Design Lead, Real Estate Development

Design Lead, Real Estate Development

Company:
Western Governors University

Job Location:

Category:
Planning, Design, and Project Management

Type:
Full-Time

Job Type: Full time

Job Number: JR-024633

Location: Salt Lake City, UT

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Professional 314 Pay Range: $133,800.00 - $207,300.00

Job Description

Help shape WGU's new national headquarters

WGU is embarking on a long-term, multi-phase development of its expanded national headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City. This project will deliver a one-million-square-foot urban campus designed to support up to 5,000 employees, with the first building targeted for a 2030 move-in. As the Development Design Lead, you will provide senior-level design leadership and ensure this ambitious project achieves its architectural, urban design, and placemaking goals.

What you'll do

• Provide strategic design leadership for the planning and development of WGU's headquarters campus, ensuring architectural, landscape, and public realm elements align with the master plan and campus vision
• Serve as the owner's design representative, leading design decisions and ensuring alignment with long-term institutional goals
• Direct and coordinate architects and multidisciplinary consultant teams including planners, landscape architects, engineers, interior designers, and specialists
• Safeguard the integrity of the campus master plan across phases, ensuring alignment of buildings, infrastructure, circulation, and public spaces
• Guide the integration of workplace environments, public realm spaces, and mixed-use amenities to create an active, connected campus district
• Lead design of pedestrian-friendly environments and public spaces that foster engagement and urban connectivity
• Establish and lead design governance and review processes through concept design, schematic design, design development, and construction documentation
• Translate program, operational needs, and strategic goals into architectural and urban design solutions
• Ensure solutions support feasibility, phasing, scheduling, and delivery strategies
• Promote design approaches that enhance well-being, collaboration, learning, and innovation
• Support sustainability objectives including alignment with LEED Gold goals
• Prepare and present design strategies, master plan concepts, and project updates to senior leadership
• Develop visual and narrative materials to communicate design intent and progress

What you'll bring

• Demonstrated experience directing architects and multidisciplinary consultant teams on complex development projects
• Proven ability to guide projects from master planning and concept design through design development and delivery
• Strong expertise in urban design, placemaking, public realm design, and mixed-use development
• Experience working on the owner or developer side of major development projects preferred
• Professional licensure in architecture, urban design, or planning preferred
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to balance design excellence with feasibility, schedule, and development objectives

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, or a related field.

Experience

15+ years of professional experience leading design for large-scale mixed-use developments, campus environments, or district-scale urban projects.

Bonus points

• Experience presenting to executive-level stakeholders
• Experience with large campus or district-scale development
• LEED experience or sustainability-forward design background

What to expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.
We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.

Interview steps

• Introductory call
• Hiring manager interview
• 2 additional stakeholder interviews

Work location

This is a full-time, in-office position at WGU's office in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.

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