Job Description

Entry Level Designer

JOB SUMMARY

Designing Justice + Designing Spaces (DJDS) is a non-profit architecture & real estate development firm that is building a national portfolio of projects designed to help interrupt the prison industrial complex, opening new pathways for our communities most impacted by mass incarceration. To achieve this mission our team is composed of architects, designers, real estate developers and community members working together to create solutionary spaces and places that bring dignity, well-being and care to the communities we serve.

The ideal candidate for this position will love our mission, have excellent design skills across a variety of scales, and an interest in bringing those design skills to community engagement, finance and real estate development projects throughout California and across the country.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES (Expected duties of a Technical level position 1-4 Years of Experience)

• Provide technical drawing and design support on architecture and real estate development of large and small-scale creative placemaking projects ranging from new construction, renovation,  adaptive reuse, specialized housing, commercial, tenant improvement, mixed use, education, fabrication and other various emergent project typologies and prototypes.
• Work collaboratively with the architecture design team or real estate director on conceptual design development and presentation of project concepts including quickly generating testfit floor plans or iterative design concepts for feasibility studies.
• Bring excellent design talent, graphic representation, and creative visualization and verbal skills to project conceptualization and preparation of detailed conceptual renderings.
• Utilize computerized drafting tools and related software including sketching by hand and model making to plan the layout and design of projects.
• Assist in the preparation of all phases of architectural drawing sets
• Work collaboratively with the design team and community engagement manager to strategize and create contextually appropriate tools for effective and creative engagement facilitation and data collection to inform the design process.
• Learn and utilize coding analyzing processes to effectively translate community engagement data to be used for preliminary design concepts and storytelling.
• Support on the research of building, planning and zoning codes, products and processes and review relevant literature for projects.
• Support on project research and post-occupancy evaluation processes as needed including drawing and image production.
• Assist with research, selection, specification and documentation of furniture, fixtures, lighting, finishes, millwork, etc.
• Assist as needed in completing various construction administrative tasks including issuing sketches and RFIs, coordinating with consultants and contractors, and compiling Close-out documents.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Currently residing in the California Bay Area
• Bachelor of Architecture or Master’s degree in architecture
• Minimum one year architecture industry experience, preferably with exposure to all phases of architectural design.
• Experience in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, AutoCAD, and Adobe Creative Suite
• Ability to iterate through quick design options in SketchUp to evaluate with project designers.
• Basic level experience producing drawing sets with basic knowledge of construction documentation
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office and Google Apps
• Open to learn new modeling tools and techniques as needed.
• Ability to create advanced, high-quality renderings.
• Advanced scaled physical model-making skills and knowledge of various creative model-making methods and materials required. (Fabrication knowledge and experience in 3-D printing is a plus)
• Exceptional skills in collaborative teamwork.
• Excellent written, verbal and organizational skills
• Advanced interpersonal skills: friendly and direct communication with team members
• Cultural competency for a diverse range of cultures, communities, and lived experiences
• High level of emotional intelligence and ability to apply it
• Commitment to learning and understanding robust cross-disciplinary and community-led processes and practices
• Commitment to learning and understanding local building and planning codes including code research and implementation of codes into the design and drawing process.
• Adaptability to emergent project processes and problem-solving
• Acute understanding of systemic racism and social inequities and their impacts on a range of individuals from systems-impacted individuals and their communities of care to elected officials.
• Attend staff, project meetings and site visits as required
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and a high level of discretion when required.
• Commitment to DJDS’ mission and goals

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

• Healthcare benefits with options for medical insurance under the company group plan. DJDS contributes 100% of employee, and child dependents under 26, healthcare, dental, and vision insurance plans offered under the group healthcare offerings.
• Compensation range for this role is $80,000 – $85,000 annually

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a digital portfolio, following the directions below. If you have a website that includes your portfolio, you may send a PDF of your cover letter and resume, and the appropriate link(s) for the rest.

Email: resumes@designingjustice.org

Subject Line: Entry Level Designer

Attachment: One multipage PDF not to exceed 3MB

The PDF should include:

• Cover letter (in your cover letter please include (please limit to 400 words max):
  • Your experience or understanding of Restorative Justice
  • Your experience or understanding of Trauma-Informed Practice
  • An example where you have had to navigate a difficult conversation or resolve conflict in a professional setting
  • Your understanding of Emotional Intelligence and its relation to personal accountability
• Resume
• Portfolio with the following examples, for which you have primary authorship:
  • Project examples which clearly demonstrate your role in the design and completion of the project.
  • Project examples for which demonstrate your design acumen, creative process, and ability to produce design and construction drawings.
  • Other creative design, fabrication and artistic endeavors that support your design and creative development are welcome.

Please, no phone calls or recruiters. All applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

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