Project Manager / Project Architect (6–10 Years’ Experience)

Archinect; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off & sick leave

Seven paid holidays

Licensure support

Job summary

Millán Architect / Studio seeks a skilled architect to lead high-end residential and boutique commercial projects from concept through construction, with strong Archicad fluency and exceptional organization.

You will coordinate design development, prepare detailed drawings, and manage client and consultant communications, ensuring design intent and documentation are carried through all project phases.

Qualifications

• NAAB-accredited professional degree required.
• 6–10 years of architecture experience post-degree.
• Experience managing high-end single-family residential projects.
• Ability to lead project teams and mentor junior staff.
• Proficiency in Archicad and detailed documentation.

Responsibilities

• Translate design direction into cohesive architectural solutions.
• Prepare design drawings and maintain design intent through all phases.
• Lead day-to-day project management and coordinate with consultants.
• Produce buildable permit and construction documents in Archicad.
• Manage construction administration and site visits.

Skills

Project management

Team leadership

Client communication

Attention to detail

Organization

Archicad proficiency

Education

NAAB-accredited degree

Tools

Archicad

Adobe Creative Suite

Google Workspace

Slack

Dropbox

macOS

Job description

About the Studio

At Millán Architect / Studio, we design for permanence. From our studio in Venice Beach, we shape custom homes, hospitality spaces, and boutique commercial work across Los Angeles — projects rooted in sustainability and built to last.

We're a small firm by choice: it means everyone here touches projects from conception through completion, works directly with clients and collaborators, and helps shape the studio itself. We're hiring because the work is growing and we're looking for someone who wants the range of responsibilities that comes in a small studio environment.

About the Role

This role will service a growing slate of newly greenlit work — weighted toward high‑end residential, including custom‑home rebuilds in the Pacific Palisades, alongside boutique commercial projects.

It is a straddle role by design. You'll coordinate project design, develop and detail design concepts, and prepare drawings, while owning the delivery, coordination, and day‑to‑day progress of your projects.

We're looking for someone skilled, motivated, creative, exceptionally organized, and not just managing but being able to produce deliverables directly. That means carrying projects independently from kickoff through construction administration; pairing design ability with an exceptional command of documentation, detailing, and coordination. It also means deep, fluent proficiency in Graphisoft Archicad BIM.

What You'll Do

Design & Concept Development

• Work with the Principal to translate design direction into cohesive, well‑resolved architectural solutions.
• Prepare presentation and design drawings, and maintain design intent through each phase of the project.
• Support the development of project materials, systems, assemblies, and details in alignment with the design vision.

Project Delivery & Coordination

• Lead day‑to‑day project management — driving schedules and deliverables to completion, and flagging deadline risk ahead of the deadline rather than after it.
• Coordinate internal team members and external consultants across all phases.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for clients, consultants, contractors, product representatives, fabricators, and regulatory agencies.
• Track and maintain clear, proactive communication regarding project status, schedule, budget implications, decisions needed, and next steps.
• Anticipate problems and develop creative, practical solutions before they become delays.
• Direct, coordinate, and review the work of junior staff and collaborators to maintain progress, accuracy, and design intent.
• Maintain organized project records, including meeting notes, correspondence, drawing logs, deliverables, and key decisions.

Technical Documentation & Detailing

• Produce thorough, well‑coordinated, buildable permit and construction document sets in Archicad.
• Develop project‑specific details, wall sections, schedules, and specifications.
• Research, select, and coordinate materials, products, assemblies, and building systems.
• Manage projects through permitting and plan check, coordinating code compliance and jurisdictional requirements throughout.

Construction Administration

• Manage construction administration, including RFIs, submittals, shop drawings, site visits, OAC meetings, supplemental instructions, and payment applications as needed.
• Resolve field conditions and protect design intent through construction.
• Support clients through construction and final project delivery.

Studio Contribution

• Contribute to the studio's evolving standards, workflows, templates, documentation practices, and shared project knowledge.
• Bring lessons learned from each project back into the studio to improve how the team works.

What You Bring

• A professional degree from a NAAB‑accredited program.
• 6–10 years of professional experience at an architecture firm (post‑degree).
• Demonstrated experience managing high‑end, single‑family, custom residential projects through all phases.
• Ability to lead project teams, delegate work, review drawings, and mentor junior staff.
• Strong knowledge of residential construction assemblies, materials, detailing, specifications, building codes, and zoning requirements.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with clients, consultants, agencies, contractors, and internal team members — including proactive, forward‑looking flagging of risks and blockers rather than after‑the‑fact updates.
• Detail‑oriented working style, with a commitment to accurate, succinct, complete, and coordinated work.
• Proven ability to balance multiple tasks and projects, confirm priorities, organize workflow, and maintain progress.
• Fluency in the day‑to‑day tech stack we run on: Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Meet, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets), Slack, Dropbox, and macOS (including Apple Mail). We're a Mac studio; daily communication and coordination live in this stack, and comfort here is a baseline expectation.
• A desire to contribute to studio standards, processes, and shared knowledge as the practice grows.
• Exceptional, fluent, day‑one proficiency in Graphisoft Archicad. This is a hard requirement and central to the role. Archicad fluency will be evaluated in a live working session during the interview process.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite.
• Strong organizational skills and clear, professional written and verbal communication.
• US work authorization required. We are not able to sponsor H‑1B or other work visas.

Nice to Have

• Proficiency in rendering software (Enscape, Twinmotion, or similar).
• Familiarity with supplemental 3D modeling tools (Rhino, SketchUp).
• Experience navigating Los Angeles permitting and plan check — City of Los Angeles / LADBS, and design‑review‑intensive coastal jurisdictions such as Santa Monica, Malibu, or the Pacific Palisades.
• Progress toward licensure — we actively support AXP and the ARE.

What We Offer

• Base salary commensurate with relevant experience, skills, capabilities, and demonstrated Archicad proficiency.
• Employer‑paid health insurance and dental coverage.
• 401(k) with company match (eligible after 12 months of full‑time employment).
• Paid time off and sick leave, and seven paid holidays.
• Licensure support — ARE exam fee reimbursement, AXP support, and a salary review upon licensure.
• In‑studio Monday–Thursday (4 days/week), with Fridays flexible / remote.
• A small, collaborative studio where you'll touch every phase of a project and have real ownership of your work.