Back to jobs

Senior Design Researcher

Dallas, Texas, United States; Houston, Texas, United States; Omaha, Nebraska, United States; Phoenix, Arizona, United States; Washington, D.C.

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients, our communities, and our planet. If this sparks your interest, you’re in the right place.

This position is available in the following locations: 

  • Omaha
  • Lincoln
  • Kansas City
  • Houston
  • Dallas
  • Phoenix
  • Washington, DC

 Role Summary

The Senior Design Researcher will work with integrated design teams, clients, and stakeholders to ideate, plan, and execute research for design and topics related to the built environment’s impacts on education, teaching, learning, and training. Their strongest partners will be designers and leaders in our Higher Education and K-12 Education, but the Senior Design Researcher will be expected to support and grow relationships across the firm to crosspollinate information and support the design of training spaces across DLR Group’s portfolio.

A Senior Design Researcher plays an important role in DLR Group’s integrated evidence-based design culture. They are a trusted advisor to designers, clients, and stakeholders on how to prioritize and translate research for practice. Anyone in this role is a part of building the firm’s culture of innovation and curiosity. All members of the Design Research team can participate in and grow to leadership; Design Researchers can explore various project types and specialize in areas that interest them as they gain experience in the firm.

Position Responsibilities

Senior Design Researchers may work on a combination of client projects and stand-alone research projects with internal or external partners. They may also work with cross-functional internal partners for research that benefits the firm. This person will collaborate with others on the Design Research team and cross-functional partners to:

  • Present research findings to a variety of audiences including clients, stakeholders, and designers
  • Participate in project interviews with integrated design teams
  • Develop thought leadership, writing, and presentations and collaborate on shared writing and presentations with others at DLR Group to benefit the firm’s practice
  • Learn DLR Group’s existing tools and activities for research related to teaching, learning, and training and consider ways to expand research tools
  • Maintain current certification in Human Subjects Research Protection and Institutional Review Board requirements related to research with participants under the age of 18 and student data privacy
  • Maintain and update a research library of current literature benchmarks and reports relevant to educational or training topics
  • Manage time and workload across multiple projects to ensure high quality timely and ethical work
  • Represent DLR Group’s research expertise in the home office when traveling to other locations and through participation in professional organizations
  • Mentor within and beyond the Design Research team to create a culture of continuous improvement through knowledge sharing discussion and learning

Required Qualifications

  • Master’s degree from a program with a focus on: research methodologies; social science; design research; statistics; education; or similar
  • 3-5 years of relevant professional or academic work experience related to the purpose, planning, design, or management of educational/training facilities
  • Direct experience with fundamental quantitative and qualitative research tools, including surveys, interviews and focus groups, observations, and case studies
  • Direct experience with mixed-methods research related to the built environment’s impacts on education, teaching, learning, and training
  • Direct experience communicating research concepts and findings to non-expert audiences verbally, in writing, and visually
  • Experience working with or facilitating diverse stakeholder groups as part of the research process
  • Awareness of current Human Subjects Research practices (current HSRP certification is not required but will be a priority for those starting in this role) for research involving legal minors
  • Travel may be required up to 25%

Preferred Qualifications

  • PhD or additional training focused on: research methodologies; social science; design research; statistics; education; or similar
  • Relevant professional experience related to the planning, design, or management of educational/training facilities
  • Certifications relevant to design thinking, design research, or evidence-based design
  • Peer-reviewed publications and/or speaking engagements related to the built environment’s impact on education, learning, or training concepts
  • Experience writing or managing research grants and projects

 

Our comprehensive Benefits at DLR Group include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401(k) plan, employee stock ownership, and bonus opportunities. Compensation considerations are based on location, experience, and skills. The suggested pay range for this position is:

Pay Range

$90,000 - $130,000 USD

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new builds, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects.

We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients’ success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the ME2040, and the SE2050, and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Through our values – commitment, creativity, environmental stewardship, fun, integrity, ownership, sharing, teamwork – we elevate the human experience through design, together.

DLR Group follows a four-day in-office work model, with employees having the flexibility to work somewhere other than the office on Fridays.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at DLR Group? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Example: https://www.linkedin.com/in/username

Enter N/A if you do not have a LinkedIn Profile

Portfolio/Work Samples (PDF Preferred)*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Please list your current primary residence 

Please list your current primary residence

Please list your current primary residence

Select...

Please list your current primary residence

Please list your current primary residence

Select...

Please list your current primary residence

Select...

If yes, please list their name and your connection to the employee.

Select...
Select...

This includes, but is not limited to, F-1 (OPT, CPT, STEM OPT), H-1B, or TN.

Select...

(Note that such restrictions may be found in different types of agreements, including, but not limited to, employment contracts, stock awards, and sales incentive plans. Indicating that you are subject to a restrictive covenant will not disqualify you from consideration for this position. You should disclose any such restrictive covenant and  be prepared to provide a full, signed copy of the restrictive covenant if requested.)

Select...

If yes, please specify in next question

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in DLR Group’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.