Seeking 

Design Justice Architect*

Location: 

Hybrid @ BUILD

3264 Larimer St. Unit D

Denver, Colorado 80205

Compensation: 

$80,000 – $95,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

This is a full-time, salaried position with generous benefits (see below).

*An ideal candidate for this position will have at least 7-15 years of architecture experience and have been a licensed architect in Colorado for at least 5 years.

About Radian

Radian is a nonprofit architecture and urban design group with the mission to advance social equity in the built environment. Radian envisions a world where residents, who have been traditionally excluded in design and planning, have the agency, power, and resources they need to shape their own communities and neighborhoods. 

Radian’s work is based on the acknowledgment that discriminatory policies and institutionalized racism, woven throughout the built environment, have created gross inequities in health, wealth, and power that have compounded over time. To confront this reality, we center residents’ expertise and lived experiences through community partnerships and design processes that are inclusive, collaborative, and responsive.

We are currently seeking a passionate and committed Design Justice Architect to join us in our design justice work. We are a small, versatile team of designers who make a big impact through architecture, urban planning, and community advocacy. We work on a diverse range of projects that use design in the built environment as a tool to advance social equity. These project types include affordable housing, housing solutions, education, equitable development, advocacy and policy, community space, equitable transit, social justice, healthy food access, and land use & real estate.

Design Justice at Radian means co-designing with communities, challenging exclusionary design practices, and using architecture as a tool for social change. We seek an architect who understands how design can be leveraged to create more equitable spaces.

About the Design Justice Architect Position

This position is responsible for leading and implementing multiple small-scale architectural projects and interventions, offering design and technical assistance to our community partners through a design justice lens. Radian’s design work is responsive to community-identified priorities, and as such our project types are dependent on relationships and trust built with community partners. Current architecture project types include Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers, nonprofit spaces, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), small public space interventions, and alternative housing solutions. A large part of every position at Radian includes community outreach, engagement, and partnership in neighborhoods and communities throughout Colorado.

We expect this position to grow with Radian, maintain strong community relationships, and continue to build Radian’s diverse community architecture portfolio. In addition to architectural design, this position is also responsible for supporting other creative design-thinking initiatives that support policy and systems change at a variety of scales.

An ideal candidate for this position will have at least 7-15 years of architecture experience and have been a licensed architect in Colorado for at least 5 years. As a mid-level professional, we are hoping for an individual who will act as a mentor to our architecture team, support business development efforts, and continue to build out Radian’s Design Justice Architecture Studio. This position offers opportunities for leadership growth, shaping Radian’s design justice initiatives, and expanding our impact. We are looking for a leader who will play a key role in growing our Design Justice Architecture Studio.

We are looking for a team member who is committed to:

• Using design and other technical skills as tools to advance social equity 
• Developing strong community relationships and partnerships
• Centering community and collaborating with compassion, creativity, and humility
• Advancing anti-racism and social justice advocacy 
• Embracing the complexities that are inherent in community-centered design
• Integrating design justice principles into all work processes

Our ideal candidate is reliable, adaptable, nimble, and proactive. We are a small, scrappy team who are resolute in advancing social equity, and we bring joy, collaboration, and connection into everything we do. 

Desired Qualifications & Preferences

Core Qualifications (Required)

• Licensed architect with 5+ years of licensure and 7-15 years of experience

• Experience managing architecture projects from concept to construction
• Deep understanding of community-centered design, equitable development, and JEDI advocacy
• Strong skills in collaborative design practices (e.g., design charrettes, community forums)
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, and rendering tools

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have)

• Experience working with historically marginalized communities
• Bilingual (Spanish preferred)
• Strong business development and fundraising experience
• Background in climate justice or sustainable design
• Experience with trauma-informed design and participatory design

Benefits

We believe people do their best work when they feel supported, trusted, and valued. Our benefits reflect that commitment:

• Optional 4-Day Work Weeks (4 10-hour days)
• Trusted Time Away
• 100% Employer Paid Health Insurance
• Dental/Vision
• Family Leave Policy 
• 401K Program + 3% Employer Contribution
• Continuing Education Fund
• Profit Sharing and Milestone Bonuses
• Paid Holidays (MLK Jr Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Frances Xavier Cabrini Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day)
• Hybrid work at BUILD, Radian’s shared space for community-serving organizations

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: 

If this role excites you and you’re passionate about design justice, we encourage you to apply—even if you don’t meet every qualification. We value diverse perspectives and want to hear from candidates who are eager to use their skills to advance social equity in the built environment.

Radian is committed to promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and we are actively working to make sure these values are wholly integrated throughout our organization and work. We value and welcome diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other wonderful characteristics that make us different. 

Interested in applying? 

Please email one file containing an interest letter, resume, and design portfolio/work samples to hiring@radianinc.org with the subject line “Design Justice Architect”.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.