Florida Licensed Architect — Principal Officer and Director of Architecture

Company: GEOARC Studio LLC
Location: Remote, United States, with occasional travel within Florida
Initial Engagement: Limited part-time professional engagement
Language: English required; Portuguese preferred

Position Overview

GEOARC Studio LLC is seeking an experienced architect holding a current and active Florida architectural license to serve as the company’s Principal Officer, Qualifying Architect, and Director of Architecture.

GEOARC Studio is an architecture, engineering, BIM, and multidisciplinary design firm operating between the United States and Brazil. The company intends to pursue public-sector and institutional building projects, including K–12 schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, healthcare facilities, laboratories, administrative buildings, civic facilities, cultural buildings, historic renovations, adaptive reuse projects, and other public buildings.

The selected architect will initially work on a limited, predominantly remote basis while the company completes its professional registration, corporate qualification, business development, and public-procurement activities.

This position requires genuine professional and managerial participation. It is not a nominal appointment or license-rental arrangement. The selected architect must exercise actual professional judgment and responsible supervisory control over architectural services performed by or through the company.

Initial Phase — No Active Projects

During the period in which GEOARC Studio does not have active architectural projects under contract, the following terms will apply:

• Fixed compensation of US$1,000 per month;
• Up to five hours of professional services per month;
• One scheduled technical and management meeting per month;
• Formal service as the company’s Principal Officer and Qualifying Architect;
• Review of selected public procurement opportunities, RFQs, RFPs, and SOQs;
• Review of the company’s architectural qualifications and technical capabilities;
• Review and verification of professional résumés, project experience, technical portfolios, and references presented in proposals;
• Assistance with the establishment and initial implementation of architectural Quality Assurance and Quality Control procedures;
• Review of the company’s organizational structure and multidisciplinary coordination process;
• Limited technical and strategic guidance regarding public-sector architectural opportunities.

No architectural document may be signed, sealed, certified, or submitted under the architect’s license without the architect’s actual review, involvement, and responsible supervisory control.

The monthly retainer does not include project production, extensive proposal preparation, client interviews, site visits, permitting services, signing and sealing, construction administration, or supervision of active architectural projects.

Intensive Procurement and Proposal Phase

When GEOARC Studio participates in a procurement process requiring services beyond the initial five monthly hours, the architect will receive additional compensation of:

US$175 to US$225 per hour, depending on the nature, complexity, and urgency of the required services.

Additional compensated services may include:

• Detailed review of RFQs, RFPs, and SOQ requirements;
• Review and approval of technical proposal content;
• Preparation or revision of project descriptions and professional qualifications;
• Participation in strategy and Go/No-Go meetings;
• Participation in client or procurement interviews;
• Shortlist presentations;
• Technical meetings with clients, consultants, or selection committees;
• Review of scopes of services, schedules, contracts, and technical requirements;
• Review of applicable codes, standards, and agency requirements;
• Preparation for oral presentations and question-and-answer sessions;
• In-person meetings or site visits when required.

Travel, lodging, transportation, and other approved reimbursable expenses will be paid separately and must be authorized in advance.

Post-Award and Active Project Phase

After GEOARC Studio is awarded a contract or activates an architectural project, the architect’s workload, professional responsibilities, and compensation will be revised through a written project-specific agreement.

The compensation structure may include:

• An agreed hourly professional rate;
• An increased monthly retainer;
• A fixed project-management or professional-supervision fee;
• Participation of up to 10% of the net architectural professional fees actually received by GEOARC Studio for the applicable project.

Any project-based participation will be subject to the architect’s actual professional involvement, responsibilities, supervisory role, and services performed.

The participation will not be calculated on:

• The total construction cost;
• The total value of a multidisciplinary architecture and engineering contract;
• Engineering consultant fees;
• Specialty consultant fees;
• Reimbursable expenses;
• Permit or governmental fees;
• Taxes;
• Insurance expenses;
• Travel and lodging expenses;
• Outsourced production expenses;
• Pass-through payments;
• Services that are not performed, managed, reviewed, or supervised by the architect.

The definition of “net architectural professional fees” and the applicable payment schedule will be established in a written agreement before commencement of the relevant project.

Professional Responsibilities

The selected architect will be expected to:

• Serve as Principal Officer and senior architectural representative of GEOARC Studio LLC;
• Support the company’s architectural registration and qualification in Florida;
• Exercise responsible supervisory control over architectural services performed by or through the company;
• Provide leadership to the company’s architectural practice;
• Establish and oversee architectural QA/QC procedures;
• Review architectural scopes, deliverables, schedules, and contractual requirements;
• Coordinate with civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire-protection, sustainability, cost-estimating, and specialty consultants;
• Supervise architectural services performed by remote personnel and consultants;
• Review architectural work during schematic design, design development, construction documents, permitting, bidding, and construction administration;
• Participate in client meetings, technical presentations, and contract negotiations when required;
• Confirm compliance with the Florida Building Code, Florida Accessibility Code, applicable fire and life-safety requirements, local regulations, and client standards;
• Sign and seal architectural documents only when legally permitted and only after exercising the required professional review and supervisory control;
• Participate in project reviews, RFIs, submittals, field observations, punch-list inspections, and record-document activities when assigned to an active project.

Minimum Qualifications

The candidate must:

• Hold a current and active Registered Architect license in the State of Florida;
• Be in good standing with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation;
• Have at least 10 years of professional architectural experience, with 15 or more years preferred;
• Demonstrate verifiable experience with public or institutional building projects;
• Have relevant experience in one or more of the following sectors:
  • K–12 schools;
  • Colleges and universities;
  • Hospitals and healthcare facilities;
  • Laboratories;
  • Municipal or county buildings;
  • Government administrative buildings;
  • Courthouses;
  • Public-safety facilities;
  • Libraries;
  • Cultural and community facilities;
  • Historic buildings;
  • Other public-sector building projects;
• Be able to provide verifiable project information, including client, location, construction value, completion date, scope of services, and professional role;
• Have experience coordinating multidisciplinary architecture and engineering teams;
• Understand the Florida Building Code and Florida Accessibility Code;
• Be capable of supervising a geographically distributed production team;
• Have no employment restriction, contractual limitation, or conflict of interest that would prevent service as a Principal Officer or Qualifying Architect;
• Be available for limited remote coordination and occasional in-person participation in Florida.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Experience with public-sector RFQs, SOQs, CCNA selections, and continuing-services contracts;
• Experience working with school districts, universities, municipalities, counties, healthcare authorities, state agencies, or federal clients;
• Knowledge of State Requirements for Educational Facilities;
• Experience with healthcare planning or AHCA-regulated facilities;
• Experience with historic preservation, rehabilitation, or adaptive reuse;
• Experience with hurricane resilience, coastal design, sustainability, and energy-efficient buildings;
• Experience with Revit, BIM coordination, Navisworks, or Autodesk Construction Cloud;
• NCARB certification;
• AIA membership;
• LEED, ACHA, CDT, CSI, or similar professional credentials;
• Previous service as a Principal, Architect of Record, Director of Architecture, Project Executive, or Senior Project Architect;
• Professional working proficiency in Portuguese.

Required Application Information

Candidates should provide:

• Current résumé or curriculum vitae;
• Florida architectural license number;
• Confirmation that the license is current and active;
• Brief professional biography;
• Description of public and institutional project experience;
• A list of at least five relevant projects;
• For each project: project name, location, client, construction value, completion date, services performed, and candidate’s professional role;
• At least three professional or client references;
• Description of experience with RFQs, SOQs, CCNA, or public procurement;
• Description of experience supervising remote or multidisciplinary teams;
• Confirmation of availability for occasional travel within Florida;
• Disclosure of current employment, business interests, or potential conflicts of interest;
• Portuguese-language proficiency, when applicable;
• Confirmation of acceptance or comments regarding the proposed engagement and compensation structure.

Engagement Summary

Initial monthly compensation: US$1,000
Initial services included: Up to five hours per month
Monthly meeting: One technical and management meeting
Additional proposal-related services: US$175–US$225 per hour
Active project compensation: Hourly rate, increased monthly retainer, fixed project fee, or another mutually agreed structure
Project participation: Up to 10% of net architectural professional fees actually received, subject to actual professional involvement and a written project-specific agreement
Work arrangement: Predominantly remote, with occasional travel or in-person participation in Florida
Position: Principal Officer, Qualifying Architect, and Director of Architecture