Design Principal

When it comes to Design Excellence, Little is focused on achieving a balance of Positive Impact, Remarkable Design, Innovation, and Delight.  When you join Little, you become part of a national team that uncovers design opportunities and crafts design solutions that drive results. You’ll elevate client performance in meaningful ways. You’ll give back to our planet by thoughtfully implementing sustainable design practices with regenerative outcomes. You’ll create places that allow our communities to thrive. Ultimately, you will create a better future.

A renowned design firm seeking a Design Principal who will continually elevate the quality of our work in the DC (Tysons Corner) office through positive leadership, a collaborative work style, and deep design expertise. This high-impact position will lead design of a wide range of project types with a focus on Community, Higher Education and Recreation/Sports.  Partnering with a transdisciplinary team, you’ll listen intently, ask insightful questions, surface and frame the real challenges, generate and test ideas, and guide teams toward solutions that measurably advance your clients’ strategic and operational goals. We seek to truly integrate and become a multidisciplinary studio with Architecture and Interior Architecture, to blur the line of where architecture ends and interior design begins.    

A candidate we’ll love:

• Design leadership. A talented designer and creative problem solver that is a leader | doer with deep experience designing projects across various market segments.


• Thought Leader. A Registered Architect with boundary pushing ideas, active involvement in industry-related organizations and/or recognition of award-winning designs


• Sustainable & Future-Thinker. Someone knowledgeable of and passionate about sustainable, agile and regenerative design


• Team Leader. A leader that is a champion for others and that builds followership through empathetic listening, genuine care, and collaboration


• Great Communicator. Someone who can simplify complex ideas, articulate them in a way that people understand, in turn, is able to listen to understand.


• Business Developer. A leader that builds relationships, partners with principals to win projects and advances office and firm-wide growth


• Continuous Learner. An individual who has knowledge of the latest design trends, discourse, and technologies including working knowledge of the latest design software and techniques.


• Active Mentor. A teacher/mentor who can lead design while working with and developing the talents of others


• Culture Builder. Someone who knows how to have fun, will be joyful to work with and who seeks positive meaningful impacts on others

A position you’ll love:

• Elevating Performance. A rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference leading design in our DC Office, partnering with our leaders, project teams and clients.


• Contributing to Strategic Growth. Reputable track record of building and sustaining relationships with client executives and developing and winning business opportunities


• Achieving Visibility. Exposure to thought leadership opportunities that uncover breakthrough ideas


• Enhancing Design Culture. The chance to help shape the evolution of design and discourse within our firm by collaborating with other designers across our entire firm footprint


• Collaborating Across Disciplines. An opportunity to collaborate within a diversely talented design firm with the support of diverse in-house resources.

Why Little:

At Little, you'll find yourself surrounded by colleagues with diverse expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives—from different cultures, generations, and disciplines. What truly sets Little apart is our people. Ask anyone here what keeps them energized each day, and you’ll hear it’s the relationships, the collaboration, and the shared passion for making a difference. This diversity fuels our exceptional culture and gives each of us the opportunity to help shape a better future. We embrace a spirit of teaching and learning through mentoring that spans generations, talents, and interests—offering everyone a broad range of experiences and growth. We care deeply about our clients and about each other. That care sparks creativity, excitement, and a sense of purpose that’s felt throughout our work and our workplace. Curious what it’s like to work at Little? Check out our video!  https://vimeo.com/851727160/a5897aa234.  Want to hear more?  Life at Little: Our Core Values on Vimeo

To be considered for this opportunity, please submit your letter of interest, resume, and portfolio for review. 

At Little, we prioritize diversity. We are an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, Little prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  Little is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact [email protected] or a member of our HR Team.