Uhuru Design is the Brooklyn-based New American furniture design firm specializing in bespoke residential and high-end commercial furniture. Founded in 2004 by Rhode Island School of Design graduates Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf, Uhuru gained attention for its sustainable approach, utilizing reclaimed and found materials through a narrative design process. This design approach generated collections currently in the Smithsonian and Brooklyn Museums, positioning Uhuru at the forefront of New American Design and contributing to popularizing the “Brooklyn” aesthetic.

Uhuru scaled from bespoke residential to mass office furniture, evolving with the growing New York and West Coast startup scenes and the “resimmercial” office aesthetic. Uhuru focuses on delivering accessible New American Design to mission-driven clients across residential, hospitality, fast casual, office, co-working, architecture, and interior design landscapes.  We recently launched a non-exclusive global distribution partnership with Steelcase, an inventory and quick ship program, competitive lead times, and domestic and international production. The tools are in place to bring Uhuru products to market at scale. Come join us and help us transform the contract office furniture industry!

Overview

The Design Project Coordinator position is responsible for supporting the design team and process by providing design coordination and support for the design, sales, product development, and production processes, and is the primary interface between Uhuru internal customers. This position reports to the Creative Director and supports the VP of Product, and will be based in Red Hook, Brooklyn at the Uhuru Creative Compound, starting at a base salary of $65,000 and benefits to include healthcare.  The Project Coordinator will be responsible for providing timely and accurate design coordination tasks including (but not limited to) sales quote support, renderings, technical design, product design support and development, and coordination support between the sales, concept design, and technical design between teams in the Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, and Vietnam offices. This will be a new role within Uhuru as we quickly grow, and the Project Coordinator is expected to provide process improvement ideas, develop procedures and documentation, and contribute to the team environment.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates effective, clear and professional written and oral communication.
• Provides prompt and efficient service to Uhuru customers & team members including the appropriate escalation of issues.
• Coordination of technical and sales oriented design efforts on a daily basis.
• Project management and scheduling of design, collateral, and rendering efforts between the Brooklyn concept design, sales teams, the technical design team in Vietnam, and our manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. 
• Check technical drawings for accuracy and coordinate with technical designers to execute and update.
• Rendering development and execution of office furniture and space planning in support of the sales process.
• Competent in 2D and 3D design and the ability make photo-realistic renderings efficiently and under time constraints used for web, print and client presentations.
• Create digital assets to support the sales team to include renderings, design presentations and collateral drawings.
• Build system expertise with the technical design process and sales support cycle.
• Develops standard operating procedures and best practices.
• Responsible for creating organizational documents for company products and components.
• Maintains a positive and professional demeanor always portraying the company in a positive light and effectively managing sensitive issues.
• Demonstrates excellent time-management skills and the ability to work independently while using departmental resources, policies and procedures.
• Contributes to a positive team environment and proactively aids team members with difficult contacts as needed.

Qualifications

• Language: English proficiency.
• 2 + years experience within 3D design and project management.
• Demonstrated desire to expand skills into new areas.
• Proficiency in Keyshot, Solidworks, CAD, Adobe Creative Cloud
• Business acumen in areas of customer service, e-commerce, retail, logistics or sales support is advantageous.
• Experience in and an eye for process improvement.
• Enthusiasm and strong self-motivation.
• Strong prioritization and time management skills, with a high degree of flexibility.
• Ability to embrace constant change with flexibility and good grace.
• Demonstrate appropriate sense of urgency and adaptability in response to changing business needs.
• Demonstrates effective communication, composure, and professional attitude.

UHURU is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/Disabled/Veteran)