Interior/Exterior Designer and Material Procurement Specialist (Remote, travel to China)
Hamilton Exteriors is a general contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area. We build ADUs, custom homes, and roofs. We import a lot of our finish materials directly from China: tile, stone, cabinets, doors, windows, fixtures, and lighting. We need one person who owns both the design side and the sourcing side of that pipeline.
This is a remote role for someone based in Asia: Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, or nearby. We pay for all travel. Flights from Asia keep that affordable, so we are not hiring from Mexico or South America for this role. You need to be able to fly to China every 2 to 3 months and stay for one to two weeks each trip. Our vendors are mostly in Foshan and Guangdong. You will work with our office in California, so you need some overlap with Pacific Time.
What you will do
Design
* Meet with our homeowners over video and help them design their interiors and exteriors.
* Build 3D renderings and design boards so customers can see the finished home before we build it.
* Help customers pick finishes: flooring, tile, stone, cabinets, countertops, doors, windows, fixtures, paint, lighting, siding, roofing colors.
* Coordinate dimensions with our architect and site teams. Measurements get checked twice before anything is ordered.
* Keep design files, selection sheets, and spec sheets organized per job.
Procurement and quality control
* Source finish materials from vendors in China. Get quotes, compare, and negotiate.
* Order materials and track lead times so they arrive before the crew needs them.
* Fly to China every 2 to 3 months. On each trip you inspect what we bought before it ships: count it, measure it, check color and finish against the samples, and reject what is wrong.
* Watch the container get loaded and confirm the packing list matches.
* Build relationships with vendors and factories. Visit showrooms and factories. Attend the Canton Fair in Guangzhou in spring and fall.
* Coordinate shipping and customs paperwork with our freight forwarder.
What we need from you
* Based in Asia.
* 3+ years in interior design, architecture, or a related field.
* Strong 3D rendering skills. SketchUp, 3ds Max, Blender, Enscape, D5, Lumion, or similar. Send us your portfolio.
* Experience sourcing building materials or furniture from China, or a very strong reason we should bet on you learning it fast.
* Able to measure and inspect physical goods carefully. This part of the job is detail work in a warehouse, not a desk job.
* Fluent English, written and spoken. You will talk directly with American homeowners.
* Mandarin or Cantonese is a strong plus.
* A passport and the ability to get a Chinese visa and travel every 2 to 3 months.
* Comfortable working on US Pacific Time for at least part of your day.
How we work
* Small team. You report directly to the owner.
* Travel costs are covered by the company.
* Remote the rest of the time. We care about the work getting done right, not where you sit.
How to apply
Apply with your resume and a link to your portfolio or 3D renderings. Tell us in two or three sentences about any experience you have buying from or traveling to China.
Pay: $1,500.00 - $2,000.00 per month
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
Application Question(s):
- What country and city do you live in?
Work Location: Remote
