Project Designer | Community + Live, Workplace & Government at Northern Impact in Santa Monica, California

Job description

• An award-winning national architecture, engineering, and planning practice is seeking a talented and driven Project Designer to join its growing Community + Live, Workplace, and Government team in Santa Monica, California. The ideal candidate is a creative design professional who thrives in a collaborative environment, communicates ideas clearly, and is passionate about delivering innovative, high-quality design solutions that positively impact communities.
• In this role, you will partner closely with senior designers, project managers, principals, consultants, and multidisciplinary teams to develop thoughtful, technically sound solutions from concept through implementation. You will help advance design excellence, lead the development of project documentation, and contribute to exceptional client experiences. This position calls for creative vision, technical expertise, independent judgment, and the ability to align the visual and functional aspects of complex projects with client goals, project requirements, and design intent.

Responsibilities

• Develop a thorough understanding of each project’s design philosophy and contribute to building-performance strategies.
• Generate creative, practical design solutions aligned with client goals and project requirements.
• Advance the design process by coordinating, managing, and producing design drawings, sketches, and 3D models.
• Oversee technical design aspects of major projects, including investigation, evaluation, and recommendation of solutions.
• Assist project managers and principals in developing work plans that define design scope, schedules, and budgets.
• Coordinate building-design consultants and review drawings for accuracy, quality, and compliance.
• Facilitate and document meetings, schedules, decisions, and project milestones.
• Support construction administration, including RFIs, RFPs, change orders, and issue resolution.
• Maintain productive relationships with clients, consultants, and contractors throughout all project phases.
• Participate in client presentations and marketing efforts as needed.
• Contribute to design narratives and presentation materials, including renderings, models, diagrams, and graphics.
• Collaborate across disciplines to maintain design quality, technical coordination, and accountability.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in architecture or a related field from an accredited institution.
• Eight or more years of professional experience on small- to large-scale projects.
• Expertise in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Adobe Creative Suite, and other BIM technologies.
• Strong 2D and 3D graphic skills, including proficiency with rendering and visualization tools.
• Familiarity with project-management software such as Vantagepoint and with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Architectural licensure preferred.
• Interest in LEED, sustainability, building performance, and integrated design.
• Strong communication, presentation, organization, and collaboration skills.

Skills

Required

• Revit
• SketchUp
• Rhino
• Adobe Creative Suite
• BIM technologies
• 2D and 3D graphic skills
• rendering and visualization tools
• Vantagepoint
• Microsoft Office Suite