Design Associate – Interior Projects & FF&E Lead (SF)

Carmel Partners; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Carmel Partners in San Francisco seeks a Design Associate to support interior design execution across its national portfolio, including development, renovation and existing assets.

The Associate coordinates documentation, schedules, deliverables, and installations, working with internal teams, consultants, procurement partners, and vendors. They assist with design, budget and schedule decisions as directed by the Design team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in interior design or related field preferred.
• 2+ years of interior design, architecture, FF&E, procurement, or project coordination experience.
• Ability to read architectural drawings and finish schedules; familiarity with construction documentation.
• Proficient with MS Office; Bluebeam; CAD tools (AutoCAD, Revit) a plus.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate interior design initiatives across the national portfolio under the direction of the Design team.
• Maintain project trackers, milestone schedules, action-item logs, approval records, and portfolio-level status reporting.
• Coordinate day-to-day project information among internal teams, interior design consultants, architects, contractors, procurement partners, and vendors.
• Manage Design team and project meetings, including scheduling, agendas, presentation materials, notes, and follow-up on outstanding deliverables.
• Perform initial review of drawings, finish schedules, specifications, shop drawings, submittals, and RFIs for completeness; route items for Design team review and elevate discrepancies for resolution.
• Prepare and maintain specification sheets, finish schedules, sample sets, unit finish boards, and related design documentation, including approved pricing.
• Track and document approved selections for residential units, corridors, amenities, model units, and exterior FF&E.
• Coordinate smaller scope amenity refreshes and Asset Management design requests; research options and prepare preliminary recommendations for Design team approval.
• Coordinate with vendors to obtain samples, lead times, substitutions, and order-status information.
• Track FF&E and finish selections against approved budgets and schedules, identifying cost, availability, and schedule risks early.
• Coordinate documentation, shop drawings, and finish and fabric samples related to furniture product development.
• Support project installations and styling alongside procurement partners, vendors, and installation teams to confirm approved design intent is carried through.
• Coordinate warranty, repair, replacement, and close-out needs following FF&E installation.
• Periodically visit active construction sites and project installations, including elevated areas and uneven ground, wearing required personal protective equipment.
• Maintain the Master Unit Finish Schedule, unit finish standards, product and resource libraries, project files, vendor and consultant records, and historical design documentation.
• Support the documentation and rollout of design standards, preferred specifications, and national sourcing initiatives, and maintain lessons-learned documentation for future standards and processes
• Maintain the Design product room and coordinate sample requests and material distribution to outside consultants and project teams
• Provide coordination and administrative support for Design team travel, installations, presentations, and special projects
• Travel nationally by car or air as required, and occasionally lift or carry materials and samples of up to 50 pounds during installations
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Skills

Interior design coordination

Documentation management

Project scheduling

Communication skills

Budget & scheduling awareness

Education

BA in interior design

Tools

Bluebeam

AutoCAD

Revit

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Carmel Partners in San Francisco seeks a Design Associate to support interior design execution across its national portfolio, including development, renovation and existing assets.

The Associate coordinates documentation, schedules, deliverables, and installations, working with internal teams, consultants, procurement partners, and vendors. They assist with design, budget and schedule decisions as directed by the Design team.