Managing Architect at ADU Express

Location: Gardena, CA (on-site) — 19210 S Vermont Ave, Building E, Gardena, CA 90248. Occasional trips to LA city offices for permitting and plan-check corrections.

Job Type: Full-Time, Salaried

Pay: $130,000–$150,000/year, depending on experience

Schedule: Monday–Friday, in the Gardena office

About the Role

You'll be the technical lead for architecture across our internal ADU and multifamily portfolio in Los Angeles. That means owning design strategy, running our permitting playbook through LA's toughest jurisdictions, and holding the line on quality and buildability from concept through RTI. You bridge our development goals and the drawings that get built — working daily with project managers and the construction team.

A Note on the Work

This is an in-house role at a design-build developer, not a design studio. The portfolio is ADUs and multifamily, built at scale and on repeat. The people who do best here like solving permitting puzzles, care about details that make a building cheaper and faster to construct, and want to see their work go vertical — not sit in a portfolio.

What You'll Do

• Direct conceptual layouts and construction documents for ADU and multifamily projects, and hold them to company quality and buildability standards
• Define and execute permitting strategy for complex LA jurisdictions; manage the submittal, correction, and clearance process through to Ready-to-Issue (RTI)
• Oversee and review deliverables from structural, MEP, civil, and Title 24 consultants to keep sets consistent and coordinated
• Serve as the in-house expert on the California Building Code (CBC), Title 24, and local zoning and ADU regulations
• Coordinate with project managers and the construction team so designs are constructible and field questions get answered fast
• Represent the company at city counters and plan-check meetings when issues need resolving in person

Required

• Active California Architect license
• 5+ years of experience in multifamily, ADU, residential, or design-build projects
• Advanced proficiency in Revit and Bluebeam
• Proven track record navigating Los Angeles jurisdictional permitting processes
• Able to work on-site daily in Gardena, with occasional travel to LA city offices

Preferred

• Experience inside a developer or design-build firm (vs. a traditional architecture practice)
• Experience managing outside consultants and coordinating multi-discipline sets
• Familiarity with LA's ADU ordinance, SB 9, and density-bonus programs

Compensation & Growth

• $130,000–$150,000/year, based on experience
• Free Welcome+ membership for up to 12 months while actively employed — includes $0 cost telemedicine with unlimited 24/7 access, counseling support, prescription discounts, dental (Aetna Dental Access®), and vision. Covers you and your family (spouse + children under 26).
• Growing company with room to shape the design function as our project portfolio expands

About ADU Express

ADU Express is a Los Angeles–based design-build company specializing in accessory dwelling units at scale. We combine a systems-driven construction model with real estate investment, and we're growing fast. If you want to build something — not just show up — this is the place.