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Sonder is revolutionizing hospitality through innovative, tech-powered service and inspiring, thoughtfully designed accommodations combined into one seamlessly managed experience. Officially launched in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, Sonder is making a world of better stays open to all with a variety of accommodation options — from rooms to suites and apartments — found in more than 30 cities spanning eight countries and three continents. Sonder’s innovative app empowers guests by making self-service features and 24/7 on-the-ground support just a tap away. From simple self check-in to boutique bathroom amenities, we bring the best of a hotel without any of the formality.

The Interior Design team at Sonder has been and continues to be an integral part of that growth, responsible for the design of all Sonder buildings from multi-family properties to boutique hotels.

Sonder is seeking a regional Interior Designer to join its Interior Design team. As the Interior Designer on a regional design team within a larger organization, you’ll bring expertise in commercial Interior Design to all you do, collaborating with our partners on the Development and Openings teams to execute quality designs across a variety of building types. We’re looking for a seasoned hospitality designer with top-down experience, who has the skills to make our brand standards a built reality. We’re seeking a designer who wholly embraces hospitality, embodying a guest-centric mindset through considered designs that prioritize the guest experience. As a member of a fast-growing start-up, you’ll embrace the stop-go nature of the work with a can-do attitude, finding creative solutions to our everyday limitations.

AT SONDER YOU WILL:

• Execute the Sonder design standards in a considered and responsible manner, balancing each property’s unique needs with adherence to the brand at large
• Create smart design solutions that maximize our pre-selected FFE assortment and vetted interior finishes; work closely with the Standards and Merchandising teams to strategically utilize the best product for each property
• Walk properties and collaborate with the Design Manager on budgets, SOWs, project schedules, and design briefs related to the overall Interior Design vision and concept
• Work closely with the Design Manager in your region to communicate brand-driven interiors directives to internal and external stakeholders, acting as an Interior Design ambassador for regional projects; Liaise with Sonder teams, including operations and install teams, as a primary point of contact for Interior Design for your projects.
• Work cross-functionally with market operations, guest experience, tech/product, architecture/construction, sourcing and merchandising teams to see projects from concept to install.
• Present concept and schematic designs to internal and external stakeholders for approval
• Oversee the creation of interior design drawing sets for city-based install teams
• Develop and mentor intermediate and junior designers, and help coach them via ongoing trainings and skill-shares
• Be an ambassador for Sonder’s company principles, showing up as a responsible and reliable team leader

WHAT WE LOOK FOR:

• Previous experience in high-end hospitality, commercial and/or retail interior design (or equivalent)
• Fluency in Revit and Autocad
• Fluency in the Adobe Creative Suite (including InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator) and G-Suite programs (including Slides, Sheets, and Docs) required;
• Proficiency in modeling software including SketchUp Pro, Rhino and V-ray preferred; Hand-sketching skills a plus
• Knowledge of Studio Designer, Spexx, or equivalent spec writing software
• Proficiency in Excel
• Familiarity with project management software including Procore, Smartsheets, MS Project, and TeamGantt
• Familiarity with design tools including Holobuilder and Bluebeam a plus

Required Qualifications

• You bring extensive working knowledge of commercial Interior Design; you’re up to date on current trends and technologies, codes and standards, and best practices in hospitality design
• You have overseen Interior Design sections of coordinated construction document sets, including creating plans, elevations, sections, and details of interior environments, from SD to CD, and have experience creating clear sketches in the service of crafting detailed RFI responses
• You’ve produced and executed custom furniture, lighting and other FFE drawings for fabrication
• You have demonstrable graphic design skills and extensive experience in creating high-level graphic client presentations, including concept and schematic design decks
• You are adept at creating and maintaining project schedules, delegating and overseeing internal and external work, red-lining drawings and specifications, reviewing contractor submittals, shop drawings, and answering RFIs, coordinating regularly with merchandising teams or purchasing agents, coordinating and communicating regularly with vendors, and liaising with client teams throughout the process
• You are experienced at creating and maintaining project budgets, and have regularly value-engineered specified products while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the design
• You’ve got excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. You convey your point succinctly and clearly, and weather communication challenges through calmness and positivity
• You have a can-do attitude. You’re able to roll with change and weather the stop-and-go nature of start-up culture
• You’re willing to travel
• You are a kind and generous leader, helping mentor intermediate and junior designers within our department and bringing those outside our department along on the journey
• You are passionate about design! You’ve got extensive knowledge of furniture, architecture, and Interior Design history, and keep up with current trends and happenings in the design industry. Design is your world!
• Preferred language- Italian, English- necessity

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and portfolio via the link provided. Include a cover letter about what motivates you as a designer - what you value in design and how you try to translate those values into your work.

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