Office Manager

Apel Design is an architecture and design firm that's been at this for close to thirty years. We design and build custom homes for clients who expect things done right, and we've been doing it long enough to know exactly what that takes. We're a team of seven. Nobody here blends into the background, and pretty much everything one person does depends on somebody else doing their part.

We're looking for an Office Manager to keep information moving between our departments and to be the first person clients, vendors, and guests meet when they walk in or call. The person who thrives here doesn't sit around waiting for a to-do list. They see what needs doing and they handle it. That

said, we're a small office, so this job is hands-on. Some days we'll ask you to take care of something specific, and we want someone who just gets it done instead of checking whether it's technically in the job description.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Internal Communication

- Be the link between department heads. Keep track of decisions, flag conflicts before they grow, and make sure people

hear what they need to hear the first time

- Keep a running record of cross-department commitments and deadlines

- Run or coordinate our recurring internal meetings, including agendas and follow-ups

Front of House

- Answer and route incoming calls, using your own read on what's urgent and who should actually handle it

- Manage the general company inbox. Reply where you can, escalate where you should

- Greet and host clients, vendors, and candidates in a way that reflects how we do things

Office Operations

- Manage supplies, equipment, and vendor relationships

- Own office scheduling, conference room coordination, and the calendar logistics for company events

- Handle mail, shipping, and couriers

- Help get new hires set up, from workspace and access to a good first day

Systems

- Notice what keeps going wrong and suggest a fix. We'd much rather you build the process than wait for us to hand you one

WHAT THIS ROLE DOES NOT INCLUDE

Just so it's clear: this job doesn't touch invoicing, accounts payable or receivable, payroll, or bookkeeping. Someone else handles all of that.

What You'll Need

- The ability to juggle a lot of people with competing priorities and keep everyone on good terms

- Strong writing. You'll be representing this firm in writing every day

- Comfort with the usual business software (email, calendar, documents, spreadsheets)

- Discretion. You'll be around sensitive conversations

About Experience

We're not asking for prior office management experience. If you have it, great. What we really care about is judgment, and in our experience that doesn't line up neatly with years on a resume. If this sounds like you, apply, whatever your background looks like on paper.

What Really Matters

- Judgment over rule-following. We want someone who makes the call, not someone who asks for permission

- Follow-through. Things that land on your desk don't get dropped

- Real warmth. Not the polite kind you put on for guests, the actual kind

- Being okay with ambiguity. This job will change as we grow

YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

Days 1 to 30

Get to know everyone here, what they do, and what they need from you. Take full command of the phone, the inbox, and

the front desk. Find at least three things that aren't working.

Days 31 to 60

Handle coordination between departments without anyone prompting you. Take over vendors and supplies completely.

Come back to us with fixes for those three things you found.

Days 61 to 90

The owner has stopped relaying messages between department heads, because you're doing it, and it's running better

than it did before you got here.