Residential Designer

Bluestem Remodeling; Saint Louis Park (MN); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with matching

Health insurance

Health savings account

Dental insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Bluestem Remodeling is seeking a Residential Designer to own both the design and the client relationship on remodeling projects—from consultation to construction handoff. This client-facing role emphasizes leadership, clear option framing, and maintaining confidence through complex shifts in scope and budget.

Responsibilities include leading design discussions, producing construction documentation, and collaborating with pre-production and production teams to ensure smooth handoffs.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in residential design, kitchen and bath design, interior design, or residential architecture
• Demonstrated ability to lead client relationships independently
• Strong space planning and residential design fundamentals
• Proficiency with design software (Chief Architect, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Revit, 2020, or similar)
• Ability to produce clear, coordinated construction documentation
• Comfort discussing budget and scope directly with clients
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation

Responsibilities

• Own the client relationship on assigned projects, from initial consultation through construction handoff
• Lead design conversations, presentations, and selections meetings
• Frame options, scope, and budget clearly — and hold those conversations directly
• Keep clients informed and confident across the full arc of a project
• Document client conversations, decisions, and next steps consistently in our systems

Skills

Residential design

Client leadership

Space planning

Construction documentation

Tools

Chief Architect

SketchUp

AutoCAD

Revit

Job description

Are you a residential designer whose clients trust you — the one they call, the one they listen to, the one who keeps them confident through a months-long project?

Do you want ownership of the client relationship, not just the drawings?

If so, Bluestem Remodeling may be the right next step in your design career.

About the Role

$75,000 – $110,000 base salary + commission Full-Time In-Person

Are you a residential designer whose clients trust you — the one they call, the one they listen to, the one who keeps them confident through a months-long project?

Do you want ownership of the client relationship, not just the drawings?

If so, Bluestem Remodeling may be the right next step in your design career.

About the Role

Bluestem Remodeling is seeking a Residential Designer to own both the design and the client relationship on assigned remodeling projects — from the first consultation through construction handoff.

This role is client-facing first. We produce beautiful, technically sound remodels, but what distinguishes a great designer here is the ability to lead a client: to listen well, frame choices clearly, hold a budget conversation without flinching, and keep people confident when a project gets complicated. Drawing skill we can evaluate. Client leadership is the thing we are really hiring for.

You will carry your own projects, work alongside our pre-production and production teams, and have real influence on how the work gets done.

Key Responsibilities

Client Leadership

• Own the client relationship on assigned projects, from initial consultation through construction handoff
• Lead design conversations, presentations, and selections meetings
• Frame options, scope, and budget clearly — and hold those conversations directly
• Keep clients informed and confident across the full arc of a project

Design Ownership

• Own design quality, clarity, and completeness on your projects
• Space planning, design development, and construction documentation
• Material, fixture, and finish selections
• Partner with pre-production so projects move cleanly toward construction readiness

Collaboration & Documentation

• Work closely with pre-production, estimating, and production
• Document client conversations, decisions, and next steps consistently in our systems
• Participate in design reviews and help improve how the studio works

Where This Role Can Go

We are hiring the designer first. But we have two real needs beyond design, and we would rather be straightforward about them now than surprise you later. Depending on your strengths and interests, this role can grow in one of two directions:

Design Team Coordination

For someone systems-minded and organized.

This would involve helping coordinate the design team’s workflow, schedules, and handoffs, and strengthening how design work moves through the company. If you are the person who builds the spreadsheet nobody asked for and then everybody ends up using, this is your path.

Sales & Early Client Engagement

For someone energized by meeting new people.

This involves joining early client conversations and site consultations, helping articulate our design value and process, and converting qualified leads into signed design contracts. If you come alive in a first meeting and people leave excited, this is your path.

Most candidates lean clearly one way. A few can do both. Tell us which sounds like you — we will build the role around the right person.

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years in residential design, kitchen and bath design, interior design, or residential architecture
• Demonstrated ability to lead client relationships independently
• Strong space planning and residential design fundamentals
• Proficiency with design software (Chief Architect, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Revit, 2020, or similar)
• Ability to produce clear, coordinated construction documentation
• Comfort discussing budget and scope directly with clients
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation

Preferred

• Design-build or remodeling experience, as distinct from new construction
• Experience with construction project management software (Buildertrend, CoConstruct, or similar)
• Depth in selections — cabinetry, plumbing, lighting, tile, and finishes
• Experience carrying projects in the $150K–$1M+ range
• Clear interest in either team coordination or client development

Our Company

Bluestem Remodeling specializes in personalized remodeling solutions for clients with exacting expectations. Great design, high aesthetic and superior artisanship are our standards. We are a family owned, local business in St. Louis Park. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

What Success Looks Like at Bluestem

Successful team members at Bluestem communicate clearly, take ownership, stay organized, follow through, solve problems proactively, remain calm under pressure, and collaborate well with both clients and teammates.

We value professionalism, technical competence, accountability, humility, and mutual respect. The strongest designers here are confident without being precious about their ideas — able to advocate for good design and still hear what a client actually needs.

Compensation & Benefits:

• $75,000 – $110,000 base salary, plus commission on design contracts
• 401(k) with matching
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance
• Paid time off

Bluestem Remodeling is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.