JOB SUMMARY

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) established the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) in 2017 to preserve and uplift sites of Black American resilience, activism, and achievement that are fundamental to understanding national identity. In partnership with diverse communities, social impact funders, and stakeholders, the AACHAF works to center Black American history and historic places at the core of our democracy while protecting and preserving the buildings, landscapes, and stories where that history happened. During the AACHAF's first phase, the NTHP supported more than 300 national preservation projects and led a national movement that used preservation to enact positive social change. Your work with us will not just be a job but a transformative journey that will shape the future of our nation's heritage.

The AACHAF Department within the Preservation Division manages a diverse, evolving set of preservation projects, grantmaking, and national initiatives such as Descendant and Family Stewardship. To grow its impact and improve internal efficiencies, the AACHAF is building a talented team of professionals to (1) implement the Descendant and Family Stewardship work priorities, (2) collaboratively manage the work in coordination with internal staff and external stakeholders, and (3) deliver quantifiable, equity-driven outcomes. The activities include project management, partnership development, stewardship planning, and modeling for nine descendant-led and family-led preservation projects, including design and preservation technical assistance to support architectural and material conservation.

Reporting to the Senior Director for Preservation Practice, the Senior Preservation Architect provides expertise in architectural, preservation, and restoration planning and sustainable design guidance for the Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative, and all programs associated with the AACHAF, including grant recipients, demonstration project partners, and partners in exemplifying best practices for conservation and interpretation of African American historic places. A culturally competent, passionate, highly motivated, organized, and detailed professional will contribute to the daily management, work, and enhancement of the systems, reporting, and project coordination of AACHAF preservation and architectural projects.

This is a 3-year grant funded position with the potential to become an ongoing role based on performance and increased revenues, and subject to the availability of continued funding.

DUTIES

The Senior Preservation Architect will:

• Manage or co-manage a portfolio of approximately three national demonstration projects concurrently in partnership with the property owners, descendants, families, and external and community stakeholders, etc. Examples of projects include the John Coltrane Home in Philadelphia, PA, the Shadows-on-the-Tech in New Liberia, LA, and the Langston Hughes House in Harlem, NY. This staff person will implement existing strategies and help to determine opportunities for increased impacts.
• Deliver specialized preservation architect expertise, including energy efficiency and resiliency techniques for historic buildings, to AACHAF project teams and grantees in consultation with and under the supervision of the AACHAF Senior Director for Preservation Practice.
• Direct complex teams and stakeholders and engage directly with a diverse set of civic, preservation, business, and governmental leaders to achieve vision and goals.
• Produce and prepare preservation plans and condition assessment reports as needed, working in conjunction with project architects for individual projects.
• Facilitate visioning meetings using innovative digital tools, utilize design thinking and graphics; prepare visual renderings to visually communicate project ideas and plans; and write and disseminate findings and recommendations.
• Support two annual grantmaking review processes by reviewing and scoring Letters of Intent and Applications, participate in phased grants review meetings, and act as an applicant and grantee liaison.
• Advise AACHAF grantees and project partners on the development of preservation plans, cost estimates, Historic Structure Reports and other planning documents and advise on topical areas such as historical and architectural significance, scopes of work, construction documents, safety and building code regulations, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Buildings, etc.
• Participate in training modules, presentations, workshops, and conference sessions and/or help produce content in support of AACHAF programs, outreach and promotion as needed.
• Report to the Senior Director for Preservation Practice.
• Complete other duties and special projects as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

The Senior Preservation Architect will:

• Have a minimum 7 years of experience with project management and architectural practice, preferably in a context of at least 8+ years of overall work experience. Relevance of experience and size and type of organization worked for may be taken into account when considering background/qualifications.
• Be licensed to practice architecture.
• Have previous work experience in historic preservation, architecture, planning, or allied fields with demonstrated experience in the application of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
• Have demonstrated experience in applying sustainable and green technology in older and historic buildings a plus. Knowledge of vernacular architecture of African American communities and familiarity with the historical works of African American architects is essential.
• Have demonstrated experience working with local building codes, preservation zoning, design review, and ADA compliance.
• Be proficient in the use of AutoCAD, InDesign, and familiar with Revit and GIS.
• Have advanced project-management skills, including project budgeting and planning, experience managing large or complex projects, and advance organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills, including issue identification and prioritization. The organization uses Monday.com to support project management, which is required for this position.
• Have effective presentation, writing, spelling, grammar, and proofreading skills, as well as strong verbal communication and customer service skills.
• Have strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Have proven ability to collaborate across departments to achieve results with limited supervision, and a track record of building and maintaining productive relationships with multiple stakeholders. When working off site, the ability to work effectively in a remote environment, maintaining productivity and communications to meet deadlines and goals, is required.
• Can prioritize, multi-task efficiently and respond to a high volume of ongoing requests in a timely fashion; the ability to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic work environment; the ability to work effectively with frequent interruptions; and be able to handle frequently changing and/or unscheduled tasks with accuracy.
• Have an entrepreneurial spirit and skill set and a demonstrated cultural competency and success in engaging historically with underrepresented communities, constituents, partners, and colleagues. A demonstrated interest in and knowledge of African American history, preservation, affinity groups, professional organizations, or related associations is highly desired.
• Be comfortable talking about identities such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, and gender in plain, specific terms as they relate to cultural heritage, equity and social justice. Background in DEIA work a plus.
• Have a proven ability to continually develop skills related to use of rapidly changing technology and communications best practices. Knowledge of Microsoft Office products, including Word, Excel and Power Point as well as familiarity with design systems is required, in addition to proficiencies listed above.
• Have the requisite combination of degree achievement, training, certification, and work experience to meet all licensure and accreditation requirements for architectural work.
• Regular and reliable attendance in person or virtually, as appropriate, is required.
• Significant travel is required.