Senior Designer & Project Manager

Lexa Glade Design; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 90,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Commission on closes

Flexible hours

Startup environment

Job summary

Lexa Glade Design seeks a Senior Designer & Project Manager to lead design, manage projects from start to finish, and drive new business development. The role blends design excellence with on-site and client-facing activities in a small, collaborative team.

You will balance design leadership with project coordination, propagate brand standards, and mentor junior staff while collaborating with contractors and vendors in a fast-growing studio environment.

Qualifications

• Formal design education — degree or accredited certificate in Interior Design or related field.
• CAD/drafting experience with AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit or equivalent — must-have.
• 5–6 years of relevant professional experience in design, PM or business development.
• Proven experience managing contractors, vendors, or trades through active construction or installation.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to concept development, material curation, and client presentations on active projects.
• Provide senior-level design judgment through design development and procurement.
• Lead and mentor junior staff through all project processes.

Skills

Senior-level leadership

Client relationships

Design critique

Excellent communicator

Sales to design switching

Education

Interior Design degree

Tools

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Revit

Streak CRM

Job description

Title: Senior Designer & Project Manager

Compensation: $60-$65/hour + commission

Hours: Part-time, approximately 15–25 hours per week depending on active pipeline and project load

Location: Hybrid — Remote and On-Site flexibly (Chicagoland)

Lexa Glade Design is a boutique interior design studio based in Chicago. While we have built an extensive residential and commercial portfolio, we are still very much in a startup phase of growth. We need a senior team member who can design, lead, and manage projects from start to finish, and help bring in prospective clients in between.

This role could be a great fit for a solopreneur who is looking to supplement their income and would like to work more collaboratively within a small team. This person can still maintain their own book of business while growing alongside and with us. This opportunity might also be a good fit for someone who is looking for something new. This is a space where they will be able to influence the brand, future, and profitability of the business they create, and receive a direct return and reward on that investment.

What You'll Be Doing -

Senior Design

• Contribute to concept development, material curation, and client presentations on active projects
• Provide senior-level design judgment through design development and procurement
• Ensure design quality and brand alignment across every client touchpoint
• Quality-check finished work against the original design intent
• Lead and mentor junior staff through all levels of project processes

Project Management

• Manage active projects from design development through installation — scheduling trades, tracking deliveries, and resolving on‑site issues
• Source, vet, and manage contractor, vendor, and trade relationships; hold them accountable to scope, budget, and timeline
• Conduct site visits to monitor progress, quality, and adherence to design specifications
• Track vendor deliverables, purchase orders, and installation timelines
• Manage vendor budgets, invoicing, and contracts; flag overages before they become problems
• Maintain a vetted contractor and vendor roster, including performance history

Business Development

• Identify, cultivate, and close new client relationships across commercial and residential channels
• Build and maintain a prospect pipeline in Streak CRM
• Represent the studio at networking events, trade shows, and industry gatherings
• Develop referral relationships with architects, developers, real estate agents, and contractors
• Lead discovery conversations and prepare and present proposals through to close

Studio Operations

• Log all prospect, client, and project activity in Streak and Workroom
• Coordinate with Lex and the team on handoffs from sales into active design and execution
• Flag capacity constraints and timeline conflicts before they become problems

What We're Looking For -

Required

• Formal design education — a degree or accredited certificate in Interior Design or a closely related field
• Demonstrated CAD/drafting experience (AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, or equivalent) — this is a must-have, not a nice‑to‑have
• Minimum of 5-6 years of relevant professional experience across design, project management, or business development in a design/construction‑adjacent field
• Proven experience managing contractors, vendors, or trades through active construction or installation
• Proven ability to generate and close new business — not just work referrals handed to you
• Excellent communicator — written, verbal, and visual
• Comfortable moving between a sales conversation, a design review, and a job‑site in the same day
• Self‑directed and organized; not waiting to be told what to do next
• Owns a car (and a valid driver’s license), a working laptop, and the software licenses needed for this role

Bonus

• Existing network in the Chicago design, development, or real estate community
• Background in architecture, construction, or commercial development
• Experience with CRM tools and pipeline reporting

Our Studio -

Lexa Glade Design is an LGBTQ+ majority-operated interior design studio, and that isn't incidental to how we work — it shapes our team culture and how we show up for clients and partners.

We're committed to a workplace built on genuine respect and inclusion.

You don't need to be LGBTQ+ to work here. You do need to be a genuine ally — someone who can work respectfully and effectively alongside a queer‑majority team, represent that commitment to clients and vendors, and hold the same standard of respect for every colleague regardless of who they are. If that's not a fit for you, this isn't the right role.

Lexa Glade Design provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and team members and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation (including gender‑related identity), pregnancy, order of protection status, or any other status protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act or applicable federal law.

What This Is - And Isn't -

This is a startup opportunity – There are pros and cons, and we are seeking someone who can accept the challenge in whole and excel. You'll carry real project management responsibility and real design responsibility, and your commission reflects what you close. In exchange, you're not capped, you're not buried under a 40-person firm's overhead, and the business you bring in stays yours.