Senior Designer, Learning Environments

All employees of Smith System are responsible for upholding the company’s core values of Servant Leadership, Diversity, Ethical Behavior, Teamwork, and Continuous Learning. The Senior Designer for learning environments is responsible for leading the development of innovative, functional, and student-centered educational spaces that align with Smith System standards, brand vision, and the evolving needs of modern learning environments. This role oversees the design process from initial concept through final design package delivery, ensuring quality, consistency, and thoughtful application across projects of varying size, complexity, and scope. The Senior Designer collaborates closely with Regional Sales Managers (RSMs), dealers, architects, designers, educators, administrators, and end users throughout the sales and design process to identify customer needs and develop solutions that support pedagogy, student engagement, flexibility, well-being, and future-ready learning. RESPONSIBILITIES Collaborate with Regional Sales Managers (RSMs), dealers, architects, designers, educators, and end users to create functional, safe, flexible, and aesthetically engaging learning environments that align with educational goals, project requirements, building codes, and installation standards. Design classrooms, libraries, cafés, commons, art, music, CTE, early childhood, and shared learning spaces that support evolving pedagogy, student engagement, well-being, and improved educational outcomes for all learners. Apply knowledge of educational trends, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), student-centered learning, neurodiversity, and future-ready environments to develop thoughtful, research-informed design solutions. Provide direct project support through Revit/CAD/CET drawings, space planning, furniture specifications, finish recommendations, pricing support, and project qualification to ensure accurate and efficient project execution. Participate in customer meetings, workshops, presentations, charrettes, and discovery sessions to understand client objectives, educational vision, operational needs, and user experience goals while effectively communicating design concepts and solutions. Support both pre-sales and post-sales activities by assisting with layouts, renderings, product recommendations, quotes, revisions, installation coordination, and overall project workflow to enhance the customer experience. Partner cross-functionally with sales, marketing, product development, and customer support teams to align project outcomes with company strategy, customer expectations, and brand positioning. Stay current on educational design trends, research, codes, materials, furniture applications, and emerging learning models to maintain industry relevance and thought leadership. Participate in industry organizations, conferences, trade shows, CEUs, school visits, and design community events to strengthen relationships, elevate brand visibility, and contribute to the broader educational design conversation. Help develop scalable learning environment standards, best practices, and design resources that support long-term customer success and consistency across projects. Stays current on emerging trends in educational design, commercial interiors, and technology, proactively adopting new design methodologies and AI-powered tools to improve design quality, efficiency, innovation, and customer engagement. WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS 5–10+ years of professional interior design, educational design, furniture planning, or learning environment design experience preferred. Proficiency in CAD/Revit, CET, space planning, rendering software, furniture specification tools, and Microsoft Office Suite required. Experience developing furniture layouts, finish palettes, product specifications, quotes, and presentation materials for customer-facing projects. Demonstrated experience designing K–12, early childhood, higher education, library, commons, café, CTE, or other educational learning environments. Experience collaborating with dealers, architects, designers, educators, school districts, and sales teams throughout the design and specification process. Strong understanding of educational pedagogy, student-centered learning environments, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), neurodiversity, and flexible classroom design principles preferred. Knowledge of building codes, ADA accessibility requirements, educational facility standards, and installation considerations preferred. Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining accuracy, organization, and strong communication throughout the project lifecycle. Experience presenting design concepts and facilitating customer conversations, workshops, charrettes, or discovery sessions preferred. Familiarity with contract furniture, educational furniture manufacturing, dealership operations, or commercial interiors industry strongly preferred. Knowledge of trade shows, CEUs, industry organizations, or thought leadership initiatives within education or design communities is a plus. Strong collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills with the ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment. ABILITIES/ ATTRIBUTERS REQUIRED Key Metrics for Success such as the following Accuracy and quality of CAD/CET drawings, specifications, finish recommendations, and quotes On-time completion of layouts, renderings, and project deliverables Ability to successfully manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously Reduction in revisions, specification errors, and project rework Ability to design spaces that align with pedagogy, student engagement, flexibility Creation of innovative, functional, and scalable learning environments Abilities and Attributers Space planning and educational environment design CAD, CET, and furniture specification software proficiency Furniture application and product knowledge Rendering and presentation development Blueprint and construction document interpretation Knowledge of ADA, building codes, and educational facility standards Understanding of educational pedagogy and learning environment strategies Data organization and specification accuracy Knowledge of AI tools to assist in design Collaboration and cross-functional teamwork Adaptability and flexibility in fast-paced environments Time management and prioritization Empathy and understanding of educator and student needs #J-18808-Ljbffr