Find & Apply For Civil / Architectural Designer / Drafter Jobs in Chicago, Illinois

Job Title:

Brand Reviewer Job Description The Brand Reviewer supports a nationwide restaurant refresh program by reviewing and updating front-of-house designs for existing buildings to ensure they align with approved brand standards and color schemes. This role focuses on point-of-sale counters, menu boards, café areas, and overall customer-facing spaces, using Bluebeam and AutoCAD to redline, comment on, and update architectural drawings. The position is ideal for someone who enjoys facility and space planning, branding and signage, and working on the client/owner side rather than within an architecture firm. Responsibilities

+ Assist with brand review activities, focusing on point-of-sale counters, behind-the-counter areas, menu boards, machines, and café spaces to create a modern, branded look in line with approved color schemes and prototype standards.

+ Support a major national remodeling and modernization initiative for North American restaurants by reviewing and updating designs for the "front of house" in existing buildings.

+ Review architectural drawings and construction documents provided by third-party architectural and engineering vendors, including roof plans, building elevations, floor plans, sections, and details, to ensure compliance with corporate brand standards.

+ Use Bluebeam and AutoCAD (primarily for redlining) to view, mark up, print, and track changes on technical drawings in both 2D and 3D, updating floor plans, elevations, sections, and details as needed.

+ Transfer PDF technical plans into Autodesk Design Review or similar tools to review and redline plans and elevations, ensuring proper branding, signage placement, dimensions, and locations.

+ Analyze customer and employee traffic flow within restaurants to improve space utilization, increase efficiency, and enhance overall design of order areas and kitchens.

+ Participate in equipment placement and rearrangement, including kitchen, plumbing, utility equipment, and order stations throughout the restaurant to optimize functionality and customer experience.

+ Contribute to facility design and facility layout of kitchens and order areas, focusing on architectural detailing and space planning for front-of-house environments.

+ Place new counters and boards behind counters in café and order areas, coordinating layout and design to align with brand guidelines and prototype frameworks.

+ Coordinate with outside architects and A/E vendors, reviewing shop drawings and communicating with vendors and suppliers to ensure designs meet brand and signage standards.

+ Adhere to ADA guidelines for restaurant design, ensuring that layouts and customer-facing spaces are accessible and compliant.

+ Follow established prototype design guidelines while applying appropriate flexibility within the framework to address site-specific conditions.

+ Provide supporting services to project managers by handling design review and redlining tasks, thereby reducing their workload, while the project managers maintain direct client contact.

+ Work independently on assigned projects, managing changing priorities and rework as design decisions evolve, and proactively seeking clarification or additional tasks when needed. Essential Skills

+ Bachelor's degree in Architecture or Interior Architecture, with flexibility on experience level.

+ Experience producing construction documents, elevations, sections, and details in AutoCAD, with a focus on redlining and updating existing drawings.

+ Proficiency with Bluebeam for reviewing, marking up, and tracking changes on PDF-based technical drawings.

+ Background in facilities design, facilities planning, or space planning, particularly in commercial, retail, or restaurant environments.

+ Experience reviewing and marking up architectural drawings and shop drawings, including roof plans, building elevations, and interior layouts.

+ Ability to apply ADA guidelines to restaurant and customer-facing space design to ensure accessibility and compliance.

+ Strong interest in and desire to be involved in branding and signage of buildings, including ensuring consistency with corporate brand standards.

+ Effective communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design feedback and collaborate with project managers, architects, vendors, and internal stakeholders.

+ Self-motivated work style with the ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and adapt quickly and resourcefully to shifting priorities and design changes.

+ Team-oriented mindset with a positive attitude, demonstrating a willingness to support colleagues and contribute to a collaborative environment.

+ Confidence and initiative to be well spoken, assertive, and outgoing, including proactively asking for help when needed and requesting additional work when tasks are complete. Additional Skills & Qualifications

+ Experience with commercial, retail, or restaurant design is strongly preferred.

+ Kitchen design experience is a plus, particularly in the context of equipment placement and workflow optimization.

+ Experience using Autodesk Design Review or similar CAD-adjacent tools to review and redline plans and elevations is beneficial.

+ Desire to work on the client/owner side of projects rather than within a traditional architecture firm environment.

+ Ability to avoid residential design and interior design focus, bringing a mindset aligned with commercial and restaurant facilities.

+ Strong people skills and a willingness to learn new concepts and tools in a structured onboarding environment.

+ Comfort working in a fast-paced setting where design direction may change frequently, requiring rework and flexibility. Work Environment This role operates within a large, dynamic restaurant organization that manages thousands of remodeling projects across its North American locations. The Brand Reviewer works primarily with Bluebeam and related design review tools, with some use of AutoCAD for redlining and updating drawings. The position follows a hybrid schedule, with three days in the office and two days remote once training is complete; most in-office work typically occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Initial onboarding may involve working in the office Monday through Thursday to ensure thorough training before transitioning to the 3/2 schedule. The environment offers free water, coffee, and soda, as well as optional Thursday happy hours on an upper floor with a cash bar. A gym is available on-site with a monthly membership fee and a no-cancellation policy. Team members receive paid time off, matched holidays, and benefit from a structured, documented onboarding program designed to support success. The culture emphasizes a strong fit, independence, adaptability to frequent changes, and collaboration within a professional, client-focused design setting, with casual, office-appropriate attire suitable for a corporate environment. Job Type & Location This is a Contract position based out of Chicago, IL. Pay and Benefits The pay range for this position is $24.00 - $31.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a hybrid position in Chicago,IL.

Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Sep 28, 2026. About Actalent Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service. The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.