Design Associate Jobs in Elgin, IL (NOW HIRING)

Senior Associate, Design - Life Sciences

Unispace

At Unispace, we create spaces that empower people and businesses to thrive. We're a global design-build partner delivering workplace and life sciences projects for some of the world's most innovative organisations.

Our model brings strategy, design, project management and delivery together under one roof. That means our designers are involved from the very beginning of a project through to construction and handover, working closely with clients, consultants and delivery teams to turn complex requirements into environments that genuinely work.

Within Life Sciences, that means creating highly technical spaces where design quality, functionality, compliance and operational performance all matter.

This is an opportunity to join a global, design-led business where you'll take a leading role on technically complex Life Sciences projects, build strong client relationships and help shape laboratories and specialist environments from concept through to delivery.

The Role

As a Senior Associate, Design - Life Sciences, you'll play a key role in the design and delivery of laboratory, research and technically complex environments.

You'll lead significant design packages, work directly with clients to understand their scientific and operational requirements, and translate those needs into intelligent, practical and highly considered design solutions.

Working within Unispace's integrated design-and-build model, you'll collaborate closely with Design Principals, project managers, engineers, consultants and construction teams to ensure design intent is maintained all the way through delivery.

This is a role for someone who combines strong lab planning expertise with excellent technical capability, commercial awareness and the confidence to engage directly with clients.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading design packages across Life Sciences, laboratory and technical projects of varying scale
• Planning and developing laboratory environments, including programming, layouts, adjacencies and technical coordination
• Working directly with clients to understand scientific, operational and business requirements and translate them into effective design solutions
• Developing strong client relationships and acting as a trusted design partner throughout the project lifecycle
• Leading projects through concept design, design development and construction documentation
• Producing and overseeing detailed technical drawing and construction document packages
• Ensuring designs meet relevant building codes, regulatory requirements and technical standards
• Coordinating closely with MEP, engineering, specialist consultants and internal delivery teams
• Resolving complex technical and coordination challenges throughout design and construction
• Supporting construction administration and helping ensure design intent is maintained on site
• Applying strong QA/QC processes across design documentation
• Developing and confidently presenting design concepts to clients and stakeholders
• Supporting pitches, proposals and wider business development activity
• Mentoring and supporting more junior members of the design team
• Contributing to wider design standards, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across the business

What We're Looking For

• Around 5-8+ years' experience within Life Sciences, laboratory, research or other highly technical design environments
• Strong laboratory planning experience, including programming, layouts and technical coordination
• A solid understanding of how laboratories and specialist environments operate
• Experience delivering projects from concept through design development and construction
• Strong technical design capability and experience producing coordinated construction documentation
• Strong Revit capability, alongside proficiency with wider design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and CAD
• Good knowledge of building codes, regulatory requirements and compliance within technical environments
• Confidence working directly with clients and presenting design concepts
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary consultant teams
• Strong understanding of detailing, materials, FF&E and technical specifications
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining design quality and technical accuracy
• Experience working within an integrated design-build environment would be highly advantageous
• Exposure to larger corporate, research, campus or multi-building Life Sciences environments would be beneficial

Why Unispace

Unispace is different from a traditional design studio.

Because strategy, design and construction sit within one integrated business, our designers have genuine visibility across the entire lifecycle of a project. You don't simply create a concept and hand it over - you remain connected to the project as it develops, is coordinated and ultimately gets built.

You'll have the opportunity to work with talented specialists across a global business, contribute to technically challenging projects and develop your career in an environment that values creativity, curiosity, accountability and collaboration.

You'll also gain:

• Exposure to major Life Sciences and innovation-led clients
• Technically complex projects with real-world impact
• Strong client exposure and ownership
• Collaboration with global design, engineering and delivery teams
• The opportunity to see your work through from concept to completion
• Genuine career development within a growing Life Sciences capability

The Opportunity

This is a strong opportunity for an experienced Life Sciences designer who wants more than a traditional studio role.

You'll be able to combine lab planning, technical design, client relationships and project leadership within a business where design and delivery work side by side.

If you know laboratory environments, enjoy solving complex technical problems and want to help create spaces that support science, research and innovation, we'd love to hear from you.