Senior Designer

Carrierjohnson; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Carrier Johnson + Culture (CJ+C) seeks a Senior Designer to lead the design vision for complex architectural projects from concept through construction. Work closely with Design Directors, Principals, and multidisciplinary teams to translate bold ideas into exceptional built work while mentoring emerging professionals and maintaining design excellence.

You will balance design ambition with technical, scheduling, and budget realities, contributing to a collaborative, design-driven studio culture

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture from an accredited university is required.
• 12+ years of professional architectural experience with demonstrated success leading the design of complex projects.
• Registered Architect (RA) licensure strongly preferred.
• Exceptional portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, design excellence, and successful built work across multiple project types.
• Strong presentation, communication, and visual storytelling skills with experience presenting directly to clients, stakeholders, and public agencies.
• Strong understanding of architectural detailing, building systems, construction methods, and project delivery.
• Ability to balance design ambition with technical, operational, schedule, and budget considerations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design vision for projects from concept through construction, ensuring design excellence is maintained throughout every phase.
• Establish and communicate a clear design direction that aligns client goals, project objectives, and firm standards.
• Collaborate closely with project architects, project managers, consultants, and technical teams to ensure design intent is successfully executed.
• Lead and contribute to design pursuits, interviews, workshops, and client presentations.
• Explore and communicate design ideas through hand sketching, digital visualization, physical and digital modeling, and other design communication tools.
• Develop compelling visual narratives through diagrams, renderings, presentations, and other materials that clearly express design intent.
• Mentor and inspire designers while fostering a collaborative, design-focused studio culture.
• Build lasting client relationships through thoughtful leadership, responsiveness, and design excellence.
• Champion an integrated design approach that advances innovation, technical excellence, and design quality across the firm.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Presentation

Communication

Visual storytelling

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Architecture

Tools

Revit

SketchUp

Rhino

Enscape

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

At Carrier Johnson + Culture (CJ+C), we view design as a catalyst for creating vibrant, meaningful places that enrich communities and improve the human experience. As an international architecture and design firm, our interdisciplinary teams deliver innovative solutions across mixed-use, multifamily residential, hospitality, higher education, civic, workplace, and commercial markets.

Fueled by creativity, curiosity, and collaboration, we embrace a design culture that values bold ideas, technical excellence, and thoughtful execution. We believe the best solutions emerge when diverse perspectives come together, empowering our teams to shape transformative projects from concept through construction.

We are seeking a Senior Designer with a strong architectural background to help shape the design vision for a diverse portfolio of projects. This role works closely with Design Directors, Principals, and multidisciplinary teams to create exceptional architecture from concept through construction while contributing lasting value for our clients and communities.

Your Role

As a Senior Designer at CJ+C, you will lead the design vision for complex architectural projects while collaborating with Design Directors, Principals, project managers, project architects, and technical leaders to translate bold ideas into exceptional built work. You are an accomplished design leader with exceptional design judgment, strong communication skills, and the ability to inspire clients, consultants, and project teams.

You are equally comfortable sketching ideas, developing design concepts, presenting to clients, mentoring emerging professionals, and partnering with technical teams to ensure design excellence is maintained throughout every phase of a project. You understand how to balance design ambition with project realities while delivering architecture that is both inspiring and buildable.

What You Will Do

• Lead the design vision for projects from concept through construction, ensuring design excellence is maintained throughout every phase.
• Establish and communicate a clear design direction that aligns client goals, project objectives, and firm standards.
• Collaborate closely with project architects, project managers, consultants, and technical teams to ensure design intent is successfully executed.
• Lead and contribute to design pursuits, interviews, workshops, and client presentations.
• Explore and communicate design ideas through hand sketching, digital visualization, physical and digital modeling, and other design communication tools.
• Develop compelling visual narratives through diagrams, renderings, presentations, and other materials that clearly express design intent.
• Mentor and inspire designers while fostering a collaborative, design-focused studio culture.
• Build lasting client relationships through thoughtful leadership, responsiveness, and design excellence.
• Champion an integrated design approach that advances innovation, technical excellence, and design quality across the firm.

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture from an accredited university required.
• 12+ years of professional architectural experience with demonstrated success leading the design of complex projects.
• Registered Architect (RA) licensure strongly preferred.
• Exceptional portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, design excellence, and successful built work across multiple project types.
• Strong presentation, communication, and visual storytelling skills with experience presenting directly to clients, stakeholders, and public agencies.
• Strong understanding of architectural detailing, building systems, construction methods, and project delivery.
• Ability to balance design ambition with technical, operational, schedule, and budget considerations.
• Proficiency in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Enscape, Adobe Creative Suite, and other visualization tools.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams while mentoring emerging professionals.
• Experience across mixed-use, multifamily, hospitality, civic, higher education, workplace, or commercial project types is preferred.