Design Researcher (Sustainability)

Location: Irvine, Sacramento, or San Diego, California, United States

Salary: $70,000–$85,000 annually, plus bonus

Company

Integrated design firm creating sustainable spaces through architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and applied research.

What you will do

• Conduct literature reviews and synthesize multidisciplinary research for project and research questions.
• Translate findings into research briefs, presentations, visual materials, and practical recommendations for designers and clients.
• Support surveys, interviews, workshops, stakeholder engagement, and post-occupancy evaluations.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify patterns, themes, and meaningful findings.
• Help develop research tools, methodologies, and an internal knowledge base.
• Collaborate with design teams to establish measurable goals and evaluate design outcomes.

Requirements

• MS or PhD in environmental psychology, applied research, design research, social science, data science, or a related field.
• Experience with mixed-methods research, literature searches or reviews, online research tools, and basic descriptive statistics or data analysis.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Project and Excel.
• Strong written communication, verbal presentation, data visualization, and graphic communication skills.
• Awareness of research ethics, equity, diversity, and inclusion topics.
• Proactive, curious, and comfortable working with ambiguity.

Nice to have

• Research training or certifications, Human Subjects Research Training, LEED, WELL, EDAC, or similar credentials.
• Design or engineering training and experience with GIS, Power BI, AI for research, AR/VR/XR research, grant writing, or Adobe Creative Suite.
• Experience facilitating meetings and workshops or understanding the architectural design process.
• Knowledge of sustainability topics including energy performance, carbon emissions, material impacts, and resiliency.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, interdisciplinary environment focused on sustainable, high-performance design.
• Mentorship from managing directors, design directors, and senior professionals.
• Professional development grants, in-house training, hirify.global+U courses, and Tech Talks.
• Health and dental insurance, retirement and financial planning, wellness initiatives, and flexible work-life programs.
• Eight paid volunteer hours annually and opportunities to lead community-impact projects.