Kaplan Thompson Architects is a Portland, Maine architecture firm seeking an intern architect with 0 to 3 years of professional experience for work on varied projects, all with a creative design and deep sustainability focus.

This is a unique opportunity to get in the door with a growing, award-winning firm. We’re looking for an affable individual with emerging design vision, ambition and motivation. You must have the ability to push boundaries and think unconventionally. Strong communication, writing and editing skills are vital.

We maintain an open, collaborative team approach and a collegial studio atmosphere in a fast-paced environment in our offices centrally located in Downtown Portland.

To Whom the Position Reports

Principals, Project Managers, Director of Operations and Marketing

General Responsibilities

Perform a variety of duties requiring knowledge of office systems and procedures.  Support other staff by assisting with everyday requests. Coordinate office functions. Resolve many office problems independently and facilitate solutions, confer with supervisor to resolve the more complex issues. Provide drafting, research, renderings, presentation boards, model-making or other project-specific assistance as required. Provide graphic support for design and marketing projects. Duties may also include general errands. 

Frequent & Ongoing Design Support Responsibilities

·      Communicate with and assist Designers on miscellaneous issues

·      Drafting support (dependent on knowledge of Archicad)

·      Design, rendering and presentation support

·      Data gathering from past projects for KTA archives (client surveys, materials used, project team, sustainability snapshot information, etc.)

·      Conversion of Energy Modeling data to parallel metrics (EUI - HERS - kBTU/sf/yr)

·      Assist with field measuring and documentation of existing structures

·      Prepare agendas and meeting minutes when necessary

·      Provide project meeting support as needed (pin up, follow up, etc.)

·      Maintain materials library

·      Provide assistance with project certification

·      Research materials, historic photos, etc.

·      Scan and format documents

·      Project documentation such as site photos, construction photos, etc.

·      Support various other tasks including project closeout, plan archive, owner’s manuals, preparing project startup, permit packages and presentation documents, etc.

Frequent & Ongoing Operations Support Responsibilities

·      Open, sort, and route incoming mail and prepare outgoing mail and packages

·      Perform daily kitchen cleanup as needed

·      Maintain internal databases

·      Organize and maintain file storage (physical and digital)

Periodic Responsibilities

·      Assist with creation of project marketing materials

·      Assist with award submissions

·      Special projects including Architecture 2030 submission

Qualifications, Skills & Knowledge Requirements

·      Education/interest/experience – and passion – in the field of sustainable design.

·      BArch or BS completed or in progress, or 1 year of relevant experience. 

·      Although not required, preference will be given to candidates who have photo/video, Mac, Photoshop, Adobe, and/or CAD skills.

Compensation, Timing and (Excellent!) Benefits

·       Full-time position, $21-24/hour, depending on experience.

Benefits: This offer includes 2 weeks of vacation and 5 days of personal/sick time. Our benefits package also includes 100% medical coverage on Health Insurance and 50% coverage on Disability Insurance.  Additionally, KTA offers a SIMPLE IRA benefit plan that allows you to save for retirement. With this plan, KTA will match your contributions up to 3% of your salary. There is no waiting period to receive this benefit; you are eligible to join the SIMPLE IRA plan upon hire. Your salary and all benefits will be prorated based on the number of days worked per week.

We also offer paid holidays for New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. We also will offer 3 additional floating holidays. A commuting stipend of $60/mo. will be provided, and may be either spent towards a parking space, bus pass or kept by you if an alternate form of transportation is used. Bonuses will be distributed in accordance with personal productivity and success of the office. Annually, every employee has the opportunity to spend up to $500 and two days pursuing professional development, which might include attending a conference, taking a class, or participating in another approved activity. 

 

Possible Career Path Options

·        Should develop into a Project Manager position.

To view some of our work and our philosophy, please view www.kaplanthompson.com. Please send a resume, brief cover letter, and examples of work to info@kaplanthompson.com. No calls please.