𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗠
Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, an established public sector architecture firm with over 35 years of serving communities across Southern California. With a tight-knit team of around 10 professionals, this firm specializes exclusively in civic and public safety work: fire stations, police facilities, libraries, community centers, and municipal buildings. They operate out of the Inland Empire with a new office opening in Ontario this spring, expanding their footprint right now.
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This is not a revolving-door operation. Relationships here are measured in decades, both with clients and with staff. The firm's backlog currently sits at nearly three years of work across 22 active projects, spanning from early design through construction administration, with project construction values from $200K to $100M.
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𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗠, 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗡𝗢𝗪
The organizational structure is flat. You'll sit across from the Principal, participate in client meetings from day one, and take on real responsibility across the full project lifecycle. A senior architect with 20+ years of experience recently joined specifically to mentor the next generation of project leaders here. It's a structure you won't find at a firm twice this size.
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As the Principal put it: "In a small office like ours, people gain a lot more width and depth of understanding. You're really engaged with what you're doing."
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𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗛𝗢'𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞
If you're at a mid-to-large firm and the path to running your own projects is still years away, this is worth a conversation. This firm has a track record of bringing in mid-level professionals from larger practices and accelerating their careers faster than anywhere else they could go.
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You won't be siloed into one phase. You'll touch everything: client presentations, design development, Revit construction documents, consultant coordination, agency submittals, construction administration, site visits, punch lists. You'll see a building go from concept to ribbon cutting and know exactly what your hands built.
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬⠀
You'll join a flat, collaborative team and work directly with the firm's Principal and a senior mentor across the full project lifecycle. Current active work includes two large police stations heading to bid this spring (construction starting summer 2026), a Riverside police station about a third through design, multiple fire stations in various phases, and a library project about to kick off design.
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You'll report to the Principal and work alongside peers at similar career stages, with direct access to a senior architect available for technical guidance and professional development.
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𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗟𝗟 𝗗𝗢
• Manage and support public sector projects from schematic design through construction closeout
• Produce and coordinate construction documents in Revit as a core part of your daily workflow
• Lead consultant coordination across structural, MEP, civil, and specialty disciplines
• Participate in client meetings and presentations with municipal stakeholders, fire chiefs, and police departments
• Prepare and manage agency submittals, including DSA plan check documentation
• Perform construction administration: RFI responses, submittal reviews, site observations, and punch lists
• Develop details, specifications, and code compliance documentation (Title 24, ADA, CBC)
• Contribute to design development and schematic design with real authorship, not drafting support
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞
This is a small firm. There is no one to delegate the unglamorous work to. The Principal describes the culture directly: "Less structure than larger firms, maybe a little chaotic at times, but you're really engaged with what you're doing."
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New hires typically start by supporting one project, observing and contributing before ramping into full ownership over several months. The expectation is roughly one full year before confident, autonomous project management. If you thrive on variety, direct responsibility, and learning fast, this is where you'll accelerate. If you need structure and predictability to do your best work, this probably isn't the right fit.
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𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱:
• 7 to 10 years of architecture experience (closer to 10 preferred; this role adds depth beyond junior positions)
• Strong Revit production capability (your years with Revit should roughly match your years in the profession)
• Proven experience carrying projects through construction phase, including construction administration
• Public sector or civic project background (municipal, public safety, educational, or community facilities)
• Willingness to work on-site in the Inland Empire, especially during the first year (hybrid evaluated after year one)
• Demonstrated job stability (2+ years per position preferred; projects here run 2 to 5 year cycles)
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𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:
• Licensed Architect (RA) or significant ARE progress
• Master's degree in architecture
• Direct experience with fire stations, police facilities, or law enforcement design
• DSA experience or familiarity with the DSA plan check process
• Small firm background (you understand what "wear many hats" actually means)
• Deep municipal client exposure: city councils, public works, fire and police leadership
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𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦
𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆: $80,000 to $110,000+, depending on experience and skills (no hard cap; candidates above range are evaluated on fit)
𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: Medical, 401(k)
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: On-site preferred year one; hybrid flexibility evaluated after the first year based on performance and fit
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Inland Empire, California (Riverside office now; new Ontario office opening spring 2026)
𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸: Revit, Bluebeam, SketchUp, Microsoft Office
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Interested? Apply via LinkedIn and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation. This is a confidential search; your application is fully private.
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𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱