Intermediate Architectural Associate
2 days ago
Oakland
Job DescriptionOur Work We are an architecture and real estate development social enterprise creating spaces that embody justice, healing, and self-determination. By designing with communities most impacted by incarceration and disinvestment, we build infrastructure that supports community ownership, redistributes power, and lays the foundation for a world rooted in care, not punishment. To achieve this mission our team is composed of architects, designers, real estate developers and community members working together to create solutionary spaces and places that bring dignity, well-being and care to the communities we serve. How You Fit In Title: Intermediate Architectural Associate Location: Bay Area, CA — Hybrid role with 2–3 trips per quarter across the U.S. Salary Range: $85,000–$110,000 You love our mission, bring excellent design skills across a variety of project scales, and are excited to apply those skills to community engagement, finance, and real estate development projects throughout California and across the country. You'll play a key role in advancing DJDS's design projects by contributing both technical rigor and creative vision. Your work will ensure that community input is honored in every phase and that design intent is carried through to completion. What You'll Lead • Contribute technical drawings and design support across projects including new construction, adaptive reuse, renovation, housing, commercial, education, and mixed-use developments., • Advance design concepts through technical phases, ensuring documentation reflects intent and execution., • Support all phases of drawing production with expertise in detailing, integration, and contract documents., • Assist with construction administration tasks, including RFIs, consultant/contractor coordination, and close-out documentation., • Provide mentorship and support to interns or junior staff as needed.Where You'll Collaborate, • Work closely with the Design Director and design team on concept design, development, and presentations using both analog (sketching, model-making) and digital tools., • Partner with the Community Engagement Manager to translate engagement findings into building programs, design ideas, and narratives., • Collaborate on FF&E selection, lighting, finishes, and millwork documentation., • Engage with consultants, contractors, and community stakeholders to integrate technical and community perspectives.Who You Are, • Currently based in the California Bay Area and eligible to work in the, • Eligible to work in the U.S., • Have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture, • 5–7 years of professional experience across all phases of architectural design, • Skilled in producing full drawing sets, construction detailing, and coordinating with consultants and engineers, • Experience with pre-design, building programming, code research, and navigating entitlement and permitting processes, • Proficient in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, AutoCAD, and Adobe Creative Suite, • Strong model-making skills, • Excellent verbal and written communication, strong organizational skills, and a collaborative interpersonal style; comfortable representing DJDS in public forums and community settings, • High emotional intelligence, cultural competency, and a solutions-oriented mindset when navigating challenges, • Deep commitment to justice and equity, with understanding of systemic racism and its impacts; embrace community-led, cross-disciplinary design processes, • Fabrication or 3D printing experience, • Spanish fluency, • Graphic design, sketching, or illustration skills, • Knowledge of architectural processesWhat You'll Accomplish in Your First Year, • Within 1 Month: Develop familiarity with DJDS's mission, design approach, project workflows, and documentation standards while building relationships with your team and leadership., • Within 3 Months: Contribute design and technical support across active projects, produce drawing sets, and begin translating community engagement findings into design strategies and narratives., • Within 6 Months: Lead technical documentation through multiple project phases, represent DJDS in community and consultant meetings with growing independence, and support junior staff and interns., • Annual salary range of $85,000–$110,000, depending on experience, • This is a full-time, salaried position with a hybrid work structure. While in-person collaboration is essential to our process, we also support flexibility and work-life balance., • DJDS covers 100% of medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their children under age 26, with optional coverage for domestic partners, long-term disability, and life insurance, • Paid time off includes vacation (tiered by tenure), sick leave, bereavement, jury duty, and 16 total holidays (12 standard plus 4 flexible/personal days), • Up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave supported by state and DJDS supplemental pay Your resume and portfolio should be combined into a single PDF file and uploaded together in the resume upload field. If your portfolio is hosted online, you may upload your resume alone and provide a link to your portfolio in the designated field of the application. Your portfolio should include work for which you had primary authorship, such as: • Projects that demonstrate your role in design and execution, • Examples that reflect your creative process, technical skills, and design thinking We're building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, and we're excited to learn more about what you bring to the work.