Senior Designer / Architect (Shelterwerk)

About Shelterwerk

Shelterwerk is a small architecture and design studio based in Oakland. Our work spans public projects for the State of California, commercial tenant improvements, residential renovations, and ADU and infill housing across the East Bay. In a studio this size, junior staff are not parked on a single task — you will attend client meetings, contribute across multiple project phases, and follow projects from concept through completion. It is a hands-on way to learn how design decisions become buildable construction.

About the Role

The Senior Designer/Architect operates with substantial autonomy, leading projects from pre-design through construction administration and serving as the firm's primary point of contact for clients, consultants, and agencies. The role remains hands-on and contributes to production as the work requires, but production is not its focus. Its focus is leadership: setting and defending design direction, resolving code and regulatory questions authoritatively, managing scope, schedule, and fee, and developing the junior and intermediate staff who work alongside you.

This position is intentionally broad at the upper end. It suits architects with a decade of experience as readily as those with thirty years of practice, and the balance of design leadership, technical authority, and staff development can be shaped around the strengths you bring.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects from pre-design through construction administration with minimal oversight
• Serve as the primary client contact; manage expectations, scope, schedule, and budget
• Establish and maintain design direction, and defend that direction to clients and reviewing agencies
• Interpret and apply building codes independently, including the California Building Code, California Fire Code, Title 24, CALGreen, and CBC Chapter 11B accessibility requirements
• Represent the firm in plan check, agency review, and negotiations with authorities having jurisdiction
• Select, contract with, and coordinate structural, MEP, civil, and specialty consultants
• Perform quality control review of drawing sets prior to issuance; own document integration across disciplines
• Seal and sign construction documents as the architect of record where appropriate
• Conduct construction administration: submittal and RFI review, site observation, change order evaluation, and closeout
• Prepare and negotiate proposals and fee estimates; monitor project profitability and staffing
• Supervise, mentor, and review the work of junior and intermediate design staff, including AXP supervision
• Contribute to firm standards, business development, and client relationships

Qualifications

• Typically ten (10) or more years of professional experience; candidates with substantially more experience are encouraged to apply
• Current California architectural license in good standing preferred
• Architecture degree (typically M.Arch or B.Arch)
• Authoritative working knowledge of the California Building Code, California Fire Code, Title 24, CALGreen, accessibility standards, and local zoning ordinances
• Demonstrated record of leading projects through permitting with California authorities having jurisdiction; experience with DSA, HCAI, or State Fire Marshal review is a plus
• Proficiency in Revit and/or AutoCAD preferred; working familiarity with SketchUp, Rhino, and Adobe Creative Suite preferred
• Experience preparing fee proposals and managing project budgets against actual hours
• Demonstrated experience supervising, mentoring, and developing design staff
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; comfortable leading client, consultant, and agency meetings independently
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and competing deadlines with minimal supervision
• Must be legally eligible to work in the United States
• Valid California driver's license required for site visits and construction administration

Additional Details

Regular travel to job sites for construction observation, field measurements, and coordination visits is required, including occasional out-of-state travel. Site visits may involve walking uneven or unfinished terrain, climbing ladders, and wearing personal protective equipment.

Benefits

Shelterwerk offers profit-sharing to all full-time employees.

• Health coverage
• PTO
• AXP hour documentation
• Mentorship
• Continuing education

How to Apply

Please send a résumé and portfolio or work samples (PDF, 10MB max) to admin@shelterwerk.com with “Senior Designer/Architect ” in the subject line. We are especially interested in hearing about projects you carried from first client conversation through construction — including the ones that got complicated.