Design Systems Associate II: CAD + Revit Specialist

ABOUT MCA Mary Cook Associates (MCA) is a nationally acclaimed commercial interior design firm based in Chicago, founded in 1986. For nearly four decades we've designed award-winning multifamily, student housing, and amenity spaces for premier developers and owners across the country. Spaces that don't just look good, but deliver measurable results for our clients. Our studio of 35+ designers and architects is fast-paced, collaborative, and deeply serious about craft. We reject mediocrity, embrace innovation, and hire people who feel the same way. We're looking for an architect or designer who loves the technical side of the work. Someone who finds as much satisfaction in a clean, complete drawing set as they do in a great design. If you geek out on CAD systems, care deeply about how spaces get documented, and want to own something that actually matters, keep reading. THE ROLE The Design Systems Associate II sits within our Innovation Studio and works directly alongside our interior design team day to day. This is primarily an internal production and systems role. No client-facing calls, no RFIs. What it is, is a real ownership opportunity. About 70% of your time will be CAD production: supporting our designers with design development drawings and construction documents, and finding smarter, leaner ways to work. The other 30% is Revit: active project work and helping build the firm's Revit infrastructure from the ground up. That buildout is new, it's growing, and you'll be shaping it. WHAT YOU'LL OWN → Provide CAD support to interior designers across active projects: design development drawings and construction documents → Audit existing drawing sets and CAD workflows; identify opportunities to make them more efficient, consistent, and sustainable → Think critically about how we work in AutoCAD and bring forward ideas that improve the way the whole studio operates → Own Revit project work as pilot projects come online: templates, families, shared parameters, and model standards → Help build MCA's Revit infrastructure from the ground up alongside the Innovation Studio. This is a firm-wide initiative, and you are central to it → Support visualization workflows in SketchUp and Enscape as needed → Conduct QA/QC on CAD and Revit documentation and help mentor junior staff on production standards → Evaluate emerging tools and automation opportunities; bring recommendations to the Design Systems Lead WHAT YOU BRING → 4 to 6 years in technical documentation or CAD production within an architecture or interior design firm → Expert AutoCAD. This is the immediate need, and it is non-negotiable → Strong, active Revit proficiency. You're building in it, not just reviewing it → A systems thinker. You don't just complete tasks, you look for ways to make the whole workflow better → Architecture or interior design background. Both are welcomed here → SketchUp and Enscape proficiency is a plus. Visualization support is part of the bigger picture → Clear communicator who works well with designers and can translate between design intent and technical execution → Curiosity about emerging technology, AI workflows, and automation. You follow where the tools are going YOU'RE A FIT IF → You get excited about building infrastructure: templates, libraries, workflows, not just shipping deliverables → You look at a drawing set and immediately see ways to make it better → You're self-directed and don't need to be told what comes next → You thrive working closely with a creative team but love being the technical backbone behind the work → You hold the line on quality without being asked → You're collaborative, generous with your knowledge, and energized by a fast-moving studio WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN YEAR ONE → CAD production support is reliable, expert-level, and the design team feels it → Our drawing sets and AutoCAD workflows are measurably more efficient than when you arrived → Revit pilot projects are owned and delivered. Templates, families, and models are accurate and team-ready → The Revit infrastructure is taking real shape and the team's confidence in it is visibly growing → At least one meaningful process improvement or automation recommendation has been advanced to the Design Systems Lead CORE SKILLS AutoCAD · Revit · SketchUp · Enscape · Construction documents · BIM · CAD systems · AI workflows · Interior architecture WHAT WE OFFER We're a studio that takes the work seriously and respects the people doing it. That means flexibility built into how we work, benefits that have you covered, and a team that's invested in your growth. → $75,000 to $90,000 salary, commensurate with experience → Hybrid schedule: work from home Mondays and Fridays, in studio Tuesday through Thursday → Studio closes between Christmas and New Year's. Every year, no questions asked → Health, dental, and vision insurance → 401(k) with matching → Paid time off