global salary guide 2018 · 2018. 4. 30. · salary guide

Global Salary Guide 2018 | 1

Global Salary Guide2018

bespokecareers.com | ©bespoke careers 2018 Global Salary Guide 2018 | 3

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Contents

LondonSydneyMelbourneNew YorkLA/San Francisco

Hello from Lindsay

2018 seems to have got off to a very busy start in every region we cover. Despite Brexit in the UK and the political uncertainty in the US under the Trump administration, the architecture and design job market remains relatively buoyant.

Within the UK, Brexit continues to dominate the political and economic agenda and despite a cautious approach by many firms, active hiring continues to take place. Whilst Brexit has resulted in a noticeable reduction in those coming to the UK for work, it has also created opportunities for some firms. The weak pound has created a mini boom in tourism and also meant those bidding for overseas work have become more competitively priced. Infrastructure and housing continue to be busy areas of hiring, as are hotels and hospitality.

Australia has continued to enjoy a robust economy throughout 2017 and into 2018, with many studios growing as a result - consequently the architecture and design market has remained buoyant. Education, housing and transport all remain busy sectors, with a number of significant projects driving demand for architecture candidates in both Sydney and Melbourne. Workplace interiors is still experiencing shortages of candidates and Revit continues to be the most widely used software.

In the US, hiring markets remained especially strong in New York City, LA and San Francisco. This was driven largely by transportation and megaprojects, housing shortages across all cities, and the awarding of the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles. Interior hospitality and workspace candidates remain in high demand, as are workplace designers. The talent shortage has become most apparent at the 7-8 years’ experience mark – a legacy of the global financial crisis when many professionals sought career changes and never returned to the industry.

Wherever firms are hiring in the world, sourcing the best candidates is likely to be the hot topic of 2018. Many studios are already realising that effective recruitment and retention strategies need to be at the top of their agendas. In candidate-short areas, the very best people are regularly receiving multiple interviews and job offers, meaning practices will need to move fast to secure top talent.

Coverage

LondonEurope the Middle East, Africa

Sydney & MelbourneAsia Pacific

New York & Los AngelesNorth America & Canada

Lindsay Urquhart, CEO & Founder, Bespoke Careers


Since the 2016 referendum, there has been a significant drop in the number of non-UK EU nationals registering for work in London, who brought certain technical skillsets with them to the UK. In addition to this, there has also been a reduction in Antipodean candidates making the move to the UK, having a buoyant market, a strong currency and plenty of work opportunities at home. The combined effect of this has created a noticeable, chronic candidate shortage.

On a positive note, the drop in the value of the pound has increased opportunities for practices which do business overseas, as bids tendered have become more attractive to global investors. The weak pound has also driven a mini-boom in tourism, resulting in increased demand for interiors and architecture candidates with hotels and hospitality experience.

More generally, candidates with strong Revit skills are highly desired across all sectors, especially in workplace interiors, housing and transport.

UK Plc continues to invest heavily in ongoing infrastructure projects, with upgrades to existing mainline rail services and stations and upcoming work on new high-speed connections with the North of England (HS2) and the Heathrow Airport expansion. Masterplans connected to new transport hubs such as Old Oak Common are set to provide work for multiple medium to large practices from mid-2018 onwards.

The housing sector remains strong due to the ongoing nationwide shortage of housing stock and whilst the consensus is that the high-end market is stagnating, the majority of practices are hiring for large scale projects and private rental schemes (PRS). With housing being more affordable outside of London/SE England,

candidates are being attracted by a better quality of life and competitive salaries in the northern cities such as Manchester and Leeds. The number of people leaving London to reside in other UK locations was the highest during 2016 for 13 years. Not surprisingly, many practices are finding it more and more challenging to hire in the current climate. Where previously some practices have done their own recruitment in-house, increasingly they are approaching us to assist as they struggle to find the best talent in a shrinking pool of candidates. It really is a candidate’s market at the moment – this means that practices need to prioritise retaining and developing their staff more than ever. Many practices are also taking in-house software training more seriously and upskilling their own workforces to fill skills gaps.

The overarching and continuing theme for 2018 is of cautious optimism. There is plenty of work in London and strong candidates with good software skills are in high demand, regularly securing a number of interviews and receiving offers from multiple practices. Despite assurances from the Government that settled EU citizens will be protected, until there is absolute certainty, we’re likely to continue to see a decline in these professionals working in London. A soft Brexit in 2019 appears to be the best-case scenario and a ‘business as usual’ approach is what we have found with most of our clients.

BIM Modeller 25,000 30,000 35,000

BIM Champion 35,000 40,000 45,000

BIM Coordinator 35,000 40,000 45,000

BIM Coordinator/Architect 40,000 45,000 50,000

BIM Manager 45,000 55,000 75,000

CAD/BIM/IT Manager 45,000 50,000 65,000

BIM Consultant/Trainer 45,000 50,000 65,000

BIM Director/Lead 60,000 70,000 80,000+

CAD Manager 45,000 50,000 55,000

Computational Designer 35,000 40,000 45,000

Computational Specialist 45,000 55,000 65,000

IT Technician 25,000 30,000 35,000

IT Manager 45,000 50,000 55,000

Receptionist 20,000 24,000 28,000

Office Administrator 24,000 25,000 28,000

Project Administrator 26,000 29,000 32,000

Studio Manager 30,000 35,000 40,000+

Practice Manager 35,000 40,000 50,000+

Personal Assistant 26,000 32,000 40,000+

Marketing Coordinator 25,000 30,000 35,000

Marketing Manager 32,000 40,000 50,000+

Business Dev. Manager 35,000 45,000 65,000+

Document Controller 25,000 29,000 35,000+

Bid Coordinator 28,000 32,000 35,000+

HR Manager 35,000 45,000 55,000+

Per annum £ Low £ Average £ High

Part I 19,000 21,000 23,000

Part II (0-3 years) 24,000 27,000 29,000

Part II (3-4 years) 30,000 32,000 35,000+

Architect (0-5 years) 33,000 38,000 42,000

Architect (5+ years) 38,000 45,000 50,000+

Associate 45,000 50,000 55,000

Associate Director 55,000 60,000 65,000+

Director 65,000 75,000 90,000+

Partner 100,000 120,000 140,000

Technician 25,000 28,000 36,000

Senior Technician 35,000 39,000 42,000

Visualiser 22,000 26,000 30,000

Senior Visualiser 32,000 37,000 50,000+

Junior Urban Designer 21,000 23,000 25,000

Urban Designer 25,000 28,000 34,000

Senior Urban Designer 35,000 40,000 45,000

Urban Design Associate 45,000 50,000 55,000

Urban Design Director 60,000 70,000 80,000

Junior Landscape Architect 21,000 23,000 25,000

Landscape Architect 25,000 28,000 34,000

Senior Landscape Architect 35,000 40,000 45,000

Landscape Architect Associate 35,000 40,000 45,000

Landscape Architect Director 45,000 55,000 65,000

Junior Visualiser 20,000 22,000 26,000

Visualiser 25,000 32,000 40,000

Senior Visualiser 35,000 50,000 65,000+

Junior Graphic Designer 18,000 22,000 25,000

Graphic Designer 25,000 30,000 35,000

Senior Graphic Designer 35,000 40,000 55,000+

Junior Wayfinding Designer 20,000 24,000 28,000

Wayfinding Designer 25,000 32,000 38,000

Senior Wayfinding Designer 35,000 45,000 55,000+

Digital Designer 30,000 50,000 65,000+

Creative Director 55,000 70,000 85,000+

Showroom Assistant 20,000 24,000 28,000

Showroom Manager 28,000 30,000 35,000

Project Coordinator 20,000 25,000 32,000

Project Manager 37,000 45,000 60,000+

Sales Support 18,000 22,000 26,000

Sales Consultant 20,000 25,000 30,000

Senior Sales Consultant 30,000 35,000 40,000+

Sales Manager 50,000 55,000 60,000+

Account Manager 25,000 30,000 40,000+

Key Account Manager 30,000 40,000 50,000+

Per annum £ Low £ Average £ High

Graduate 18,000 20,000 21,000

Junior Interior Designer 23,000 25,000 26,000

Midweight Interior Designer 27,000 33,000 35,000

Senior Interior Designer 38,000 42,000 50,000

Associate 50,000 54,000 60,000

Design Director 55,000 65,000 75,000

Junior Technician 22,000 26,000 30,000

Technician 30,000 34,000 37,000

Senior Technician 37,000 40,000 45,000

FF&E Designer 26,000 28,000 32,000

Senior FF&E Designer 35,000 38,000 50,000

Junior Interior Architect 23,000 25,000 26,000

Interior Architect 27,000 33,000 35,000

Senior Interior Architect 38,000 42,000 50,000

BIM/CAD/IT

Business Support

Architecture

Urban Design & Landscape

Graphics & CGI

Architectural & Interior Products

Interior Design

1. London

With Brexit still very much at the forefront of the political and economic agenda in 2017, we continued to see the effects of this on the pool of candidates for the architecture and design market in London.

Salary Guide Market Update Summary

Those looking to hire need to act quickly when shortlisting for interview and making job offers if they want to secure the best people.


The buoyant multi-residential sector has cooled slightly compared to early 2017, however, we are still experiencing demand for candidates in this area as most mid-to-large practices remain busy with live projects. This demand has also created a shortage of talented architects in the private residential sectors. The smaller firms typically working on high-end houses have lost staff to the higher salaries and career progression that larger firms can often offer. The private residential sector is very busy as a result of Sydney’s strong economic growth over the past three years along with demand for people in this area, and salaries have grown as a result. The underlying housing shortage in Sydney and strong economy should see the residential market remain strong for the next couple of years.

The education sector is also particularly busy. Population growth has almost created a crisis in school accommodation and the government and private sectors are building new schools, and expanding existing ones–this is creating a lot of interesting work including some really innovative high-rise school solutions.

Transport, particularly rail, remains fairly busy and those with specialist skills in this area are highly sought-after. Demand for urban designers and landscape architects has also remained an ongoing pinch-point in Sydney, as there is a strong preference for local experience in these roles and not enough experienced candidates in the local market.

Per annum A$ Low A$ Average A$ High

Receptionist 45,000 50,000 60,000



Document Controller 50,000 70,000 90,000

Studio Manager 70,000 80,000 90,000


Personal Assistant/EA 60,000 75,000 90,000

Marketing Assistant 50,000 60,000 70,000


Submission Coordinator 60,000 75,000 90,000

Bid Manager 70,000 85,000 100,000+


Senior Graphic Designer 70,000 80,000 100,000

UX/UI Designer 60,000 80,000 100,000+


Business Dev Manager 80,000 100,000 120,000+

HR Manager 75,000 95,000 120,000

Bookkeeper 60,000 70,000 80,000

Finance Manager 70,000 85,000 100,000+

IT Manager 70,000 85,000 100,000+


Student 38,000 40,000 45,000

Grad of Architecture (1-3 yrs) 49,295 55,000 65,000



Registered Architect (3-6 yrs) 65,000 75,000 90,000


Senior Architect/Associate 95,000 120,000 140,000+

Project Director 120,000 140,000 160,000+

Director /Principal 130,000 170,000 250,000+

Technician (1-3 yrs) 50,000 60,000 70,000

Technician (3-6 yrs) 60,000 70,000 80,000

Technician (6-10 yrs) 70,000 85,000 110,000

BIM Modeller 70,000 95,000 115,000

BIM Manager 90,000 130,000 160,000

Visualiser 65,000 85,000 110,000

Senior Visualiser 100,000 120,000 150,000

Student 35,093 38,000 40,000

Graduate Urban Designer 48,000 52,000 55,000

Urban Designer (1-3 yrs) 60,000 65,000 75,000



Assoc/Sen Urban Designer 120,000 140,000 160,000

Urban Design Director 150,000 180,000 250,000+

Graduate Landscape Designer 50,000 55,000 60,000

Landscape Architect (1-3 yrs) 55,000 60,000 70,000



Assoc/Sen Landscape Architect 80,000 95,000 110,000






Sales Support 50,000 58,000 65,000

Estimator 60,000 75,000 90,000

Project Manager 70,000 80,000 100,000

Product Designer 60,000 75,000 95,000

Sales Representative 65,000 80,000 95,000

State Sales Manager 90,000 100,000 120,000

National Sales Manager 130,000 150,000 170,000

Dealer Manager 90,000 105,000 120,000

Installer 55.000 60,000 65,000

Logistics Manager 60,000 65,000 72,000

Warehouse Manager 65,000 80,000 100,000

Operations Manager 80,000 100,000 125,000

General Manager 120,000 150,000 180,000

Graduate Interior Designer 40,000 45,000 50,000

Interior Designer (1-3 yrs) 45,000 55,000 70,000



Associate 100,000 120,000 130,000

Design Director 130,000 165,000 200,000

Technician (1-3 yrs) 50,000 55,000 60,000

Technician (3-6 yrs) 60,000 65,000 75,000

Technician (6-10 yrs) 75,000 80,000 85,000

Stylist/Decorator 65,000 75,000 90,000

Retail Design Manager 80,000 110,000 120,000

Business Support Architecture



Interior Design


2. Sydney

The demand for architects and designers in Sydney remains strong with serious candidate shortages in certain sectors.

The unprecedented growth in education projects has outstripped the market and we have seen huge demand for architects with education and networks experience to assist in winning work in this sector.

On the interior design side, we are experiencing ongoing shortages in large-scale workplace design and workplace strategists. Also, hospitality and residential designers remain in demand.

Another interesting area of demand is practice management. As so many firms have grown (and often had to move studios) this has placed pressure on internal management and leadership. Good practice managers are highly sought-after, particularly those with an architectural background. Likewise, submissions writers are also in particularly high demand.

Last year we saw a drop in the number of firms prepared to sponsor international candidates, caused by changes in the rules around visas and sponsorship rules. For outstanding design skills or specialist experience such as transport design, BIM managers and outstanding designers with international experience, we are still witnessing high demand for overseas architects, particularly from the UK or northern Europe.

Design and leadership skills are usually the most desirable skills in the architecture market and this remains true in the current market. We are seeing strong demand for talented architects with around 10-15 years’ experience. On the documentation and delivery side, Revit is the main driver and the most widely used software, followed by ArchiCAD–for documentation roles either one of these is essential.

We expect a busy year ahead in 2018.

The figures detailed above are exclusive of superannuation.As of 01 July 2017, and in accordance with the Architects Awards 2010 [MA000079], a full-time Graduate of Architecture* (entry level) must be paid a minimum of $49,295 per annum and a full-time Registered Architect** (entry level) or Experienced Graduate of Architecture must be paid a minimum of $56,991 per annum on a full-time salaryAustralian national minimum wage is $36,134.80 per annum.This information should be used as a guide only. Current rates of pay and award standards can be found on the Fair Work Commission website www.fairwork.gov.au


In 2017, Victoria remained the clear leader for building approvals with the last six months of the year seeing steady gains for apartment and townhouse approvals. Despite industry predictions for a slowing multi-residential sector, demand remains strong for architects with multi-residential and mixed-use experience across all project phases.

In addition, the private residential sector remains busy and many practices have been expanding to meet industry demands. Many of the boutique residential practices we assisted on ‘one-off’ occasions in 2013/2014 are now operating on a commercial scale. Domenic Cerantonio of Cera Stribley says: “most media outlets have reported, or rather predicted, a slow-down in the multi-residential space, however, I think it’s more of a transition from investor-driven development to owner-occupier focused projects. We have seen quite a swing in a number of our projects where larger, better designed apartments are now the norm. I think this is an exciting time for the industry and this change can only result in improved built form outcomes for our city.”

The education sector also remains extremely buoyant with notable tertiary institutes delivering new faculty buildings, as well as private and public secondary schools updating facilities.

Demand is still incredibly strong for experienced ‘submissions’ candidates in support of pitches and presentations across most sectors.

3. Melbourne

The market for architects and interior designers in Melbourne continues to be strong.


Major transport projects such as the new Melbourne Metro, Skyrail and roll-out of grade separation projects have seen a huge demand for international talent with rail expertise at all levels. These types of candidates are generally the only ones being considered for 457 visas now and we’ve seen a general decline in sponsorship of others, largely due to the changes in legislation around sponsorship and visas.

Within interior design, we are still seeing a shortage of commercial workplace specialists, particularly at senior and director levels. We’ve also had a variety of specialist roles come online in the areas of workplace strategy and change management.

In 2017, we continued to see an uplift in hiring from developers and builders as they sought to increase their in-house teams of architects and design managers, working across residential, mixed-use, retail, education and infrastructure projects.

The product market remains busy, with plenty of innovative products and exciting collaborations between designers and brands. Salaries have increased over the past 12 months and there are lots of new hires planned for the start of the year; however, this remains a candidate-short market, so firms will need to move fast to secure the best talent. Those with existing industry networks and experience in new business development are highly sought-after.

Design and leaderships skills continue to be the most highly desirable skills in the architecture market and we are seeing strong demand for talented architects with around 8-15 years’ experience. Within documentation and delivery, Revit continues to be the most widely used software, followed by Archicad. For documentation roles, either one of these software skills is essential in the majority of cases.

As we move into 2018, the market is predicted to remain busy across the board.


Receptionist 45,000 50,000 55,000




Studio Manager 70,000 80,000 90,000


Personal Assistant 60,000 70,000 85,000

Executive Assistant 70,000 75,000 95,000

Marketing Assistant 55,000 65,000 75,000


Submission Coordinator 70,000 80,000 90,000

Bid Manager 80,000 90,000 100,000


Senior Graphic Designer 65,000 75,000 90,000

UX/UI Designer 75,000 90,000 100,000+



HR Manager 80,000 95,000 120,000+

Bookkeeper 60,000 70,000 80,000

Finance Manager 80,000 90,000 100,000+

IT Manager 80,000 90,000 100,000


Student 35,000 40,000 45,000






Senior Architect/Associate 90,000 110,000 120,000

Project Director 110,000 135,000 150,000

Director /Principal 130,000 170,000 220,000+

Technician (1-3 yrs) 45,000 55,000 60,000

Technician (3-6 yrs) 55,000 60,000 65,000

Technician (6-10 yrs) 65,000 75,000 90,000

BIM Modeller 55,000 65,000 75,000

BIM Manager 85,000 110,000 130,000

Visualiser 60,000 85,000 110,000


Graduate Urban Designer 45,000 48,000 52,000



Urban Designer (6-10 yrs) 80,000 100,000 120,000+

Graduate Landscape Architect 48,000 55,000 60,000




Assoc/Sen Landscape Architect 80,000 90,000 100,000


Showroom Assistant* 55,000 60,000 70,000



Marketing Manager 80,000 95,000 110,000

Sales Support 50,000 55,000 65,000

Estimator 70,000 80,000 90,000

Project Manager 80,000 90,000 100,000+

Product Designer 60,000 75,000 95,000

Sales Representative* 65,000 80,000 100,000+

State Sales Manager 100,000 110,000 120,000

National Sales Manager 130,000 150,000 170,000

Dealer Manager 90,000 105,000 120,000

Installer 55,000 60,000 65,000

Logistics Manager 65,000 75,000 85,000

Warehouse Manager 65,000 80,000 100,000

Operations Manager 80,000 100,000 125,000

General Manager 120,000 150,000 180,000

Graduate Interior Designer 42,000 45,000 50,000




Associate 110,000 120,000 130,000

Design Director 130,000 165,000 200,000

Technician (1-3 yrs) 50,000 55,000 60,000

Technician (3-6 yrs) 60,000 65,000 75,000

Technician (6-10 yrs) 75,000 85,000 110,000

Stylist/Decorator 55,000 75,000 95,000

Retail Design Manager 110,000 130,000 150,000+

Business Support Architecture



Interior Design

The figures detailed above are exclusive of superannuation.As of 01 July 2017, and in accordance with the Architects Awards 2010 [MA000079], a full-time Graduate of Architecture* (entry level) must be paid a minimum of $49,295 per annum and a full-time Registered Architect** (entry level) or Experienced Graduate of Architecture must be paid a minimum of $56,991 per annum on a full-time salaryAustralian national minimum wage is $36,134.80 per annum.This information should be used as a guide only. Current rates of pay and award standards can be found on the Fair Work Commission website www.fairwork.gov.au*These roles typically have commission on top of the outlined base salary


The end of 2017 had plenty of available architecture roles and 2018 promises increased vacancies in these sectors due to numerous factors in the city, including megaprojects and transit improvements.

The potential megaprojects of 2018 include the construction of the West Rail yard platform which will lead to the growth of Hudson Yards, the opening of 3 World Trade Center, and the growth of the Market Line in Essex Crossing, as well as continued work on numerous housing sites around the city and on the waterfront.

Continued and planned redevelopment of several of New York City’s transport infrastructure networks is likely to see increased demand for transport architects at all levels. The $836 million emergency action plan outlined by the MTA in 2017 will also be in effect throughout the year, disrupting services like the L Train. While buses and alternate transportation will be available, there is talk of increased bike traffic and improving bike infrastructure near the Williamsburg Bridge, as well as creation of protected bike lanes throughout the city.

As the number of cyclists increases this year, architects who helped in the creation of protected bike lanes may follow in the path of their London counterparts and propose elevated cycle tracks for New York City.

Though 2017 saw reduced demand for high-end residential and retail candidates, it is expected to rise again in 2018 as new projects are commenced. Interior hospitality and workspace remain busy as contemporary designed work spaces and edgy hotels and bars are neverendingly essential in New York City. Within architecture, there continues to be a shortage of good people with around 7-8 years’ experience, possibly due to some candidates undertaking career changes following the financial crisis ten years ago and leaving the profession for good. This is across the board and includes architects, interior designers, and project managers – the legacy of the global financial crisis.

In light of these megaprojects and transit improvements, many firms are anticipating numerous new projects and as a result, talented and experienced NYC architects and designers will continue to be sought-after. Demand for candidates in the architecture and design markets within the ever-bustling New York City continues to increase steadily and shows no sign of stopping. Provided there is no major political upheaval, we expect the market to remain busy in 2018.

Administrator 50,000 60,000 60,000

Front Office 45,000 52,500 60,000

Studio/Office Manager 80,000 90,000 100,000


Executive Assistant 65,000 77,500 90,000


Marketing Director/Manager 70,000 107,500 145,000

PR Manager 70,000 80,000 90,000

Financial Controller 120,000 140,000 160,000+

Full-Charge Bookkeeper 80,000 85,000 90,000

Business Dev Manager 80,000 102,500 125,000

HR Coordinator 59,000 64,500 70,000

HR Manager 85,000 92,500 100,000


Account Manager 85,000 107,500 130,000

Regional Sales Director 70,000 87,500 105,000

Per annum US$ Low US$ Average US$ High

CEO/President 106,000 170,000 200,000

Managing Principal 110,000 125,000 150,000

Senior Project Manager 110,000 125,000 135,000

Project Manager 85,000 95,000 100,000

Senior Architect (10+ yrs) 90,000 105,000 120,000

Architect (6-9 yrs) 80,000 85,000 99,000

Architect (3-6 yrs) 65,000 75,000 82,000

Architect (0-3 yrs) 58,000 64,000 70,000


Visualiser 55,000 63,000 70,000

BIM Specialist 75,000 90,000 95,000



Project Manager 70,000 78,000 84,000

Project Coordinator 46,000 51,000 65,000

Sales Manager 80,000 95,000 115,000

Senior Sales Consultant 80,000 85,000 90,000

Sales Consultant 62,000 69,000 82,000

Sales Support 40,000 48,000 53,000

Key Account Manager 85,000 92,000 98,000

Account Manager 74,000 87,000 95,000


Principal 140,000 180,000 210,000

Director of Design 105,000 135,000 180,000

Senior Project Designer 97,000 115,000 141,000

Project Designer 80,000 90,000 109,000

Interior Designer (8-10+ yrs) 76,000 82,000 94,000



Intern 31,000 33,000 38,000

Interior Architect (8-10+ yrs) 76,000 81,000 99,000

Interior Architect (4-7 yrs) 58,000 66,000 74,000

Interior Architect (0-3 yrs) 45,000 52,000 60,000

Business Support

Architecture


Interior Design

4. New York

The architecture and design job market continues to be strong in New York, if the omnipresent existence of scaffolding and construction zones are any indication.


Despite the shortage of senior candidates, salaries have remained stable and continue to be in line with industry standards.


Receptionist 25,000 35,000 40,000

Office Manager 45,000 60,000 70,000


Marketing Manager 80,000 89,000 95,000



Bookkeeper 50,000 65,000 72,000


Operations Manager 65,000 80,000 92,000+


Project Manager 78,000 85,000 90,000+

Account Manager 70,000 83,000 90,000


Studio Manager 48,000 62,000 72,000


HR Manager 75,000 86,000 95,000+


25,000 35,000 40,000

45,000 60,000 70,000

42,000 50,000 62,000

80,000 89,000 95,000

48,000 55,000 65,000

42,000 48,000 52,000

50,000 65,000 72,000

65,000 75,000 90,000+

65,000 80,000 92,000+

70,000 80,000 90,000+

78,000 85,000 90,000+

70,000 83,000 90,000

45,000 50,000 53,000

48,000 62,000 72,000

45,000 52,000 58,000

75,000 86,000 95,000+

Los Angeles


CEO/President 105,000 150,000 200,000

Studio Director 90,000 105,000 115,000

Senior Project Manager 95,000 115,000 135,000

Project Manager 75,000 85,000 94,000



Architect 3 (10+ yrs) 80,000 97,000 107,000

Architect 2 (8-10 yrs) 65,000 78,000 90,000

Architect 1 (5-8 yrs) 56,000 65,000 75,000

Int Architectural Designer (2-5 yrs) 45,000 50,000 58,000

Jr. Architectural Designer (0-2 yrs) 40,000 42,000 48,000

San Francisco

US$ Low US$ Average US$ High

130,000 180,000 250,000

113,000 131,000 144,000

119,000 144,000 150,000+

94,000 106,000 118,000

119,000 125,000 138,000

100,000 113,000 125,000

90,000 98,000 110,000

80,000 90,000 100,000

60,000 70,000 75,000

56,000 63,000 73,000

50,000 53,000 60,000

Principal 120,000 150,000 40,000

Director of Design 100,000 130,000 150,000

Interior Designer (5-10+ yrs) 70,000 75,000 90,000





Senior FF&E Designer 70,000 80,000 90,000

FF&E Designer 50,000 60,000 70,000

Senior Interior Architect 75,000 80,000 95,000

Interior Architect 55,000 60,000 72,000

120,000 150,000 240,000

100,000 130,000 150,000

70,000 75,000 90,000

58,000 66,000 70,000

40,000 45,000 52,000

95,000 110,000 130,000

75,000 85,000 95,000

75,000 80,000 90,000

60,000 65,000 70,000

75,000 80,000 95,000

55,000 60,000 72,000

Business Support

Architecture

Interior Design

5. LA/ San FranciscoSalary Guide

Housing demands will continue to drive the LA market during 2018. Industry experts cite a shortage of mid-priced single-family homes in the area, the expectancy of Generation Z to enter the housing market, and the implementation of Measure HHH (a ballot initiative allocating $1.2 million to fund the development of homeless housing in LA) to expand opportunities within the housing market. The focus on expanding the transit system in preparation for the 2028 Olympics will also continue to drive market growth, with December seeing the beginning of the expansion of the Gold Line in Montclair (to be finished in 2027) and with Purple Line construction in full force.

An increased focus on revitalising the LA River, the development of new campuses for large tech companies (such as Google and Snapchat) and shopping centres completing major renovations, all translates to a continual growing need for workplace and retail/restaurant design experience.

The San Francisco market also continues to be healthy. Despite dropping to the 27th spot in ULI’s predicted hottest markets in 2018, the city is experiencing a surge of urban development,

led by the recent development of the Salesforce Transit Centre and Salesforce Park, expected to open in Spring 2018. Salesforce isn’t the only tech giant securing space in the city, as Dropbox recently took on the city’s largest ever lease, with Facebook, Uber and Airbnb predicted to follow. This has resulted in a growing demand for workplace designers in the San Francisco market. Similar to Los Angeles, San Francisco is seeing a shortage of stock in the housing market, with ULI experts saying more condos and micro-units are required to aid rising housing demands in the city, fuelling demand for candidates with housing experience.

The numerous natural disasters and unusual weather patterns witnessed across the state are prompting local architects to consider the rebuilding effort ahead and the need for sustainable and durable materials in upcoming projects.

Mid-level candidates with a good balance of design and technical skills are the most sought-after. Many firms are now working hard to market themselves more successfully to candidates and new clients, and as a result, focusing on hiring marketing, communications and business development associates to create 21st century branding and social media strategies.

The West Coast continues to change, with new developments in the markets happening every day. It’s an exciting time for architects and designers, and we expect the market to remain busy this coming year.

All of this translates to a dynamic and thriving market where, as it did in 2017, the supply of outstanding candidates struggles to keep up with demand.

Following a buoyant 2017, we expect the architectural and interior design market to continue in this way for the year ahead, with Los Angeles and San Francisco seeing parallel demands and trends.

Market Update Summary


We are a specialist recruitment agency dedicated to connecting jobseekers with employers in architecture and design. Set up by trained architects and designers with industry experience in practice – we really do understand our industry and care about the people who work within it.

Established nearly 15 years ago, we recruit for high-profile design firms locally and internationally and have offices in London, Sydney, Melbourne, New York and Los Angeles.

We recruit across permanent and temporary assignments, from entry level appointments through to strategic/leadership roles, across the following areas globally:

Architecture

Interior design

Business support (including HR, marketing, IT, finance and admin)

A&D products and sales

BIM specialists

Strategic appointments

Landscape & urban design

Graphics & CGI

Permanent hires

Whether you are seeking to expand your current team or make a succession hire, we are best placed to help. With a global database of over 90,000 pre-screened candidates and an extensive network of top-tier contacts, Bespoke Careers can assist you with your search for the best professionals within the architecture and design industry – finding the right fit for your business.

Contract/temporary staffing

If you need a temporary specialist, or require staff for a particular project, then Bespoke Careers can help. Our extensive network of pre-screened candidates is flexible and we’re confident that we can provide short-term staffing solutions to meet those deadlines. We provide you with the temporary worker, handling all of the payroll and taxes etc, and you simply receive an invoice. We can also offer temp-to-perm solutions which gives you the flexibility to test new employees on the job and determine if they are the right fit for your business, minimising any risk before committing to a full-time hire.

Retained search

Our retained search platform is designed for those highly sensitive strategic appointments which are harder to source and fill, such as principals, design leaders, technical directors, CFO, etc. Many people looking for their next strategic move will be doing so with the utmost discretion. We only work on a small number of retained searches at any one time – by paying a small retainer fee upfront, we will actively source people within our networks, identifying the most suitable candidates in the industry for your role.

Bespoke Careers

Ways to hire

Our clients benefit from a totally unique service for the following reasons:

Our consultants are trained architects & designers.

Our consultants have the advantage of having trained and worked in the industry they recruit for; this means they have an unrivalled passion for, and understanding of, our clients’ hiring needs and our candidates’ career aspirations. This experience allows us to assess strengths and weaknesses accurately when reviewing portfolios and to make informed judgements when matching candidates to our clients’ requirements.

Our candidate database is unrivalled.

With over 90,000 pre-screened candidates on our global database and extensive networks from our time in industry, we really are best positioned to find you the highest quality talent for your roles. Every candidate we put forward has been interviewed and their portfolio reviewed – this means that when we introduce potential candidates to you we will have already met them and will have a solid understanding of their career to date and their aspirations moving forward. We never send out a CV without a candidate’s permission, meaning you only receive the best quality CVs from people who want to work for you.

We can test applicants’ Revit/AutoCAD/Microstation/ArchiCAD/Adobe skills.

We have a long-standing contract with Knowledgesmart Ltd, the leading skills assessment software testing organisation, which allows us to assess candidates’ skills. Once we’ve interviewed candidates, they are directed to our in-house testing suite where they undertake an assessment. This allows us to provide our clients with a percentage result and a detailed report which outlines areas that could be improved with training.

We send our clients detailed interview notes.

These include detailed notes about the applicant’s career aspirations, design ability and technical knowledge. These are then sent with the candidate’s CV and work samples, giving our clients a thorough understanding of the applicant’s expectations as well as their creative, technical and communication skills.

We have a dedicated video conferencing suite.

We have a dedicated international interview suite fitted with webcam facilities where candidates can have a one-to-one interview with clients anywhere in the world, providing the client has a similar facility in their office.

Above and beyond just a recruiter.

Along with finding great talent, we can give you advice including salary benchmarking, restructuring, market updates, international insights and how to come up with a great benefits package for your staff. Our passion for the design industry means we immerse ourselves in industry events and regularly provide CV and portfolio surgeries to support up-and-coming talent in our industry.

The Bespoke wayAbout us

global salary guide 2018 · 2018. 4. 30. · salary guide

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