Lead Architectural Designer Jobs in Meridian,ID,US

Lead Architectural Designer Position Summary The Lead Architectural Designer serves as the creative and technical leader of the design and pre-construction teams. This role is responsible for developing original residential floor plans, elevations, and architectural concepts for production and semi-custom homes, while also maintaining and refining existing single-family and multi-family plans. The ideal candidate combines strong drafting expertise with creative design vision to produce buildable, cost-effective, and market-responsive home designs that align with company standards, building codes, buyer preferences, and community requirements. This position requires the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines while collaborating cross-functionally to ensure all plans are accurate, complete, and construction-ready. In this role, the Lead Architectural Designer acts as the primary design resource, creating new home concepts, modifying plans for lot-specific and homeowner requirements, supporting inventory home updates, and maintaining plan libraries and drafting standards. The position also supports new community launches and continuous product development initiatives. Primary Responsibilities Lead the conceptual design process by developing original floor plans, elevations, and architectural features for production and semi-custom homes. Collaborate with product development, interior design, sales, marketing, and construction teams to translate market trends, buyer feedback, and design concepts into practical, buildable home designs. Incorporate value-engineering opportunities, energy-efficient solutions, and cost-saving innovations while maintaining design quality and structural integrity. Mentor and provide technical guidance to design team members and drafters regarding plan accuracy, drafting standards, and best practices. Develop, update, and maintain detailed construction drawings in compliance with company standards, residential construction practices, and applicable building codes. Prepare and modify plans based on homeowner selections, lot requirements, field feedback, and community guidelines. Ensure all drafting work is completed accurately and on schedule, following established quality standards and jurisdiction-specific requirements. Conduct job site visits with construction managers and trade partners to review homes in progress and identify opportunities to improve plan quality, efficiency, and constructability. Address city review comments and revise plans in a timely manner to support permitting and construction schedules. Maintain current marketing exhibits, bid sets, drafting templates, and base plans to ensure consistency across departments. Support new community launches by reviewing master plans and ensuring construction documents are complete and ready for implementation. Assist in managing plan libraries, design options, and drafting systems to support scalability and operational efficiency. Perform additional related duties as assigned. Qualifications & Experience Technical Skills Proficiency in AutoCAD and Revit Strong knowledge of residential construction practices, architectural detailing, and building codes Ability to produce complete, permit-ready construction document sets Understanding of production, semi-custom, and custom home design processes Design & Creative Skills Demonstrated ability to create original, market-responsive residential home designs Strong conceptual, visualization, and space-planning abilities Ability to balance creativity, cost efficiency, and constructability Familiarity with current residential design trends, buyer preferences, and sustainability features Professional Skills Exceptional organizational and time-management skills High attention to detail and accuracy Self-motivated and capable of managing multiple deadlines and projects simultaneously Strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams Education Degree or certification in Drafting, Architecture, or a related field preferred Equivalent hands-on residential drafting and design experience will also be considered Experience Minimum of 3 years of experience producing residential construction drawings and developing original home designs Experience with production, semi-custom, or custom homebuilding preferred Physical Requirements Ability to read and interpret detailed construction drawings and field markups accurately Regularly required to sit, stand, bend, reach, and move throughout an office environment Occasional field and job site visits may be required