What does a senior architectural designer do?
A senior architectural designer's responsibilities include designing buildings, providing instructions to a manufacturing team, and using architectural design software to create models. Specifications for designs may be provided by clients or by a company. Senior architectural designers must also ensure that their buildings comply with all legal standards.
Senior architectural designer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior architectural designer resumes:
- 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.
- Design light fixtures to customer and principal specifications, utilizing sheet metal and aluminum extrusion methods using SolidWorks.
- Design, develop and prepare documents for commercial/corporate building projects, condominiums, educational and recreational facilities.
Senior architectural designer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Senior Architectural Designers are proficient in Revit, Autocad, and Design Concepts. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Architectural Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Revit, 24%
Authored USACE Architectural specifications using USACE SpecIntact * Completed Revit Architecture 2009 online training
- Autocad, 15%
Designed and prepared permitting plan sets utilizing AutoCAD.
- Design Concepts, 9%
Design modifications to existing machinery and implemented new design concepts from start to finish.
- BIM, 6%
Transformed initial project design proposals into articulate BIM models -Produced presentations and graphic communication material for clients and management.
- Design Development, 6%
Involved in every stage of the architectural process: schematic design, design development, and marketing, etc.
- Visualization, 6%
Project designer; visualization; project coordination.
Common skills that a senior architectural designer uses to do their job include "revit," "autocad," and "design concepts." You can find details on the most important senior architectural designer responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a senior architectural designer to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "drafters must take care that the plans they convert are technically accurate according to the outlined specifications." Additionally, a senior architectural designer resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "performed shop drawing details for structural boiler drawings and lead coordinator piping support details. "
Math skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior architectural designer duties is math skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "drafters work on technical drawings." According to a senior architectural designer resume, here's how senior architectural designers can utilize math skills in their job responsibilities: "design processes for casting design requires use of surfacing, merge, solidify, and published geometry and external copied geometry. "
Technical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of senior architectural designers is technical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday senior architectural designer duties, as "drafters in all specialties must be able to use computer software, such as cad, and work with database tools, such as building information modeling (bim)." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "project management assistant and other management responsibilities skills used technical skills by using autocad, archicad,and m.s. "
Creativity. A big part of what senior architectural designers do relies on "creativity." You can see how essential it is to senior architectural designer responsibilities because "drafters must be able to turn plans and ideas into technical drawings of buildings, tools, and systems." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical senior architectural designer tasks: "develop creative schematic designs and concepts. "
Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in senior architectural designer job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what senior architectural designers do. Senior architectural designer responsibilities rely on this skill because "drafters often work under deadline." You can also see how senior architectural designer duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "maintained ongoing construction pace by accurately responding to rfi s on time. "
The three companies that hire the most senior architectural designers are:
- Ernst & Young7 senior architectural designers jobs
- TCA Architects
7 senior architectural designers jobs
- Qualcomm5 senior architectural designers jobs
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Senior architectural designer vs. Autocad operator
Drafting interns perform jobs like designing engineering drawings and visual aids, forming the detailed layout execution of distinct mechanical parts, resolve design problems in BIM models and visual presentations. Also, the pattern of new products, alter existing products using SOLIDWORKS, estimate the shipboard pipe systems, and develop a superficial model of NIDA glider using CATIA V5. Additionally, they aid field technicians in gathering field information points with GPS units, counsel less experience BIM designers in discrete parts of the country through the phone, and enhance drawings in both Revit and AutoCAD in line with the instructions provided by the architect.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior architectural designers and autocad operator. For instance, senior architectural designer responsibilities require skills such as "autocad," "bim," "design development," and "visualization." Whereas a autocad operator is skilled in "auto cad," "cnc," "as-built drawings," and "stairs." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that autocad operators earn slightly differ from senior architectural designers. In particular, autocad operators are 8.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior architectural designer. Additionally, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior architectural designer vs. Cadd operator
The duties of a drafter vary on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology setting, a drafter specializes in creating a three-dimensional model for software and other applications upon gathering details and specifications from designers and other personnel. A drafter usually works with a team and is supervised by a manager or a more experienced colleague. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with the team involved, all while adhering to the policies and standards of the company.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior architectural designer responsibilities requires skills like "autocad," "bim," "design development," and "visualization." But a cadd operator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "civil engineering," "survey data," "auto cadd," and "mta."
In general, cadd operators achieve lower levels of education than senior architectural designers. They're 10.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior architectural designers in the next 3-5 years?
Allied ASID, Director-at-Large, ASID National Board of Directors and Design & Brand Strategy Principal, HDR, ASID
Senior architectural designer vs. Drafting internship
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior architectural designers are more likely to have skills like "autocad," "design concepts," "visualization," and "project design." But a drafting internship is more likely to have skills like "powerpoint," "solidworks," "aided design," and "engineering drawings."
Drafting interns make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $47,037. On the other hand, senior architectural designers are paid the highest salary in the media industry, with average annual pay of $79,910.Most drafting interns achieve a lower degree level compared to senior architectural designers. For example, they're 8.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior architectural designer vs. Drafter
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior architectural designers and drafters, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior architectural designer might have more use for skills like "autocad," "design concepts," "bim," and "design development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of drafters require skills like "layout drawings," "aided design," "auto cad," and "engineering drawings. "
In general, drafters earn the most working in the professional industry, with an average salary of $46,073. The highest-paying industry for a senior architectural designer is the media industry.drafters reach lower levels of education compared to senior architectural designers, in general. The difference is that they're 9.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior architectural designer
Updated January 8, 2025











