Senior Landscape Designer

About the role

Surfacedesign is a studio of landscape architects, designers, and planners dedicated to creating beautiful, functional, and sustainable landscapes. We focus on enhancing connections to the built and natural world, and we strive to achieve excellence in our projects.

Responsibilities

• Support design forward, values-based thinking for our projects and clients for both landscape design and urban design projects.
• Work closely with Partners, Principals, and Associates in guarding the design goals for the project as they are developed; advancing those goals throughout the project’s evolution.
• Participate and develop design approaches that are innovative and show a strong conceptual basis.
• Collaborate in and facilitate information-gathering for vision, programming, and planning.
• Problem solve and attend to details for self-directed research as well as team-developed projects.
• Develop 2D drawings for landscape designs.
• Pick up redlines for project documentation, focusing on accuracy and confirm that the intent is in line with design goals.
• Model landscape design concepts in 3D.
• Utilize a variety of design methods including hand and digital drawing, painting, sketching, drafting, digital and physical modeling, graphics development, photography curation, and others to convey ideas.
• Collaborate with project team including consultants to coordinate, produce, and administer deliverables and tracking assignments.
• Work closely with Principals, Associates, and Landscape Designers in establishing and realizing milestones within the project schedule.
• Prepare project design in preparation for and attendance at client meetings, office meetings, and studio events.
• Affiliate in the performance of construction observation and construction contract administration.
• Research and select materials and plantings for projects, basing selections on contract scope, project goals, budget, and climate/site parameters.
• Affiliate in management of Landscape Designers and Interns.
• Balance workload for more than one project and coordinate this work with others so that deadlines are met.

Qualifications

• Minimum of four years of experience as a landscape design professional.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture, or allied design field.
• Strong design and graphic sense with the ability to verbally and graphically communicate design ideas, moving between hand sketches and digital.
• Excellent 3D and 2D design skills with proficiency in AutoCAD.
• Experience with Rhino, Enscape, Lumion, or similar visualization tools, and/or Revit experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of California plant materials appreciated.
• Experience in construction documentation.
• Preferred to have construction administration experience of landscape architecture project.
• An eagerness and curiosity to learn all areas of practice.
• Knowledge of LEED and/or sustainable development practices desirable.
• Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign.

Benefits

• PTO, Paid holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with Employer Contribution after wait period
• FSA, Commuter benefits
• Life insurance and AD&D
• Long-term disability

Position Details

• Work Location: In person for the first year of employment. After one year, senior designers may choose to work remotely on Fridays.
• Work Schedule: Full-time (i.e., 40+ hours per week), Monday through Friday.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should email info@sdisf.com with “Senior Landscape Designer – [Your Name]” in the subject line. The email should include:

• A brief letter of interest
• Your resume
• Your portfolio, which showcases your creative vision and technical skills