Director, Firm Wide Marketing
16 hours ago
Los Angeles
Job Description About the Role HMC Architects is an employee-owned design practice built around one belief: Design for Good. We design to make communities better and to make buildings beautiful — where impact, performance, and experience meet. We’re seeking a marketing leader to help us bring that belief to life — inside the firrm, across our markets, and into the future. This is not a traditional director role. It’s a system-building, culture-supporting, growth-enabling position that connects strategy, storytelling, and client experience into one integrated function. It’s both strategic and hands-on, combining leadership, coaching, and creative direction with an operational understanding of how to align people, process, and performance. Working in partnership with the President, Practice Leaders, and Studio Principals, you will guide how HMC shares its story, strengthens its visibility, and builds long-term client relationships across our Pre-K-12, Higher Education, Healthcare, and Community + Culture sectors. You’ll collaborate with ?rm leadership, practice teams, and the marketing, communications, and graphics groups to unify how HMC shows up in the world — aligning pursuits, brand, and visibility into a single story about design excellence and purpose. HMC would prefer this Leader be seated in Los Angeles, Ontario or Sacramento — but is open to this hire joining any of the current HMC office locations. Essential Criteria Integration + Strategy * • Serve as the strategic steward of HMC’s brand and market presence across all sectors: Pre-K-12, Higher Education, Healthcare, and Community + Culture., • Design and lead a connected marketing and communications ecosystem that unites Pursuits, PR, Brand, and Digital into one framework., • Partner with the CEO, President, Practice Leaders, Principals, and the Executive Committee to align marketing strategy with the firm’s design vision, sector growth plans, and business development priorities., • Lead, support, and empower the Communications, Creative, and Pursuits teams to unify messaging, visual identity, and storytelling across all channels., • Coordinate firmwide strategy across offices and regions, aligning sector pursuits and marketing efforts to reflect local markets and opportunities., • Leverage market intelligence and trend analysis to identify emerging opportunities and strengthen competitive positioning., • Guide pursuit strategy, proposal planning, and storytelling in collaboration with practice and pursuit teams., • Oversee go/no-go processes, capture planning, and content development for competitive proposals, SF330 packages, and design competition submissions., • Apply expertise in navigating public-sector procurement, design-build selection, and RFQ/RFP protocols., • Shift pursuits from production to partnership — focusing on fit, experience, and client value., • Develop tools, training, and frameworks that support and build confidence across the firm’s client engagement model, strengthening how teams connect with, serve, and retain clients., • Direct sponsorships, industry partnerships, and event activations that align with target markets and thought-leadership goals. Brand + Communications Leadership * • Steward HMC’s firmwide brand identity, ensuring a consistent, high-quality presence across every touchpoint — proposals, publications, digital, and social., • Translate Design for Good into an authentic narrative that unites design excellence, community impact, and firm culture., • With People + Culture leadership, align internal communications and firm culture storytelling to ensure Design for Good resonates within the firm as much as it does externally., • Oversee communications, PR, and media strategy to amplify visibility in target markets, publications, and speaking venues., • Partner with Practice Leaders to develop sector-speci?c thought leadership strategies — translating their expertise into visible market presence — guiding publication strategy, speaking abstracts, and conference positioning., • Lead a cohesive digital content program integrating web, social, and storytelling to attract clients and talent., • Measure visibility and engagement through analytics and qualitative feedback to drive continuous improvement. Client Experience + Market Insight * • Gather and interpret market insight, client feedback, and industry data to inform positioning, messaging, pursuit strategies, and pipeline priorities., • Develop and launch a firmwide Client Experience Framework, mapping how clients engage from first contact through long-term partnership., • Partner with Practice Leaders to enhance client relationships and ensure every interaction reflects Design for Good., • Translate insights into actionable strategies that improve visibility, service delivery, and future-focused planning. Team Leadership + Development * • Mentor, inspire, and empower a multidisciplinary marketing team — fostering a culture of trust, empathy, shared accountability, and creativity., • Partner with HR and studio leaders to attract and retain top marketing talent., • Clarify roles and responsibilities, ensuring alignment across pursuits, communications, PR, and graphics., • Foster connection and confidence through transparency, coaching, and collaboration. Systems, Tools + Performance * • Oversee CRM (Deltek Vantagepoint) and analytics integration to track pursuits, relationships, and visibility metrics across the firm., • Define key measures for pursuit success, brand visibility, and client experience — using data to evaluate progress and inform leadership decisions., • Rebuild and optimize processes that connect pursuit activity, communications, and firmwide visibility., • Manage the firmwide marketing budget strategically to deliver the highest return on investment for pursuit success and brand value., • Implement clear dashboards and feedback loops that link effort to outcomes for team and leadership transparency. What Success Looks Like (Year One) * • A unified marketing, communications, and pursuits system operating across all sectors and offices., • Practice Leaders and market-active leaders see marketing as a trusted strategic partner, not a production team., • Storytelling and proposals consistently express Design for Good — demonstrating both design excellence and community impact., • Leadership alignment is established around marketing priorities, client experience, and visibility., • The marketing team has clear roles, transparent workflows, and renewed trust and confidence., • Pursuit strategy emphasizes quality, fit, and client relationships over volume., • A Client Experience Framework is developed to map how HMC engages from pursuit through delivery., • Foundational measures for brand visibility, market insight, and team engagement are defined for future growth. At HMC, Design for Good means designing with purpose, creating spaces that inspire, connect, and endure. We value creativity, collaboration, and curiosity, and we’re excited to meet candidates who share our belief that great design makes life better. Qualifications * • Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Marketing, Communications, Architecture, or relevant field., • 10+ years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, and positioning strategy — ideally with leadership in the Design and Building Industries., • Expertise in pursuit strategy, competitive positioning, and client relationship development across multiple sectors — particularly Education (Pre-K-12 + Higher Ed), Healthcare, and Community + Culture., • Deep understanding of professional-services marketing, including public-sector RFP/RFQ and design-build procurement processes., • Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire creative, high-performing marketing, communications, and graphics teams., • Strong grasp of digital marketing, social media strategy, and thought-leadership development, • Proficiency with CRM and analytics platforms (Deltek Vantagepoint preferred), digital asset management (OpenAsset) + creative platforms (Adobe Creative Suite)., • Comfortable representing the ?rm at conferences and industry events., • Self-directed, collaborative, and resilient — with the ability to manage change, build trust, and deliver measurable results., • Exceptional written, verbal, and visual communication skills, with the ability to translate design concepts into compelling narratives., • SMPS, AIA, and/or DBIA membership, accreditation, and affiliation preferred., • Ability to travel up to 20% of time between offices, key market locations, and industry events. The salary range for this position is $133,772 to $207,512. The actual offered salary for this position will vary depending on multiple factors including the candidate’s qualification, education, position knowledge, work experience, skills, ability, work location, and internal incumbent compensation for similar roles. We do not anticipate individuals hired into this position will start at or near the top half of the range listed; the decision will be based on each individual case. The salary range listed above does not include other compensation elements such as discretionary bonus opportunities, employee stock ownership grants, paid time off, medical insurance, and other wage and benefit opportunities.