Lead Designer

Platteandpine; Nebraska; On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance stipend

Unlimited PTO

Mentorship from Owner

Job summary

Platte + Pine Construction & Remodel is seeking a Lead Designer in Elkhorn, NE. Bring 3+ years of residential design experience and mastery of SketchUp or Chief Architect to own the client experience from first conversation to finished room.

You will lead a four-phase design process, produce build-ready drawings, and ensure on-site design integrity while collaborating with a small, high-standards team.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of residential design experience, ideally in remodeling, design-build, or kitchen/bath.
• Proficient in SketchUp or Chief Architect and can produce construction documents.
• Understanding of how houses are built, with attention to structure and sequencing.
• Warm with clients and able to have hard conversations when needed.
• Extremely organized and able to follow through without prompting.
• Enjoys being on site as well as at a desk; NKBA credential bonus is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the client design experience from initial consultations through a four-phase design process to construction documents.
• Communicate clearly with timely responses, weekly updates, and honest budget/scope discussions.
• Produce build-ready designs including space planning, 2D plans, 3D renderings, and schedules.
• Protect the design on site by weekly project visits and guiding finishing details.
• Run selections and procurement, managing allowances from specification to delivery.
• Build the system by creating standards, templates, and vendor relationships.

Skills

Residential design

SketchUp

Chief Architect

Client communication

Organization

On-site presence

Job description

Now Hiring Platte + Pine Construction & Remodel

Lead Designer

Elkhorn, NE Full-Time $65,000-$85,000 / Year

Design the work. Build the system. Own the client experience.

Most remodeling designers hand off a set of drawings and hope for the best. At Platte + Pine, the Lead Designer carries the vision from the first conversation with a homeowner all the way to the finished room, and builds the design function our company will run on for years.

We are an award-winning, owner-operated design-build firm serving west Omaha, Elkhorn, and the surrounding metro. We specialize in basement finishing, kitchen and bathroom remodels, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Our clients choose us for in-house 2D and 3D design, transparent fixed-price contracts, same-day communication, and a production schedule locked in at signing. We were named Omaha's Choice Best Remodeler, and we intend to keep earning it.

We are looking for a Lead Designer who wants ownership, not just assignments.

What You Will Do

• Lead the client design experience. Join the Owner in initial consultations, then guide each client through a structured four-phase design process, from project summary to a complete construction document packet.
• Communicate like it matters, because it does. Same-day responses, weekly status updates, and honest conversations about budget, scope, and trade-offs, even when the news is not what the client hoped.
• Produce build-ready designs. Space planning, 2D plans, 3D renderings, construction documents, and selection schedules detailed enough that our field team never has to guess.
• Protect the design on site. Hand off cleanly to our PM and field lead, visit every active project weekly, and guide finishing details where design and craftsmanship meet.
• Run selections and procurement. Manage allowance-based selections from specification through delivery so materials arrive ahead of the schedule.
• Build the system. Develop the standards, templates, vendor relationships, and workflows that make great design repeatable, and help shape our education-first content.

Who You Are

• You have 3+ years of residential design experience, ideally in remodeling, design-build, or kitchen and bath.
• You are proficient in SketchUp or Chief Architect and can produce construction documents a crew can build from.
• You understand how houses are built, and you design with structure, mechanicals, and sequencing in mind.
• You are warm with clients and direct when it counts. You would rather have the hard conversation today than the harder one next month.
• You are relentlessly organized and follow through without being chased.
• You like being on a jobsite as much as at a desk.
• Bonus: an NKBA credential (AKBD or CKD), basement or ADU experience, or experience with Buildertrend, JobTread, or similar platforms.

What We Offer

• $65,000 to $85,000 annual salary, based on experience
• Health insurance stipend
• Unlimited PTO
• Direct mentorship from the Owner and a real seat at the table as the company grows
• The chance to build an in-house design function from the ground up, with your fingerprints on every standard
• A small, high-standards team that takes Craftsmanship and Detail seriously

Our Values

Clients Come First. Always. Clear Communication. Radical Transparency. Craftsmanship and Detail.

If those read like how you already work, we want to hear from you.

Platte + Pine Construction & Remodel is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.