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What is a senior architectural designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Alison Kwok PhD, RA, FAIA, LEED BD+C, CPHC

A senior architectural designer is tasked to produce high-quality project designs in construction documents. They are involved in the whole development and design process to ensure that the outcome is of good quality.

Often, a senior architectural designer is also responsible for developing and designing logos for the company or business, managing data, and providing leadership and training to other team members.

More than half of the current senior architectural designers possess a bachelor's degree, but it is also possible for high school degree holders or those with a GED to become a senior architectural designer. With an average salary of $75,759 and 22,788 job openings, one can shoot a shot in this position.

The important skills a senior architectural designer should have are math skills to be able to perform basic addition and subtraction, technical skills to carry out day-to-day tasks, and being detail-oriented is also important to be cautious of details and mistakes.

What general advice would you give to a senior architectural designer?

Dr. Alison Kwok PhD, RA, FAIA, LEED BD+C, CPHCDr. Alison Kwok PhD, RA, FAIA, LEED BD+C, CPHC LinkedIn profile

Associate Department Head, Professor, University of Oregon

Diversify your experiences (and expectations); gain knowledge in a variety of different areas and certifications. Curate your portfolio to show a range of the kinds of work that you're able to offer. Get out of the comfort zone of doing only what you know "how to do" and challenge with incremental bits of knowledge.
ScoreSenior Architectural DesignerUS Average
Salary
5.9

Avg. Salary $74,891

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.3

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 7.02%

Black or African American 3.09%

Hispanic or Latino 11.66%

Unknown 5.20%

White 72.33%

Gender

female 26.11%

male 73.89%

Age - 45
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45
Stress level
4.3

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
5.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior architectural designer career paths

Key steps to become a senior architectural designer

  1. Explore senior architectural designer education requirements

    Most common senior architectural designer degrees

    Bachelor's

    59.9 %

    Associate

    19.8 %

    Master's

    12.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior architectural designer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Revit24.19%
    Autocad14.53%
    Design Concepts8.97%
    BIM6.24%
    Design Development5.63%
  3. Complete relevant senior architectural designer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior architectural designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior architectural designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior architectural designer resumes.
  4. Research senior architectural designer duties and responsibilities

    • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
    • Provide leadership and training to REVIT BIM team.
    • Create full construction set for permitting including electrical layout and HVAC (coordination with MEP and structural engineers).
    • Produce project renderings and animations in Revit for marketing purposes.
  5. Get senior architectural designer experience

    Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become a senior architectural designer. The most common roles before becoming a senior architectural designer include architectural designer, interior designer team lead and architect.
  6. Prepare your senior architectural designer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior architectural designer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior architectural designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior architectural designer resume templates

    Build a professional senior architectural designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior architectural designer resume.
    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
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    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
    Senior Architectural Designer Resume
  7. Apply for senior architectural designer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior architectural designer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior architectural designer job

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Average senior architectural designer salary

The average senior architectural designer salary in the United States is $74,891 per year or $36 per hour. Senior architectural designer salaries range between $55,000 and $101,000 per year.

Average senior architectural designer salary
$74,891 Yearly
$36.01 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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