What are the responsibilities and job description for the Interior Design Technical Lead position at Curioso?
Interior Design Technical Lead (Location: Chicago, Illinois, US)
Curioso is a collective of architects, interior designers, and artists designing meaningful experiences around the world. Our award-winning projects represent a range of industries, including luxury hospitality, lifestyle hospitality, restaurant, wellness, multifamily, and professional spaces. We're a collaborative studio driven by curiosity, empathy, and an entrepreneurial spirit, with a diverse, multicultural team across our studios in Chicago, IL, and Mérida, Yucatán, México.
We're looking for an experienced Technical Lead to join our Chicago studio.
Position Overview
This is a senior technical role for an interior designer or architect who thrives in the details of project delivery without losing sight of design intent. You'll lead construction documentation and technical coordination across disciplines, shepherding projects from schematic design through construction administration — while keeping every project on track, on budget, and on vision.
Responsibilities
- Lead the production and delivery of comprehensive, cohesive contract documents and construction document sets across all project phases (SD, DD, CD, CA)
- Develop space planning concepts and generate program documents
- Manage project management, design coordination, and quality control across architecture, ownership, general contractors, and project collaborators
- Coordinate with external partners — architect of record, kitchen designer, lighting consultants, MEP engineers, and general contractor — to ensure design intent is aligned and fully coordinated
- Oversee FF&E coordination and technical documentation across project phases
- Orchestrate and streamline the design documentation process across both Chicago and Mérida studios
- Lead construction administration services, including RFI responses, shop drawings, and submittal reviews, field visits, punch list reviews, and issue resolution
- Ensure conformance with interior architecture and design standards at each project phase
- Collaborate with Studio Design Leaders and Project Orchestrators to keep deliverables, scope, and schedules on target
- Manage and coordinate all consultant communications
- Keep Studio Design Leaders informed on project status, risks, and progress
Candidate Requirements
- 5–8 years of interior design or interior architecture experience, including 2–3 years of hospitality experience
- Deep, hands-on involvement across all project phases (SD, DD, CD, CA, and construction)
- Expert proficiency in Revit (BIM) and AutoCAD, from quick space planning through full technical documentation and construction documents
- Deep knowledge of contract documents, shop drawings, and FF&E coordination across all project phases
- Strong visualization skills across the full range — concept sketches, 3D modeling (SketchUp, Revit), and rendering (Enscape, Lumion, V-Ray, or equivalent)
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Bluebeam
- Accredited degree in Interior Design or Architecture
- Strong project management, quality control, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight timelines
- A collaborative leadership style with clear, confident communication
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus
Also in Your Toolkit (Beneficial, but not required)
- NCIDQ certification, state licensure, or LEED accreditation