Project Architect / Project Manager

Carlton Edwards | Nashville Studio

Location: Nashville, TN (In-Person) Employment Type: Full-Time Salary Range: $85,000 – $105,000, commensurate with experience and skills Experience Level: 10+ years

About Carlton Edwards

Carlton Edwards is an award-winning architecture firm with studios in Asheville, Nashville, and Memphis. We design custom homes and boutique hospitality projects for discerning clients throughout the Southeast—work defined by craft, detail, and a commitment to timeless design.

Our Nashville studio collaborates closely with the region's finest custom home builders. We're a small firm with ambitious standards, and we're entering an exciting chapter: actively exploring how technology, smarter workflows, and artificial intelligence can liberate our team from administrative burden and amplify our creativity. We're not looking for someone to execute the way things have always been done. We want a collaborator eager to help us build a better practice—together.

The Opportunity

We're seeking a Project Architect / Project Manager who can lead projects with confidence while protecting design excellence at every phase.

This role is for someone who understands that great architecture doesn't happen by accident. It requires thoughtful management of budgets, schedules, and client expectations. It demands clear communication with builders and consultants. And it takes the kind of proactive leadership that solves problems before they become crises.

But here's what makes this different: we believe project management should liberate creativity, not suffocate it.

We're investing in automation, workflow optimization, and AI-assisted tools—not to replace the human craft of architecture, but to free our team to focus on what matters: design quality, material craft, and the details that make a project sing. This is a journey we're beginning, and we want someone who shares our enthusiasm for discovering what's possible.

What You'll Do

Lead Project Delivery

• Manage projects from concept through construction administration
• Own schedules, budgets, and client communication
• Coordinate with builders, engineers, and consultants
• Ensure documentation quality—accurate, complete, and buildable
• Lead CA efforts: submittals, RFIs, site observation

Protect Design Excellence

• Collaborate with leadership to keep creative vision intact under real-world constraints
• Make informed decisions that balance design aspirations with budget realities—without defaulting to compromise
• Lead design reviews that elevate the work

Build Team Capability

• Mentor junior staff in both technical skills and design judgment
• Contribute to evolving our standards, processes, and tools
• Collaborate across studios on architecture and interiors projects

Embrace Technology & Innovation

• Engage with emerging tools—including AI—as opportunities to work smarter
• Contribute ideas for improving how we practice, not just what we design
• Help us build workflows where efficiency enables excellence

What We're Looking For

Required:

• Professional degree in Architecture (B.Arch or M.Arch)
• 10+ years of experience in residential or hospitality architecture
• Licensed architect, or clear plan to complete licensure within 90 days
• Proven experience managing budgets, schedules, and client relationships
• Strong portfolio demonstrating design leadership on built work
• Proficiency in Revit and SketchUp
• Ability to work in-person at our Nashville studio

Preferred:

• Custom residential or design-build experience
• Construction administration on complex projects
• Experience mentoring staff
• Genuine curiosity about technology, AI, and process improvement

You'll thrive here if you're:

• Design-minded, even when managing process
• Proactive—you solve problems before they escalate
• Technically strong with high standards for documentation
• Curious and adaptable; excited to explore new tools alongside the team
• Interested in growing with the firm, not just filling a role

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $85,000 – $105,000, commensurate with experience and skills

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Safe Harbor 401(k)
• 128 hours PTO (168 hours after 3 years)
• 8 paid holidays
• Performance bonus program
• AIA dues reimbursement
• Cell phone and mileage reimbursement
• Professional development support

How to Apply

Submit your resume and portfolio (PDF, 10MB max) to careers@carlton-edwards.com.

In your cover letter, tell us:

1. What draws you to Carlton Edwards
2. A project you're proud of and your role in its success
3. How you balance design quality with budget and schedule realities

Carlton Edwards is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Carlton Edwards | Nashville Studio 1200 Broadway, Suite 708 | Nashville, TN 37203 www.carlton-edwards.com

About Carlton Edwards

Carlton Edwards is an assemblage of talented professionals of complementary skills and great ambition. We are hopeful, we are passionate and value what we can do to change the world for the better. We value our the contributions of our employees and embrace a healthy work, life balance. We are a diverse group and we value the power of collaboration and the richness it brings to our projects. We are experts in creating tailored homes and boutique hospitality environments. Carlton Edwards has offices in three locations across Tennessee and North Carolina but we are one firm with a common culture focused on creating great architecture and design.

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