Architect
The Mission of the Department of Public Instruction: The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is charged with implementing the state's public school laws for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools at the direction of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and State Board of Education.
The School Planning Section is responsible for providing professional and technical design leadership and assistance to the public school units across North Carolina.
This position is responsible for evaluating the overall design and building details of proposed school facilities designed by private professionals to ascertain functional effectiveness and efficiency relative to educational program implementation. This role advises local planners and assists through design review of all phases of development of facility planning with appropriate, safe and efficient schools and conducts conferences with design professionals and local school officials to analyze architectural concepts, spatial relationships and other related characteristics of facility design to promote useful program integration. This position occasionally conducts visits and studies of local schools to provide assessment data relating to the educational appropriateness of existing and projected educational facilities.
The Architect also interprets relationships between educational programs and facility design to School Planning and agency staff, private design professionals and local school officials to foster compatibility in the design process and identifies educational mandates, program descriptions, and agency initiatives and trends to promote effective facility design. This position also researches state statutes, State Board of Education policies and regulations and other agency mandates which relate educational programs to the facility design or school merger processes to assure local planners have access to current, accurate planning data. This position conducts research at the request of local school officials and design professionals, staff from the Department of Public Instruction, other state and private agencies and the state legislature to provide needed information relative to school facilities and facility planning.
The Architect also aids staff in the management of the Facility Data Base and develops new database program and survey. This position develops School Planning publications related to facility design guidelines for use by planning professionals and local school officials. The position is also responsible for identifying, designing, and providing workshop sessions for local planners to enhance their ability to effectively meet required planning assignments.