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Lead Interesting Housing Projects in Sacramento and Bay Area

At sparkSTUDIO (www.sparkstudiodesign.com), we believe architecture can meaningfully improve the world. We are a small, women-owned architecture firm designing thoughtful housing—from high-end single-family homes to attainable multifamily communities. We care deeply about people, community, and long-term impact.

We are seeking a Senior Project Architect to join our team in a leadership role (15–30 hours per week). This is a rare opportunity for an experienced architect who wants flexibility, autonomy, and meaningful design work—without sacrificing impact or leadership.

The Opportunity

This position is for a lead role on a small housing project in Northern California. The project prioritizes high energy performance and follows a Passive House–informed design pathway.

You will guide a collaborative, kind, and capable team while taking full ownership of the project’s day-to-day direction.

You will:

• Lead a housing project from concept through construction

• Translate an initial concept sketch into a fully realized, permitted, and built project

• Make confident day-to-day design and technical decisions

• Coordinate consultants and manage project timelines

• Oversee drawing production and quality control

• Communicate directly with clients, consultants, and contractors

• Conduct site visits (1–2 times per month during Construction Administration phase)

Projects are located in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Our office is fully remote, offering flexibility with the expectation of strong accountability and leadership.

Who You Are

You are:

• An experienced architect who has delivered single-family and/or multifamily housing projects from start to finish

• A confident decision-maker who thrives with autonomy

• A strong communicator and natural team leader

• Technically solid and detail-oriented

• Comfortable leading day-to-day operations of a project

You have:

• 15+ years of professional experience (preferred)

• Strong Project Architect (PA) and Project Management (PM) skills

• Proven experience leading projects independently

• Experience coordinating consultants and managing Construction Administration

• Licensure in California (preferred but not required if highly qualified)

Compensation

We are open to either W-2 employment or 1099 engagement.

W-2 Employee:
$110,000–$130,000 annual salary (full-time equivalent), approximately $53–$63/hour equivalent.
This part-time role (15–30 hrs/week) will be prorated based on agreed hours.

1099 Consultant:
$70–$95 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications.
This higher range reflects independent contractor responsibility for taxes, insurance, and overhead.

Please include your compensation expectations in your application and indicate whether you are seeking W-2 or 1099 engagement.

Why This Role Is Special

• Flexible 15–30 hours per week

• Fully remote (with periodic site visits in Northern CA)

• Leadership without bureaucracy

• Direct collaboration with principals

• Ideal for architects returning to the workforce, building their own practice, or seeking flexible senior-level leadership work

Initially, you will collaborate closely with the principals to understand our culture and standards. From there, you will operate with increasing independence and ownership.

How to Apply

If you have the appropriate experience in housing project delivery and leadership, we would love to hear from you.

Please send:

• Resume

• Concise portfolio (PDF under 10MB)

• Brief note describing:

  • Your experience leading single-family and/or multifamily housing projects

  • Your leadership and project management approach

  • Your availability (hours per week)

  • Your compensation expectations and preferred engagement structure (W-2 or 1099)

Send materials to: info@sparkstudiodesign.com

We are looking for someone exceptional—someone who can take a concept and make it happen.

If that’s you, let’s build something meaningful together!

About sparkSTUDIO

At sparkSTUDIO, we believe architecture can meaningfully improve the world. We are a small, women-owned architecture firm designing thoughtful housing—from high-end single-family homes to attainable multifamily communities. We care deeply about people, community, and long-term impact.

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