What are the responsibilities and job description for the Architectural Designer position at Trek Architecture?
Full-time, in our Spokane studio. This is not a remote position.
Trek is growing, and we're looking for an Architectural Designer who is already good at this and wants to be considerably better.
Our target is 3-5 years of professional experience, but we're hiring for capability, not years on a resume. If you have fewer years and can demonstrate you're already operating at this level, apply. If you're further along and ready to own projects independently, see our Project Architect / Project Manager opening.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
People who take pride in being exceptionally good at what they do.
We're intentionally selective, and our expectations are high. We expect people to come prepared, take ownership of their responsibilities, think critically, follow through, check their own work, and care deeply about the quality of what they produce.
That doesn't mean never making a mistake or already knowing everything. It means you learn quickly, ask thoughtful questions, respond well to feedback, and continually raise the standard of your own work.
We especially value people who notice things without being asked. A missed dimension, an unresolved detail, a consultant conflict, a constructability concern, or an opportunity to make the design better.
DESIGN AND EXECUTION
You should be able to explore an idea quickly in SketchUp, develop it thoughtfully in Revit, understand how it gets built, coordinate it within the larger project, and carry that same care into the construction documents.
Technical competence without design thinking isn't enough. Design talent without the ability to execute isn't enough either. We're looking for real strength developing in both.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- Genuine speed and proficiency in Revit and SketchUp, not just familiarity
- Strong design instincts and visual judgment
- Thoughtful, accurate, well-organized drawing sets
- Disciplined self-QA/QC and real attention to detail
- Critical thinking, understanding why rather than simply following instructions
- Initiative, and the ability to anticipate what needs to happen next
- Clear communication with teammates, consultants, contractors, and clients
- Genuine ownership of the work entrusted to you
AI AND THE FUTURE OF ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE
We believe architectural practice is changing quickly, and we intend to embrace that change thoughtfully.
Our interest in AI goes well beyond chatbots and image generation. We're exploring AI agents, automation, QA/QC, project workflows, research, documentation, data, and meaningful integration of AI into the tools and processes architects use every day.
You don't need to be an AI expert. You do need to be curious, willing to experiment, and interested in finding better ways to work.
If you're already building or experimenting with these kinds of workflows, we'd especially like to hear about it.
ABOUT TREK
Trek is a collaborative, design-focused studio where you work across all phases of a project rather than being confined to one narrow role.
We care about the big idea, and we care just as much about whether the dimensions work, the details make sense, the consultants are coordinated, and the documents reflect the quality of the design.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
$68,000 to $95,000, based on experience and demonstrated capability.
Health insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, and retirement with employer matching.
Based in our Spokane studio. If you're currently in Coeur d'Alene, Seattle, or Portland, we're glad to talk about what a move here looks like.
TO APPLY
Send your resume and portfolio as a single PDF under 15MB, or a link to an online portfolio.
Show us work that demonstrates both your design ability and your personal role in developing and documenting the project. Curated beats comprehensive.
Tell us about one process, tool, workflow, or system you've personally improved, and what you did to make it better.
No recruiters or agencies, please.
Trek Architecture
Design Well. Always.