Senior Designer & Project Manager

Title:

Senior Designer & Project Manager Compensation: $60-$65/hour + commission

Hours:

Part-time, approximately 15–25 hours per week depending on active pipeline and project load

Location:

Hybrid — Remote and On-Site flexibly (Chicagoland)

Lexa Glade Design is a boutique interior design studio based in Chicago. While we have built an extensive residential and commercial portfolio, we are still very much in a startup phase of growth. We need a senior team member who can design, lead, and manage projects from start to finish, and help bring in prospective clients in between.

This role could be a great fit for a solopreneur who is looking to supplement their income and would like to work more collaboratively within a small team. This person can still maintain their own book of business while growing alongside and with us. This opportunity might also be a good fit for someone who is looking for something new. This is a space where they will be able to influence the brand, future, and profitability of the business they create, and receive a direct return and reward on that investment.

• Contribute to concept development, material curation, and client presentations on active projects
• Provide senior-level design judgment through design development and procurement
• Ensure design quality and brand alignment across every client touchpoint
• Quality-check finished work against the original design intent
• Lead and mentor junior staff through all levels of project processes

• Manage active projects from design development through installation — scheduling trades, tracking deliveries, and resolving on‑site issues
• Source, vet, and manage contractor, vendor, and trade relationships; hold them accountable to scope, budget, and timeline
• Conduct site visits to monitor progress, quality, and adherence to design specifications
• Track vendor deliverables, purchase orders, and installation timelines
• Manage vendor budgets, invoicing, and contracts; flag overages before they become problems
• Maintain a vetted contractor and vendor roster, including performance history

• Identify, cultivate, and close new client relationships across commercial and residential channels
• Build and maintain a prospect pipeline in Streak CRM
• Represent the studio at networking events, trade shows, and industry gatherings
• Develop referral relationships with architects, developers, real estate agents, and contractors
• Lead discovery conversations and prepare and present proposals through to close

• Log all prospect, client, and project activity in Streak and Workroom
• Coordinate with Lex and the team on handoffs from sales into active design and execution
• Flag capacity constraints and timeline conflicts before they become problems

• Formal design education — a degree or accredited certificate in Interior Design or a closely related field
• Demonstrated CAD/drafting experience (AutoCAD, Sketch Up, Revit, or equivalent) — this is a must-have, not a nice‑to‑have
• Minimum of 5-6 years of relevant professional experience across design, project management, or business development in a design/construction‑adjacent field
• Proven experience managing contractors, vendors, or trades through active construction or installation
• Proven ability to generate and close new business — not just work referrals handed to you
• Excellent communicator — written, verbal, and visual
• Comfortable moving between a sales conversation, a design review, and a job‑site in the same day
• Self‑directed and organized; not waiting to be told what to do next
• Owns a car (and a valid driver’s license), a working laptop, and the software licenses needed for this role

• Existing network in the Chicago design, development, or real estate community
• Background in architecture, construction, or commercial development
• Experience with CRM tools and pipeline reporting

Lexa Glade Design is an LGBTQ+ majority-operated interior design studio, and that isn't incidental to how we work — it shapes our team culture and how we show up for clients and partners.

We're committed to a workplace built on genuine respect and…