify opportunities and contribute to pitches, proposals, scope and fee discussions, and the pursuit of high-value work with executive leadership.

People and operations
•      Build leadership depth. Lead and coach Associate Directors, Senior Architects, Project Architects, and designers; set expectations and develop succession capability.

•      Strengthen the practice. Contribute to recruitment, performance reviews, career pathways, BIM/digital delivery, lessons learned, and a collaborative, accountable studio culture.

Delegated authority
•      Set day-to-day department and portfolio priorities and direct designated architectural teams.

•      Assign or recommend project leadership and resources, and chair design, project, resource, and management reviews.

•      Approve routine design-development and technical decisions that remain consistent with an approved concept, scope, budget, and program.

•      Represent the Head of Architecture / Founder in specifically delegated client, consultant, contractor, authority, and internal meetings.

•      Require corrective action or a temporary pause where material design, safety, compliance, commercial, or delivery risk is identified; recommend talent and succession actions.

Founder-level final authority
•      The firm’s architectural vision, design philosophy, strategic direction, and final concept approval for flagship, sensitive, or founder-led projects.

•      Material departures from an approved design direction or commitments that could significantly affect quality, reputation, or client trust.

•      Contracts, fees, scope changes, expenditure, legal exposure, safety matters, and resource commitments above delegated thresholds.

•      Final decisions on directors and other senior appointments, promotions, compensation, organization design, and termination.

•      Public statements, strategic partnerships, ownership matters, and any decision specifically reserved by the Founder.

Experience and qualifications
•      Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture from an accredited institution.

•      Valid Professional Architect License in Thailand, or an equivalent license appropriate to the role.

•      Minimum 10 years’ relevant experience, including leadership of complex projects from concept through documentation, approvals, tender, and construction stages.

•      Strong knowledge of local building codes, zoning, statutory approval processes, professional standards, and the ability to coordinate international requirements where relevant.

•      Sound understanding of architectural workflows, BIM/digital delivery, contract administration, modern construction techniques, scope, fees, change control, and project risk.

•      Proven leadership of multiple projects, senior architectural teams, multidisciplinary consultants, workforce planning, performance reviews, and capability development.

•      Strong business acumen and a record of senior client leadership, pitching, negotiation, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and calm crisis management.

•      Good command of English, with confident written, verbal, visual, and public-presentation skills; high integrity, discretion, and professional judgment.