Designer II

Perkins&Will; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Professional development stipend

Continuing education time

Performance-based bonuses

Affinity groups and leadership dev.

Job summary

Perkins&Will in San Diego is seeking a Designer II to join our studio and contribute energy to project teams. You will generate drawings across schematic design, design development, and construction documents, under supervision, while thinking through design problems.

You will gain increasing ownership, self-check your work for accuracy, and participate in design reviews, charettes, and pin-ups, coordinating with partners and consultants to streamline workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture or related discipline.
• Active ARE preparation with involvement in AXP.
• Familiarity with building codes and life-safety requirements.
• Experience with construction documents and software tools.

Responsibilities

• Generate drawings under supervision across schematic design, design development, and construction documents.
• Take increasing ownership of tasks within project teams and the studio.
• Self-check for accuracy, omissions, legibility, and compliance with the Project Delivery Manual.
• Coordinate effectively with partners and consultants and participate in design reviews, charettes, and pin-ups.

Skills

Communication

Project coordination

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in architecture or related discipline

Tools

Enscape

V-Ray

3D printing

Laser cutting

Job description

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following our Accessibility Accomodation for Applicants page.

Designer II

• Posted on November 4, 2026

Locations

Showing 1 location

• Hybrid
• Travel Required : No
• Full-Time
• Requisition #: DESIG006143

Description

At Perkins&Will, we passionately believe that design can transform lives and enhance communities, creating healthy, sustainable places to live, learn, work, play, heal, move, and explore. We’re in it for the greater good; we design to create places with meaning, and we design with purpose. Join the brightest minds in architecture

Our San Diego studio is looking for a Designer II who brings real creative energy to project teams, not someone content to just produce 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.
• 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: $72,100–$92,100, 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

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)

Travel Required

No .

Qualifications

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 Disabilities

This 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.