Job: Senior II Interior Designer - Furniture Sales (New York City)

Staples is the world's largest office products company and a trusted source for office solutions. The company provides products, services and expertise in office supplies, copy & print, technology, facilities and breakroom, and furniture. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and now has annual sales of $25 billion, ranking second in the world in eCommerce sales. With 90,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, making it easy for businesses of all sizes, and consumers. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media. Staples values the diversity of our customers, associates and suppliers.

We offer very competitive benefits including; dynamic work environment, 401K, discounted employee stock purchase plan, adoption assistance, Annual Associate Scholarship Plan, Associate InventionQuest, training and development, "Work/Life" initiatives and other voluntary benefits such as pet insurance and identity theft protection. This all translates into exciting career opportunities with a talented team dedicated to personal and professional growth.

Senior II Interior Designer - Furniture Sales (New York City)

 

Introduction:

Business Interiors by Staples provides comprehensive furniture solutions for customers of all sizes. Our furniture professionals work with customers to understand their business objectives and then create furniture solutions that support those objectives. It takes a team of talented associates to develop projects from concept to completion. Our sales professionals, interior designers, project managers, and furniture sales support associates are the best in the business – because we know that when it’s all said and done, talented teams win! More information is available at http://www.staplesadvantage.com/what-we-offer/furniture/why-furniture-solutions.page.

Position Summary: 

Responsible for managing and performing activities related to the design, space planning, layout, and specifications office furniture and systems products.  Manages the development of (and also develops) detailed space plans to address customer space requirements within allotted time and budget constraints. Knowledge resource for project planning, providing technical product expertise, systems furniture application, installation logistic capability and design specification expertise Assists in training new employees and provides guidance to current employees. Provides design project management services on major projects and key accounts. Carries required licenses, is NCIDQ certified and participates in key Interior Design professional affiliations such as IIDA and ASID.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Consults with Sales Team and customer on the layout, design and space planning of furniture specifications for client offices.  Travels to client’s location to measure and verify space as needed.
• Performs programming, space planning, furniture selection, layout, casework, product pricing, design and selection of fabrics and finishes, includes as-built drawings, block plans, space plans and finished working drawings for specification and installation.
• Provides professional customer interface.  Attends client’s planning meetings to determine furniture needs and develops solutions to meet these needs.
• Presents and sells design services and capabilities.
• Offers creative solutions consultation to customers.  Answers both routine and highly specialized questions regarding furniture systems.
• Coordinates, develops, and reviews proposed project designs and construction plans.  Prepares presentation material including color finish boards.  Reviews job site in order to perform accurate measurements. Will do plan-to-site adherence checks.
• Validates plans against construction, electrical engineering and architect & Design (A&D) drawing sets. Develops project specifications, double check specifications against plans, gets specs order entry ready (SIF file), manages changes and revisions.
• Verifies the company design standards have been met.  Provides on-site job inspections comparing construction drawings to final build-out.
• Tracks, records and ties design hours to specific projects for job costing. (where applicable)
• Works with installers to ensure installation meets customer specifications.
• Participates in work-in-progress (WIP) and open order backlog review meetings with the furniture management team.
• Serve in a lead capacity on major projects and key accounts, providing work direction, on projects,  coaching, mentoring and training of coworkers.
• May assist in documentation of department processes and procedures.  Makes recommendations on process improvement.
• Daily interaction with client account base and prospects, furniture vendors, interior design department employees, furniture personnel, sales team, order management team, warehouse/delivery/install team and various architectural, design, and construction representatives.

Qualifications

 

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design
• NCIDQ Certified
• A minimum of six (6) years experience in a related field; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Prior experience in office furniture industry, general knowledge of systems furniture, and experience in customer interaction required
• Experience with furniture design and specification software required

Preferred:

• A minimum of eight (8)  years experience in a related field; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills
• Computer literate (word processing, spreadsheets, project applications)
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work with mathematical concepts
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks

More Info and Appplication
Staples is an EEO/AA Employer