What are the responsibilities and job description for the Designer - Interiors - Critical Facilities position at Gensler?
Your Role
Join a talented, thoughtful team committed to creating meaningful environments grounded in a deep understanding of culture, time, and place. Each project responds to its broader context while reflecting distinct brand perspectives, achieving a balance between beauty and performance.
Within the Critical Facilities practice area, this philosophy extends to highly technical, mission-driven environments where reliability and resilience are essential. The work includes designing advanced infrastructure—such as data centers and operations hubs—that support continuous operations, evolving technology, and the people who depend on them, integrating flexibility, sustainability, and thoughtful community presence.
What You Will Do
At Gensler, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From curated art exhibits to internal design competitions to “Well-being Week,” our offices reflect our people’s diverse interests.
We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401k, profit sharing, employee stock ownership, and twice annual bonus opportunities. Our annual base salary range has been established based on local markets.
As part of the firm’s commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.
Join a talented, thoughtful team committed to creating meaningful environments grounded in a deep understanding of culture, time, and place. Each project responds to its broader context while reflecting distinct brand perspectives, achieving a balance between beauty and performance.
Within the Critical Facilities practice area, this philosophy extends to highly technical, mission-driven environments where reliability and resilience are essential. The work includes designing advanced infrastructure—such as data centers and operations hubs—that support continuous operations, evolving technology, and the people who depend on them, integrating flexibility, sustainability, and thoughtful community presence.
What You Will Do
- Collaborate with your team on developing the design for sensational spaces
- Utilize your experience to perform interior design assignments that include programming client needs, conceptual design, schematic design, design development, space planning and construction documentation
- Participate in the selection and presentation of furniture, furniture systems, fabrics, equipment (FF&E), color palettes, and lighting
- Generate finish plans, specifications, and material selections needed for construction
- Provide design support and documentation during completion and execution of design concepts
- Effectively communicate design ideas by hand sketching and/or digital graphics
- Independently create material palettes and inspiration image boards
- Work with external consultants, product representatives, furniture dealers, and fabricators
- Support communication between project team, clients, vendors, contractors, consultants, and building and permitting officials
- Provide technical guidance and innovative solutions to resolve complex technical and design challenges
- Produce in Revit accurate technical and contract documentation for construction of project
- Provide project team coordination for finished plans, specification, and material selections; ensure design intent is incorporated into the construction documentation
- Participate in construction administration, evaluate bids, conduct site visits, address technical issues, and maintain quality control during construction
- Work with consultants, contractors, fabricators, specification writers, and regulatory agencies to meet overall project objectives
- Participate in the creation of 3D software renderings – Enscape preferred - to communicate design concepts
- Experience in the role described above
- Bachelor's degree in Interior Design or related field from an accredited school
- 6 years of post-grad interior design experience
- NCIDQ/CID preferred
- Portfolio must include critical facilities projects
- High resourcefulness of creative unique materials, furniture, and fixtures
- Excellent color sense, and great passion for design
- Excellent graphic design, organizational, time management, and written and verbal communication skills
- Passionate, self-starting, dedicated, efficient
- Enjoys both taking responsibility and team collaboration
- Passion for both big picture design ideas and the details
- Facility with 3D conceptualization (digitally or by hand) a plus
- Proficient in Revit and Enscape
- Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
- Graphics and visualization skills to effectively communicate design ideas
- Demonstrated commitment to sustainability and sustainable building practices required
- The base salary will be estimated between $69,000 - 85,000 plus bonuses and benefits and contingent on relevant experience.
- This is not a remote position. We look forward to working with our new team member in our dynamic Chicago office. If you’re open to relocation, non-local candidates are welcome!
At Gensler, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From curated art exhibits to internal design competitions to “Well-being Week,” our offices reflect our people’s diverse interests.
We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401k, profit sharing, employee stock ownership, and twice annual bonus opportunities. Our annual base salary range has been established based on local markets.
As part of the firm’s commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.