BrightBuilt Home

Seeking: Architectural Designer

About us

BrightBuilt Home is a residential design and project facilitation company that guides homeowners through the design and delivery of high-performance net-zero energy homes. We believe deeply in our mission to more rapidly expand the supply of attractive, attainable, energy efficient homes for all, by engaging offsite construction and assembly companies as collaborators. We aim to disrupt this industry to make a profound and meaningful impact on housing availability throughout the Northeast, and, ultimately, nationwide.

Does the above mission statement resonate with you? Do you also appreciate a vibrant studio atmosphere, working with collaborative, earnest souls who genuinely like working together? If so, we might just be the team for you.

We’re looking for an affable individual with proven experience in residential design, stakeholder presentations, and project delivery. Strong communication, design, and time management skills are vital. Ideally, you have passion, drive, bright ideas, engaging energy, and an interest in people.

This Position Reports to: Studio Director, Principals

Role:

A Level III Architectural Designer manages single-family home design and project scope for multiple homeowners and/or developers, assists in development of new process initiatives, and collaborates and actively participates in the execution and growth of BrightBuilt’s mission.

Qualifications:

Required: Minimum BS or BA in Architectural Design completed - or - substantial field and design experience. 5+ years of relevant architectural work experience. Located within commuting distance of our office in Portland and ability to attend regular in-person client meetings, in-person office events (occasionally on weekends), and construction site visits within a 3-hour range of Portland.Access to the office requires climbing one flight of stairs. Construction Administration requires navigating job sites lacking accessibility features.


Preferred: Concentration in sustainability practices and design.

Skills:

Required: Excellent aesthetic and technical design skills, strong written and verbal communication skills, experience drafting with BIM software.

Preferred: Education/interest/experience in the field of sustainable design, understanding of high-performance building assemblies and general Building Science design principles, proficiency with Mac, Archicad, Microsoft Office, G Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, Keynote or Powerpoint

Responsibilities:

Design Skill:

  • Act as primary project designer on simple & complex design pathways

  • Independently develop design layouts, creative architectural concepts and design solutions, which requires researching, compiling, and recording information for assigned project work

  • Provide professional architectural consultation in the planning, design, and coordination of large complex projects

  • Develop assembly details as required

Technical Ability:

  • Prepare project specifications and provide specific technical expertise on all projects, including BIM documents, with supporting investigation, evaluation, and recommendation of design solutions that best meet the client’s needs

  • Serve as a subject matter expert on specialized systems

  • Coordinate with Studio Director, Principals, and more experienced Architectural Staff on appropriate technical solutions and strategies.

  • Provide technical guidance to less experienced architectural staff

  • Participate in accuracy and quality control

  • Project Management, Communication, and Teamwork:

  • Manage multiple small/medium/complex projects, coordinate all design aspects of assigned projects, and estimate scope of work.

  • Mentor Assistant Architectural Designers on select projects.

  • Work in a collaborative team structure, with Project Pilots and Construction Liaisons as well as other architectural designers, to stay apprised of and prepare for project milestones, client and builder communications, and to exchange key information with clients.

  • Help ballpark costs, determine scope of work, and prepare proposals and contracts on simple and complex design projects.

  • Be relied upon to present clearly and directly to clients on technical and design solutions.

  • Manage project communications and documentation that pertains to the design and specifications for the project.

Industry Awareness and Business Development:

  • Strive to incorporate sustainable solutions throughout your work

  • Produce work that is consistent with the quality and design aesthetic of the firm, and the region

  • Participate in relevant industry organizations

  • Participate in lead nurturing and cultivate relationships with clients and potential clients

Leadership:

  • Take on specific initiatives to support the firm's sales, marketing, and mission-related efforts

  • Introduce new initiatives that will benefit the organization

  • Contribute to advancing the skills of others

Compensation, Timing, and (Excellent!) Benefits:

Anticipated salary range for this role is commensurate with experience and job rubrics. Potential base salary may start at $65,000 with a total compensation package starting at $74,000.

This offer includes 3 weeks of paid vacation / personal / sick time annually. Our benefits package also includes 100% medical coverage on Health Insurance and 100% coverage on Disability Insurance. Additionally, BrightBuilt Home offers a 401K benefit plan that allows you to save for retirement. With this plan, BrightBuilt Home will match your contributions up to 4% of your salary. There is no waiting period to receive this benefit; you are eligible to join the 401K plan upon hire. Salary and all benefits will be prorated based on the number of days worked per week. We value your time and a healthy work-life balance. We observe a 40hour work week, and time spent on project work beyond your weekly obligation is reimbursed as comp time.

We also offer 10 paid holidays, including 3 paid floating holidays. A commuting stipend of $60/mo. will be provided, and may be either spent towards a parking space, bus pass, or kept by you if an alternate form of transportation is used. Bonuses are distributed in accordance with hours worked and success of the office.

Annually, every employee has the opportunity to spend up to $500 and two days pursuing professional development, which might include attending a conference, taking a class, or participating in another approved activity. We also offer one paid Community Day with the entire office and up to 24 matched hours over the year for any a Community Service project you would like to pursue.

BrightBuilt Home maintains an open, collaborative team approach and a collegial studio atmosphere in a fast-paced environment. We believe deeply in working to reverse climate change, and strive to practice what we preach. We enjoy company happy hours, birthday lunches, and occasional bowling parties, as well as a dedicated Slack channel for sharing photos of your canine companion. 

If you’re interested in joining a team of energetic thinkers, designers, innovators, and doers who want to change the world, and you have some thoughts on what you could bring to the table, we’d love to sit down with you.

To view some of our work and our philosophy, please visit www.brightbuilthome.com.

Ready to join our team?

Please submit a resume, portfolio, cover letter, and your most useless superpower to: jrichards@brightbuilthome.com. Please, no calls.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

  • 401(k)

  • 401(k) matching

  • Dental insurance

  • Health insurance

  • Life insurance

  • Paid time off

  • Vision insurance

Schedule:

  • Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person


Jeannette Schram