Senior Interior Project Architect

San Francisco · On-site$129k – $189k

About this role

Our SF studio is a 100-person team inside a 3,000-person global firm, which means you get the resourcing and technical bench of a major practice with the accountability and visibility of a small one. We're growing, we're busy, and we need a Senior Interior Project Architect who can hold design authorship and technical execution in the same hand, without needing the plan explained twice.

This is a Senior Project Architect role focused on interiors, protecting the experience of the space itself, making sure the finish palette, acoustics, and detailing actually deliver what the design promised while the project survives base building constraints, code and accessibility review, and value engineering. You are the person in the room who remembers what the space was trying to feel like when everyone else has moved on to solving the immediate fire.

We're looking for someone who treats interior technical coordination as core design work, not a constraint to route around. Someone who can sit across from a client, a base building architect, and an MEP engineer in the same afternoon, understand what all three actually need, translate between disciplines that don't naturally speak the same language, and still land on a finish and detail package that holds up in construction and in daily use for years afterward.

What You'll Own

  • Lead interior design and delivery on complex projects.
  • Direct documentation, drawing production, and QC/QA reviews.
  • Coordinate architecture, FF&E, lighting, and acoustics consultants.
  • Serve as the technical voice to the client. Translate jargon in both directions.
  • Manage regulatory review and AHJ submissions for building code, accessibility, and zoning, particularly the jurisdictional quirks specific to complex urban work.
  • Run construction contract administration effectively, which means your team doesn't just show up to meetings, they close loops.
  • Stay current on building technology and systems relevant to high-rise and mixed-use delivery.
  • Contribute to pursuits, proposals, and interviews when the work calls for it.
  • Lead charettes, pin-ups, and design reviews that produce decisions, not just discussion.
  • Mentor staff and manage assignments in a way that grows their judgment, not just their task list.

What You'll Bring

Technical range:

  • Building, zoning, and energy code fluency.
  • Site analysis.
  • Preliminary design studies through contract documents and specifications. Construction contract administration.
  • Consultant coordination.
  • Client communication that doesn't require a translator.

Software:

  • Advanced Revit
  • Rhino/Grasshopper for conceptual and computational modeling
  • Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Photoshop)
  • Enscape, Lumion, or V-Ray for visualization
  • Physical modeling: 3D printing, laser cutting
  • Environmental analysis tools such as Ladybug/Climate Studio a plus

Credentials:

  • Bachelor's degree in architecture or a related discipline, required
  • Architectural license
  • LEED GA within 6 months of hire
  • One Living Design accreditation of your choosing: LEED AP with Specialty, BREEAM AP, WELL AP, SITES AP, CPHC/CPHD, or ILFI Living Future Accreditation

What You'll Get
Salary range: $128,800–$189,300, 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)

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Company at a glance

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.

Founded1935
Team Size1,001-5,000 employees
WorkspaceOn-site
IndustryArchitecture and Planning
Location
San Francisco, California, United States

Top Benefits

  • Medical insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • 401(k) retirement plan
  • Paid time off
  • Professional development stipend
  • Performance-based bonuses
  • Leadership development programs

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