If you think your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good match for this position, we encourage you to apply.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Your role is focused on providing leadership of the Education Market in the Dallas office of CannonDesign. This includes being responsible for developing and leading high-performance diverse teams focused on the development and implementation of the Market Business Plan. You will contribute to the success of the firm including the areas of business development and client engagement, client, and team leadership, mentoring of our people, and advancing the quality of work. You will be accountable to integrate our range of design services, managing our processes and delivering solid financial performance for the market. Importantly, you will be an ambassador of our brand, championing Living-Centered Design and bringing our Firm's purpose - to help people continuously flourish - to life in every touchpoint you have with our clients.
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DO
In this role you will divide your time equally between activities that support the growth and impact of the market, including external brand opportunities, and client leadership responsibilities engaged directly on projects.
Expectations of success:
- Market Growth: Developing new business opportunities with new and current client partners to achieve top line targets, which will support a minimum 10% growth of the practice year over year. You will be responsible for the growth and success of the Market.
- Client Leadership: Leading, engaging and partnering, at the highest levels, with our clients on billable project-specific work. Advancing innovative solutions that differentiate the firm and foster strong long term client relationships that present opportunities for future work.
- Market Brand Enhancement: Acting as a leading voice for the market both externally and internally, visible in speaking events, writing and other activities that promote the firm and our work.
- Practice Support: Engaging in activities to advance our firm, the region, the market and your office. Working with and mentoring our market team members and recruiting talented candidates to be part of a high-performing team.
Areas of Focus
- Market Leadership: Responsible for advancing strategic initiatives and client pursuit discussions and strategies. Working with Office and other Market Leadership, lead the development of a market business plan. This plan will outline strategies and actionable items that advance client engagement and development, market differentiation and team building to foster the growth of the market in concert with firm-wide goals. You will participate and engage in ways to improve our practice globally.
- Top Line Development: Work with Client Leaders and other firm-wide resources to focus on growing the top line of the market by identifying and actively pursuing new target clients as well as nurturing existing client relationships. You will seek to differentiate CannonDesign in the marketplace and promote the full range of our integrated design services, supporting the advancement of Living-Centered Design in all phases of client engagement. In this role you will be accountable for the overall top line results of the market and will have a personal goal of achieving top line success of $3.0M per year in net signed fees.
- Client and Team Leadership: Lead by example. Demonstrate commitment to our clients by undertaking the work in an active way on select client project opportunities. Serve as a client leader and/or subject matter expert where appropriate.
- Understand the Market: Identify future market trends and opportunities for growth and advancement of the market. Demonstrate a high level of knowledge of the market, including “Best Practices,” and evidence-based and research-based design.
- Bottom Line Success: Collaborate with the Office Practice Leader, Business Practice Leader and Client Leaders to ensure that the business plan bottom line initiatives are successfully implemented. Achieve a minimum of 10% firm profitability level for the market each year.
- Staff Development: Assess, mentor and coach, and recruit staff to build a high-performance team, and to develop future leaders within your market. Take ownership for the growth of a diverse and inclusive team. Assist in establishing an environment that encourages leadership, integrity, humility, respect, and responsibility, along with collaboration, experimentation, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
Time Commitments
- 35% of your time should be devoted to activities that advance our brand and develop new business opportunities with client partners focused on the growth of the market and the office.
- 45% of your time should be focused on engaging and partnering with clients on billable project work. As the leader of the market, we expect you to not only find ways to grow top-line revenue, but also to partner with clients at a high level. Providing leadership and fostering strong client relationships that lead to high client satisfaction and potential opportunities for future work.
- 10% of your time should be devoted to market leadership including strategy development, market intelligence and differentiation, business practice support, recruiting and other related staff growth and development activities.
Targets and performance metrics for this role are subject to change as CannonDesign periodically evaluates our performance metrics.
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field required.
- Current Registration/Licensure in Architecture, Interior Design or Engineering preferred.
- Must have 12 years minimum experience with a proven track record of strategic growth, market and team leadership, and business development success in the Education Market.
- Additional certifications and/or training relevant to this role are preferred.
- Strong presentations skills are essential.
- Exceptional client and people leadership skills required.
- Professional acumen and maturity demonstrated by the ability to communicate authentically and respectfully is essential.
- Strong business acumen and proven ability to create and execute strategy is needed.
- Ability to inspire, motivate and develop high-performing, accountable teams.
- Must be able to demonstrate sound judgement and a sound approach regarding risk management and mitigation.
- Some travel required.
ABOUT WORKING HERE
- We are relentless in our pursuit of client adoration (not simply satisfaction). Consistent delivery of the best service is what we are about.
- We are committed to ensuring our practice is equitable for all employees, representative of the communities around us – and focused on the future of design. We advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts through the leadership of our DEI Council, Employee Resource Groups and other community advocacy initiatives.
- We’re about communication and transparency here. If you want to talk to someone about an idea you have, or a challenge that needs addressing, we’re ready for you.
ABOUT OUR FIRM
CannonDesign is a design practice where strategy, experience, architecture, engineering, and social impact converge. We don’t just dream up solutions — we create and bring them to life in ways to solve some of the biggest challenges facing our clients and the society. At the heart of everything we do is Living-Centered Design, a bold commitment to using our talents to not just improve the world but to truly reshape it for the better. It’s more than a philosophy — it’s who we are, and it drives us to make a meaningful, lasting difference every day.
ABOUT WORKING HERE
- We are relentless in our pursuit of client adoration (not simply satisfaction). Consistent delivery of the best service is what we are about.
- We are committed to ensuring our practice provides equal opportunities for all employees, as we strive to connect with communities around us and focus on the future of design. We support equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts that benefit all employees through the leadership of our DEI Council, our Employee Resource Groups which are open to everyone, and other community initiatives.
- We’re about communication and transparency here. If you want to talk to someone about an idea you have, or a challenge that needs addressing, we’re ready for you.
CannonDesign is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CannonDesign is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free from any and all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. It is therefore the firm’s policy to prohibit discrimination and harassment against any applicant, CannonDesign employee, vendor, contractor, or client on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. It is also CannonDesign’s policy to prohibit any and all forms of retaliation against any individual who has complained of harassing or discriminatory conduct, or participated in a firm or agency investigation into such complaints.
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As a condition of employment, all employees are expected to complete mandatory training, including compliance training, within required timeframes and adhere to our internal policies and our Code of Conduct.
