Residential Interior Designer (Chief Architect)

About Us
Alto Builders is a design-build firm in Agoura Hills, CA. We handle custom homes, full renovations, kitchens, baths, and ADUs, and we're currently rebuilding more than 20 homes lost in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires. Our process is systematic, and our construction documents, design briefs, and finish selections are how we communicate with clients, trades, and vendors.

About the Role
We're looking for an experienced residential interior designer who is highly proficient in Chief Architect to work directly with our Principal Designer across a full portfolio of whole-home projects. This is a hands-on role that covers the entire design process, from building the Chief model off a planset through client selection meetings, construction documents, cabinet design and ordering, and finish procurement and delivery.

Our fire rebuild projects move fast. Construction begins almost immediately after contracts are signed, so a design development phase that would normally take months happens in a matter of weeks. MEP locations, cabinet designs, and rough CD sets need to be finalized before framing is complete, with several projects often at the same stage at once. We need someone who thrives in that pace, stays organized across many active projects, and can own work from start to finish without close supervision.

Responsibilities

Design Development and Modeling

• Build Chief Architect models from architectural plansets or from scratch, working with clients to develop the design
• Gather client inspiration and build Pinterest boards for each project
• Create rough design briefs in Canva, and final design briefs with real finish selections and renderings
• Produce photorealistic 3D renderings in collaboration with the design team

Construction Documents

• Produce rough CD sets with finalized electrical and plumbing locations, printed and ready for the field before framing is complete
• Produce finish CD sets, including paint schedules and tile layouts for every room
• Place bathroom hardware, shower niches, and other fixture locations in the CD set
• Revise plans based on client changes and field conditions, and print CD sets for the field team
• Conduct in-person site measurements to confirm CD set locations and field-verify cabinet dimensions

Client Meetings

• Lead client meetings for doors and windows, rough plumbing, rough electrical, and switching and outlet locations
• Lead cabinet layout, cabinet accessory, in-person sample, and final cabinet confirmation meetings
• Lead tile and flooring showroom meetings, tile orientation and layout meetings, and tile edge selections (mitered, pencil tile, bullnose, Schluter)
• Lead countertop slab showroom and slab edge meetings
• Lead paint meetings, both in person and virtual, covering color, finish, and placement
• Lead selections for exterior stucco and Hardie siding, roof shingles, exterior tile and coping, trim (baseboard and crown), door hardware, cabinet hardware, switch plates and outlet covers, grout color, and shower niche sizing
• Participate in budget alignment meetings with clients
• Respond to client questions by email and update plans as changes come in

Procurement and Coordination

• Create and maintain a finished materials list for each project, and audit it for completeness and compatibility
• Build cabinet orders in Fabuwood's ordering system and place cabinet orders
• Coordinate the door and window ordering process
• Build plumbing fixture orders and iterate with clients to sign-off on style, configuration, and price
• Coordinate appliance ordering and delivery timing
• Order all finishes and make sure they arrive on site at the right time and are stored correctly
• Upload fixture and appliance specifications to BuilderTrend

Requirements

• 3+ years of residential interior design experience, including whole-home projects
• Advanced proficiency in Chief Architect (Premier preferred), including layouts, layer sets, dimensioning, schedules, and cabinet tools. This is essential; candidates without strong Chief Architect skills will not be considered.
• Experience producing residential construction documents, including electrical, plumbing, interior elevations, and cabinet plans
• Experience designing cabinetry and preparing cabinet orders
• Strong knowledge of finishes, including tile, stone, plumbing fixtures, hardware, paint, and flooring, and how they work together
• Comfortable leading client meetings independently and guiding clients to confident decisions on a tight timeline
• Exceptionally organized, able to manage many projects at different stages at the same time
• Able to travel to job sites, showrooms, and client meetings across LA and Ventura counties, with reliable transportation
• Portfolio showing both design work and construction documents produced in Chief Architect (required with application)

Nice to Have

• Experience with Fabuwood or other semi-custom cabinet ordering systems
• Experience with BuilderTrend and Canva
• Knowledge of California residential building code and Title 24 lighting requirements
• Rendering experience
• Experience with design-build firms or fast-track rebuild projects

How to Apply
Please submit your resume and a portfolio that includes finished design work and two or three construction document sets you've produced in Chief Architect (PDFs are fine). Tell us which version of Chief Architect you use and describe the busiest stretch you've managed: how many projects and what stages they were in.

Pay: $60,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Agoura Hills, CA 91301