Lead Architect

Contemporary Group Limited (CGL) is a leading group of companies offering a full range of services in the construction industry.

CGL is a dynamic leader in the construction value chain, made up of Contemporary Design Associates, Contemporary Properties Limited, Conwave Ventures Limited, and Contemporary Ventures and Resources Limited. With the vision to be a unique solution provider for exceptional projects and a determination to lead innovation and sustainability in the industry, CGL has completed over 200 projects in more than three decades.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Lead Architect

Location: Asaba, Delta
Employment Type: Contract

Role Overview

• The role is intended for a senior architectural professional capable of independently leading complex projects, mentoring architects, coordinating multidisciplinary consultants, reviewing design output, and resolving routine architectural and design coordination matters without unnecessary escalation to the Managing Director.
• The successful candidate will lead Contemporary Group's architectural team and ensure the delivery of high-quality, coordinated, innovative, technically sound, and properly documented architectural projects.
• We are seeking an accomplished and highly experienced Lead Architect / Head of Architecture to provide leadership, technical direction, design oversight, and professional management of the company's architecture and design function.
• The Head of Architecture will play a central role in protecting Contemporary Group's design standards and strengthening the internal architecture team as the organisation manages an expanding portfolio of major public and private-sector projects.

Responsibilities
Architectural Leadership:

• Allocate architectural projects and responsibilities across the design team.
• Establish clear architectural design and documentation standards.
• Ensure architectural teams understand project objectives, client requirements, programme deadlines, and expected design standards.
• Provide overall professional and technical leadership to the architecture and design department.
• Support the development of a strong internal architectural practice.
• Create a culture of design excellence, technical responsibility, collaboration, and accountability.
• Monitor the workload and performance of architects and design staff.

Design Leadership:

• Maintain and protect Contemporary Group's architectural design quality.
• Lead internal design reviews.
• Challenge weak design solutions and guide architects toward stronger outcomes.
• Review architectural drawings before major client or project submissions.
• Review and guide project design direction.
• Lead and oversee architectural concept development.
• Ensure appropriate consideration of planning, circulation, spatial organisation, material selection, building performance, constructability, and user experience.
• Ensure architectural design solutions are functional, innovative, technically feasible, and aligned with client objectives.

Technical Architectural Oversight:

• Coordinate architectural information with structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, specialist, and other consultants.
• Identify conflicts between architectural and engineering information.
• Lead design coordination meetings.
• Ensure design clashes and consultant coordination matters are resolved promptly.
• Identify technical design deficiencies and ensure timely correction.
• Review architectural drawings, plans, sections, elevations, schedules, details, specifications, and revisions.
• Review architectural Requests for Information and consultant queries.
• Ensure consultant deliverables are properly integrated into architectural documentation.
• Ensure routine architectural issues are resolved within the Architecture Department wherever possible.
• Monitor drawing revisions and document control.
• Ensure teams are working from approved project information.
• Ensure drawing packages are properly reviewed before issue.
• Provide architectural guidance on complex project matters.
• Work closely with Project Managers to understand programme implications of outstanding design information.
• Multidisciplinary Design Coordination
• Ensure design decisions are clearly documented.
• Monitor consultant response times on design matters.
• Ensure architectural documentation is accurate, coordinated, and suitable for construction.

Project Design Management:

• Ensure priority projects receive sufficient technical and leadership attention.
• Support Project Managers with clear design status information.
• Monitor design progress against agreed project programmes.
• Develop architectural design programmes and deliverable schedules.
• Work with management to allocate appropriate resources to projects.
• Ensure Project Architects meet agreed submission dates.
• Identify design delays or capacity constraints.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Identify technical capability gaps.
• Promote internal knowledge sharing.
• Recommend training and development requirements.
• Build a stronger architecture leadership succession pipeline.
• Review employee performance within the Architecture Department.
• Conduct regular architecture team meetings.
• Directly manage and mentor Project Architects, Architects, and junior design staff.
• Develop younger architects through mentoring and structured project exposure.
• Support the recruitment and assessment of architectural staff.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Understand and interpret client requirements
• Explain architectural recommendations clearly to non-technical clients
• Represent Contemporary Group professionally at design and technical engagements
• Support the Managing Director in strategic client presentations where required
• Present architectural concepts and design solutions professionally
• Manage client feedback and design changes
• Attend major client design meetings

Site and Construction Support:

• Provide design clarification to project teams
• Review architectural shop drawings and material submissions where required
• Identify deviations from approved design and ensure appropriate action is taken
• Support snagging and project completion activities
• Review construction against approved architectural information
• Work closely with Project Managers and site teams
• Conduct project site visits
• Support resolution of architectural site issues

Design Change Management:

• Assess the architectural implications of proposed changes
• Prevent informal or undocumented design changes from creating project confusion
• Work with the Project Manager and Quantity Surveyor to identify potential programme and cost implications
• Ensure revised architectural documentation is issued in a controlled manner
• Ensure client and consultant design changes are properly recorded

Design Quality Assurance:

• Introduce drawing review checklists
• Develop and implement architectural Quality Assurance and Quality Control procedures
• Establish formal internal design review processes
• Reduce drawing errors and coordination omissions
• Monitor recurring architectural and documentation problems
• Develop lessons-learned systems for completed and ongoing projects
• Ensure the department continuously improves its design and documentation quality

BIM and Design Technology:

• Ensure design teams maintain appropriate digital project documentation standards.
• Support management in improving architectural workflow and digital collaboration
• Assess opportunities to improve design productivity through technology
• Promote the effective use of Revit, BIM, AutoCAD, visualization tools, and design coordination systems where appropriate
• Support the adoption and effective use of modern architectural and design technology

Management Reporting:

• Provide regular management updates covering architectural project status, design programme performance, key design issues, outstanding consultant coordination matters, architectural team capacity, priority design decisions, project risks arising from design delays, team performance, and matters genuinely requiring Managing Director intervention.

Key Performance Indicators
Performance in this role may be assessed against:

• Reduction in architectural drawing errors.
• Timeliness of design deliverables.
• Reduction in routine architectural matters escalated to the Managing Director.
• Client satisfaction with design delivery.
• Quality of architectural output.
• Reduction in unresolved design coordination issues.Architectural team performance.
• Design programme compliance.
• Team development and mentoring.
• Implementation of architecture QA/QC systems.
• Consultant coordination effectiveness.

Success in This Role

• Success will mean that Contemporary Group has a strong, organised, and professionally lead Architect; architectural work is consistently reviewed and coordinated; architects are properly managed and developed; design issues are resolved earlier; project documentation improves; and the Managing Director is no longer required to personally manage every routine architectural decision or review every stage of the department's daily output

Qualifications and Experience

• Membership of the Nigerian Institute of Architects is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Nigerian planning and building development environments.
• Bachelor's and/or Master's Degree in Architecture.
• Experience in project and design management.
• Experience delivering large and complex architectural projects.
• Demonstrable experience reviewing and approving architectural documentation.
• Minimum of Demonstrable experience leading architectural teams.
• Professionally registered architect with the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria is strongly preferred.
• International project or multidisciplinary consultancy exposure is an advantage.
• Strong experience in multidisciplinary design coordination.
• Strong client-facing and presentation experience.

Technical Knowledge / Skills:

• AutoCAD.
• Drawing review.
• Construction detailing.
• Consultant coordination.
• Architectural documentation.
• Advanced architectural design knowledge.
• Architectural QA/QC.
• Site coordination.
• Building systems understanding.
• Design presentation.
• Design coordination.
• Material specification.
• Design change management.
• Revit and BIM knowledge.

Core Competencies:

• Calmness under pressure.
• Technical confidence.
• Strong communication.
• Client management.
• Strong design leadership.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects.
• Strong accountability.
• High attention to detail.
• Team leadership.
• Ability to mentor architects.
• Decisiveness.
• Professional maturity.
• Excellent architectural judgement.
• Ability to distinguish matters requiring Managing Director input from routine design decisions.
• Ability to resolve problems independently.