Our SF studio is a 100-person team inside a 3,000-person global firm, with the mentorship bench, technical resources, and project variety of a major international practice, while allowing you to still being visible enough that your growth gets noticed. If you're doing strong work, the people who make staffing and promotion decisions know it firsthand, not through a performance review written by someone who's never seen your drawings.
We're looking for a Designer II who brings real creative energy to project teams, not just producing what's handed to them. You'll generate drawings under supervision across schematic design, design development, and construction documents, but the expectation is that you're thinking through a design problem.
You'll take increasing ownership of tasks within project teams and studio activities as you demonstrate you're ready for it. This is a role where ownership gets earned by showing you can self-check your own work for accuracy, omissions, legibility, and compliance with our Project Delivery Manual. You'll get noticed by showing up prepared to design reviews, charettes, and pin-ups with actual opinions, and by coordinating effectively with partners and consultants instead of needing everything routed through someone else.
We're looking for someone who communicates in a way that brings people along. Technical skill matters, but so does the ability to explain your thinking clearly enough that a project lead trusts your judgment, a consultant understands what you need, and a client presentation lands the way you intended it to.
Curiosity is not optional here. We want designers who are genuinely interested in the world of design and the industry at large, who notice a well-detailed building when they walk past it, who read about material innovations or precedent projects because they're actually interested, not because someone assigned it. That curiosity is usually the difference between someone who's competent at this stage of their career and someone who's actually going to be exceptional five years from now.
What you'll bring:
- Bachelor's degree in architecture or related discipline, required.
- Preparing for the ARE with active involvement in AXP.
- BIM proficiency, intermediate Revit, Rhino/Grasshopper.
- Familiarity with building codes, life safety requirements, and construction documents.
- Microsoft Office/Adobe Suite, Enscape or V-Ray, 3D printing/laser cutting a plus.
- LEED GA within 6 months of hire. One Living Design accreditation (LEED AP Specialty, BREEAM AP, WELL AP, SITES AP, CPHC/CPHD, or ILFI).
What You'll Get
Salary range: $76,100–$97,100, commensurate with experience, education and skillset.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan and paid time off
- Professional development stipend and dedicated continuing education time
- Performance-based bonuses
- Access to firmwide affinity groups and leadership development programs
- Studio initiatives and events; a team that actually likes each other
How To Apply
Submit a resume and a compact, representative portfolio (no larger than 4MB). Show us what you've led, not just what you've touched.
Our Commitment
Our culture is grounded in a firmwide commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) — not as a tagline, but as how we hire, promote, and build teams. We conduct annual pay equity audits and train all managers on pay practices. We believe inclusion drives creativity.
Perkins&Will is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
Pay Transparency: We are committed to pay equity. Compensation decisions are based on qualifications, skillset, and experience. Employees may discuss their own compensation without fear of retaliation. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
Qualifications Behaviors Preferred Innovative: Consistently introduces new ideas and demonstrates original thinking Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with DisabilitiesThis employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in architecture or related discipline
- Preparing for the ARE with active involvement in AXP
- BIM proficiency; intermediate Revit; Rhino/Grasshopper
- Familiarity with building codes, life safety requirements, and construction documents
- Microsoft Office and Adobe Suite proficiency
- Experience with Enscape or V-Ray
- 3D printing and laser cutting experience
- Obtain LEED GA within 6 months of hire
- One Living Design accreditation (LEED AP Specialty, BREEAM AP, WELL AP, SITES AP, CPHC/CPHD, or ILFI)
- Submit resume and a compact representative portfolio (no larger than 4MB)
Perkins&Will Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Perkins&Will and has not been reviewed or approved by Perkins&Will.
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Inclusive Benefits Coverage — Inclusive health benefits extend to same-sex spouses and domestic partners and include coverage for gender confirmation surgery, reinforced by repeated external recognition for LGBTQ equality.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage spans dental, vision, disability, life, and medical insurance, alongside FSA options and related support programs that broaden access to care.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support includes a 401(k) with employer matching and is complemented by performance bonuses that add to total rewards.
Perkins&Will Insights
What We Do
Since 1935, we’ve believed that design has the power to make the world a better, more beautiful place. That’s why clients and community members on nearly every continent partner with us to design healthy, happy places in which to live, learn, work, play, and heal. We’re passionate about Living Design, a philosophy that guides our work and emphasizes poetics and beauty; conceptual clarity; research and innovation; technology and tectonics; community and inclusion; resilience and regeneration; and health and well-being. Our team of over 2,500 professionals in 30 studios worldwide provides interdisciplinary services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, landscape architecture, and more. Our partners include Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects; Portland; Nelson\Nygaard; and Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). We’re also part of the Sidara Collaborative, a global network of leading designers, engineers, planners, and consultants.









