Senior Project Manager - Rail & Transit Architecture

Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States; hybrid with an in-person leadership presence of approximately three days per week; regional travel as needed at approximately 20%

Compensation: $122,000–$212,000 annually.

Company

Michael Baker International provides engineering, consulting, architecture, planning, environmental, construction, and program management services for complex infrastructure projects through a national multidisciplinary practice.

What you will do

• Lead scope, schedule, budget, staffing, quality, risk, and client expectations for complex multidisciplinary rail and transit architecture projects.
• Develop Chicago rail and transit growth plans, including target clients, pursuits, teaming strategies, and staffing needs.
• Lead capture planning, win strategies, proposals, interviews, negotiations, and client development with Chicago-area transit agencies and Great Lakes transportation clients.
• Serve as the local Chicago architecture leader, build an inclusive office culture, and recruit, mentor, and retain architectural talent.
• Coordinate local, regional, and distributed resources with operations, market leaders, and technical teams to align growth, delivery, staffing, and financial performance.
• Advance passenger-focused design using BIM, digital delivery, and emerging technologies while meeting operational, accessibility, schedule, and budget requirements.

Requirements

• Active Illinois Professional Architect license, or ability to obtain Illinois licensure within a mutually agreed period, required.
• Bachelor’s degree in architecture from an accredited program required.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience leading architectural teams and complex multidisciplinary projects.
• Experience managing projects for Metra and/or the Chicago Transit Authority, with established Chicago transit-market relationships strongly preferred.
• Successful development and winning of transportation-focused architecture work in Chicago or the Great Lakes region.
• Experience in project management, client engagement, business development, and pursuit leadership.
• Strong financial acumen covering fees, staffing, project performance, forecasting, and risk.
• Working knowledge of BIM, digital delivery, Revit, and emerging AI-enabled design tools, plus proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Bluebeam.
• Ability to maintain a consistent in-person leadership presence in the Chicago office and travel regionally as needed.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree in architecture.
• Experience building, mentoring, or growing a local team or office.
• PMP certification.
• LEED AP credential.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to establish and grow a local Chicago architecture presence within a national multidisciplinary firm.
• Direct influence over market strategy, client relationships, team development, and delivery of passenger-focused facilities.
• Collaboration with national architecture, engineering, and transportation resources.
• Work includes an ongoing full-time position with no current application deadline; applications remain open until the position is filled or no longer needed.
• Employment includes equal opportunity, a drug-free workplace, pre-employment substance abuse testing, and background checks.