ABOUT THE POSITION
Landscape Architecture Team Leader | Richmond, VA | Hybrid
VHB is seeking an energetic, visionary, and entrepreneurial Planning & Landscape Architecture Team Leader to help grow and lead our Planning & Design practice in Richmond, Virginia, with influence across the I-64 Corridor from Richmond to Hampton Roads.
This is an exciting leadership opportunity for a collaborative design professional who is passionate about building teams, growing client relationships, delivering high-quality work, and shaping communities through thoughtful planning, landscape architecture, and public realm design. The successful candidate will work closely with VHB’s Planning & Design Service Director, Land Development leadership, Market Growth Leaders, project managers, and multidisciplinary teams to advance VHB’s presence in the Richmond market and throughout Virginia.
The ideal candidate is a positive, high-energy leader who brings strong design sensibility, business development experience, technical expertise, and a passion for mentoring staff. This individual will help define and grow a local Planning and Landscape Architecture practice aligned with VHB’s strategic goals while supporting projects across public, institutional, real estate, commercial, civic, transportation, parks and recreation, and community-focused markets.
Based in Richmond, this role includes regular collaboration and engagement with clients, project teams, and VHB offices throughout Virginia.
Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of landscape architects, planners, designers, and technical staff.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and design-forward culture aligned with VHB’s OneVHB values and Generational Company philosophy.
- Partner with leadership to establish growth strategies, staffing plans, retention initiatives, and professional development opportunities.
- Support the development of junior and mid-level staff through coaching, mentoring, and leadership development.
- Promote innovation, continuous learning, and the thoughtful application of emerging design tools and practices.
Strategic Growth & Business Development
- Lead the growth of the Planning and Landscape Architecture practice in Richmond and across the I-64 Corridor.
- Develop and implement business development strategies in partnership with regional leadership.
- Build and strengthen relationships with municipalities, developers, universities, healthcare systems, public agencies, and private-sector clients.
- Identify and pursue opportunities across community planning, parks and recreation, institutional, public realm, mixed-use, and land development markets.
- Support project pursuits through client engagement, opportunity identification, scope development, fee strategy, and proposal development.
- Represent VHB through industry organizations, conferences, professional associations, and community engagement activities.
Project Delivery & Technical Leadership
- Serve as a senior landscape architect, planner, project manager, design manager, or quality control manager on complex and high-profile projects.
- Lead project teams through visioning, site analysis, conceptual design, master planning, site planning, permitting, construction documentation, and implementation.
- Provide technical guidance and quality oversight to project managers, planners, designers, and technical staff.
- Support a broad range of project types, including institutional campuses, civic spaces, parks and recreation facilities, mixed-use developments, residential communities, hospitality projects, streetscapes, public realm improvements, and private developments.
- Collaborate with engineers, planners, environmental scientists, architects, and other professionals to deliver integrated, multidisciplinary solutions.
- Champion sustainable, resilient, and climate-responsive design practices, including green infrastructure, low-impact development, and stormwater-sensitive design.
- Monitor team workload, project budgets, staffing needs, utilization, backlog, and financial performance.
- Leverage emerging technologies such as GIS, visualization software, digital engagement tools, AI-supported workflows, and 3D modeling to enhance project delivery and communication.
Skills & Attributes
- Energetic, optimistic, and collaborative leadership style.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for practice growth and client service.
- Strong design sensibility and ability to communicate ideas visually, verbally, and in writing.
- Proven ability to influence decision-makers and develop trusted client relationships.
- Strong technical understanding of landscape architecture, site planning, construction documentation, materials, and specifications.
- Knowledge of native and ornamental plant materials common to Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region.
- Familiarity with sustainable design principles, including LEED, SITES, low-impact development, green infrastructure, and climate-resilient design.
- Ability to lead complex public-sector, institutional, real estate, and land development projects.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture, Planning, Urban Design, or a related field.
- Licensed or registered Landscape Architect required; Virginia licensure preferred or ability to obtain within a reasonable timeframe.
- 10–15+ years of professional experience in landscape architecture, planning, site design, or related practice areas, including significant leadership, business development, and team management responsibilities.
- Demonstrated success leading complex projects from planning and design through construction documentation and implementation.
- Experience developing proposals, scopes of work, fee estimates, contracts, interviews, and client presentations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including proposal writing, public speaking, and meeting facilitation.
- Proven ability to manage budgets, schedules, scope, risk, and multidisciplinary project teams.
- Experience collaborating with municipalities, developers, architects, engineers, planners, institutions, community stakeholders, and public-sector clients.
- Proficiency with industry-standard design, visualization, documentation, and communication tools.
- Experience with Microsoft Office, AutoCAD/Civil 3D, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, GIS platforms, visualization software, and emerging digital technologies is preferred.
The base salary range for this position is $110,000 to $150,000 for Richmond, VA. This offer is determined based on a number of job-related factors including internal comparators, skills, education, training, credentials, experience, scope and complexity of role responsibilities and geographic location. In addition, VHB offers a holistic benefits package which can be found here.
Building what’s next, together.
Our people make the difference. We foster a technology-empowered, people‑driven, future‑ready culture where agility, innovation, and collaboration shape how we work every day.
When you join VHB, you’ll find:
- Meaningful work on complex projects with real community impact
- A collaborative, inclusive culture that values curiosity and shared success
- Support to grow your skills and lead through change
- Learning and development supported by evolving tools and technologies, including AI
- Best-in-class benefits and a flexible, hybrid work environment
We’re growing across the East Coast and are consistently recognized as a great place to work. Ready to shape what’s next? Learn more about what sets our employee experience apart and connect with us.
VHB is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Since our founding, we have intentionally fostered a culture of inclusion and belonging, supported by deep-rooted core values, one of which is diversity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
#LI-LO1
#LI-Hybrid
