Senior Experiential Graphic Designer

Skidmore Owings & Merrill • Chicago, IL

8d

About The Position

The Senior Experiential Graphic Designer actively leads projects with periodic supervision from Project Leadership. The role combines conceptual design, interdisciplinary collaboration, technical documentation, project coordination, and staff leadership. The designer produces, coordinates, and oversees presentation and contract deliverables, communicates with project teams, consultants, and clients, and helps advance project designs through creative and technical strategies. The position also manages work efforts and deadlines, guides less experienced staff, coordinates project documents, and contributes to sustainable design practices and the development of studio standards.

Leadership responsibilities include mentoring and training staff, defining expectations, delegating work, directly supervising staff, and supporting direct reports’ professional development. The role also contributes to talent recruitment, project work planning, professional development, sustainable design knowledge, and protecting the firm from financial and legal risk.

Applicants must submit a portfolio as one PDF attachment, 10–20 pages and no more than 5 MB. Applications without work samples will not be reviewed.

Requirements

• Professional degree in Graphic Design, Architecture, Interiors, or a related field.
• At least 6 years of environmental graphic design experience, supported by a portfolio.
• Strong understanding of sustainable strategies and principles, including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Adobe Suite and Google Workspace.
• Familiarity with Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino, parametric software, and rendering software.

Nice To Haves

• LEED or other green building accreditation.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects with periodic supervision by Project Leadership.
• Produce, coordinate, and/or oversee presentation and contract deliverables, including diagrams, 3D models, drawings, renderings, physical models, and animations.
• Communicate effectively with project teams, consultants, and clients through timely written, oral, and visual means.
• Develop conceptual designs and integrate interdisciplinary criteria to advance projects.
• Collaborate with project, consultant, and client teams, critically and constructively evaluating ideas.
• Contribute to and participate in studio and office activities.
• Apply knowledge of materials, specifications, codes, details, and construction techniques to develop and document designs at all project phases.
• Manage own workload and the work of others to meet project deadlines and commitments, while guiding and teaching less experienced staff.
• Check and coordinate project documents, including drawing set organization, details, dimensions, interdisciplinary coordination, and specification compliance with technical requirements.
• Inspire and lead others, mentor and train staff, define team expectations and responsibilities, delegate appropriately, and directly supervise staff.
• Support direct reports’ professional development.
• Participate in recruiting and talent strategy through resume reviews and interviews.
• Develop project work plans with team members to achieve budget, deliverables, and schedule.
• Participate in internal and external professional development opportunities.
• Contribute to sustainable strategies on projects and develop staff knowledge of sustainability.
• Contribute to the development of standards, policies, and procedures.
• Help protect the firm from financial and legal risk.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior