Design Assistant (Part-Time)

Kaiser Atelier LLC; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 57,000 - 81,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Kaiser Atelier LLC is a boutique interior design studio in Houston. You will work directly with the designer, handling sourcing, CAD drawings, and project support with a focus on hospitality and high-end residential work.

The role starts ASAP, is part-time (1099) with a fixed 20 hours per week minimum. Pay is $50/hour with a monthly pay schedule and vacation as needed. NDA and background check are required before hire.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in art, design, architecture or closely related field.
• Based in Houston.
• Expert CAD drawing skills: elevations and 3D views.
• Proficient in Google Sheets for ordering and tracking.
• Strong organizational skills and reliability.
• Studio experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing, procurement, ordering, and receiving (core responsibilities).
• Produce CAD drawings and hyper-detailed elevations; create 3D views in SketchUp.
• Pull together mood boards, pitch decks, and presentation materials.
• Support social media: plan, edit, and post content as needed.
• Provide studio and project support: deliveries, emails, and on-site notes.

Skills

CAD drawings

SketchUp

Google Sheets

Time management

Discretion

Education

Bachelor's in design

Tools

CAD software

SketchUp

Job description

Design Assistant (Part-Time) at Kaiser Atelier

Location: Houston, TX (Rice Military / Memorial and Shepherd area), primarily in-studio, with some remote flexibility

Hours: 20 hours/week minimum, right now · Pay: $50/hour

Schedule: 20 hours per week is a fixed minimum right now. Days can be arranged, but the schedule stays consistent week to week, and the time is spent in the studio. Ideally, this role grows to full time, but at this time we are happy to hire for 20 hours a week.

Start date: ASAP · Applications: Open until filled

Type: Part-time, independent contractor (1099). The rate is all-in: it covers gas/mileage and incidental expenses for studio runs; there is no separate expense reimbursement, except travel to Dallas projects, which is reimbursed.

Trial period: One month, paid at the same $50/hour rate. If it isn't working, the arrangement ends early.

Before you're officially hired: An NDA and background check are required.

Pay schedule & time off: Paid monthly, on the 2nd day of each month. Federal holidays off: no work is expected on the holiday itself, but the 20-hour weekly expectation otherwise stands. Vacation time as needed. The studio is flexible and understands you have a life. In return, we expect someone who is genuinely a hard worker and won't take advantage of a good deal.

Employer: Kaiser Atelier LLC, www.kaiseratelier.com

About the Studio

Kaiser Atelier is a boutique interior design studio founded and led by designer Stephie Kaiser Ron. It is a small, highly efficient studio. You will work directly with the designer, one-on-one, on commercial design with an emphasis on hospitality, along with high-end residential work in Houston and Dallas with budgets exceeding $3M, including major commercial work for one of Texas's largest developer families. Our clients are of a certain caliber, and the studio operates to that standard: professional, precise, and discreet.

This is a long-term role for the right person, not a revolving internship.

What You'll Do

Sourcing, procurement, ordering, and receiving (the core of this role)

• Source materials, finishes, furniture, and fixtures
• Set up trade accounts
• Place and track orders; handle receiving and quality control; manage returns
• Update ordering and receiving tracking spreadsheets in Google Sheets

Design production

• Produce CAD drawings and hyper-detailed elevations, sitting with the designer to work through exactly what is needed, with quick turnaround
• Pull together mood boards, pitch decks, and presentation materials, sometimes improvised on the spot

Social media (as needed)

• The studio is strictly word-of-mouth and has not yet invested in an online presence. One thing this role may support is putting more of the studio's work online
• Depending on where you're needed, you may be plugged into social media: photograph and film projects, site visits, samples, installs, and studio life
• Plan, edit, and post content that matches the studio's standard

Studio & project support

• Sample runs, pickups, and deliveries
• Answer emails and keep the studio's day-to-day communications moving
• Establish online presence (Google, Apple, Instagram, etc.)
• Take thorough notes in meetings; act as the designer's eyes and ears on site
• Support photoshoots: styling, flowers, decor, and day-of logistics

Who You Are

• Common sense, above all. The biggest skill in this job, beyond CAD, is the ability to think practically and fill in gaps without being walked through every step. Example: the designer sends you a few photos of a vanity direction. A job well done means you solve it: make it fit the space, build it on standard sizing so it actually works, and pull three stone samples for the custom sink that match the photo, and you've already done the legwork: you know how many are in stock, what they cost, and what the lead time is. That's the job.
• You move fast. We work quickly here, and elevations come back fast. Responsiveness and turnaround matter as much as accuracy.
• You bring modesty to the role. You're supporting a designer's practice, not leading the design, and the work, the materials, and everything you produce belong to the studio. Micromanaging isn't our style. Competence earns autonomy here.
• You hold a bachelor's degree in art, design, architecture, or a closely related field, and you are based in Houston
• You have expert-level CAD drawing skills: hyper-detailed elevations are a core part of this job; be prepared to show work samples. We typically work from existing floor plans and produce our own elevations, so elevations are the priority, with floor plans as needed. You also need to build 3D views of the space, e.g., in SketchUp, including clean all-white clay-style renderings so we can read the space in three dimensions. Quick turnaround matters as much as accuracy here.
• Proficient in Google Sheets: able to update spreadsheets for ordering, receiving, and tracking, and keep them accurate.
• Highly Type A: hyper-organized, super focused, and precise. Our work is exacting, so accuracy matters a lot here
• Super tech-savvy. The studio provides a desktop in the office and the software licenses you need (CAD, SketchUp). And if you use AI, that's fine: just proofread it, make it sound human, and catch AI errors before anything goes out
• A strong eye for design and the ability to improvise
• Loyal, discreet, and professional. You will be trusted inside client homes and major projects
• A close professional relationship matters here. It will just be the two of us in the studio, so loyalty and trust matter, and those are built with good chemistry and time. Always put your best foot forward, and want a real working relationship with the designer
• Reliable transportation for runs across Houston, and potentially to Dallas projects

What You'll Get

• Direct mentorship from the designer on commercial projects with a hospitality emphasis, as well as high-end residential work most junior designers never touch
• Real responsibility from day one. Your work goes in front of clients
• A long-term seat in a growing studio, with real room for growth. Ideally, this role grows to full time; right now it starts at a fixed 20 hour per week minimum.
• A path, either way: stay and grow with the company as it grows, or leave one day with the skills and tools to do your own thing. The studio is about uplifting people in the industry