CIVIC

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGNER

NYC (3x/wk In Person, 2x/wk Remote)

OUR COMMUNITY

We’re CIVIC. Since 1999, we’ve led the way in cultural marketing, providing integrated solutions to top-tier brands including Ford, Audible, HBO Max, Verizon, Amazon Studios, The Stonewall Inn, NBCUniversal, Peacock, among many others. We are an Ad Age Small Agency Award winner (Gold) for 2024 & 2025. We are known for big ideas -- creating long-term brand platforms designed to impact culture, address the biggest societal issues, build loyalty, stimulate word of mouth and generate client revenue.

Our broad suite of integrated marketing services includes:

• Brand Strategy, Concept and Creative Development
• Live Event, Proprietary Brand Activations and Pro-Social Campaigns
• Content Development and Execution via Civic Studios
• PR/Media Relations and Social Media Marketing
• Executive and Internal Communications
• Growth Marketing and Partnership Development

At Civic, we believe business is the world’s most powerful platform for positive change. We believe our community can build bridges between companies and communities and we empower our employees to help amplify underrepresented voices. Our goal is to build a more inclusive and equitable future in tandem with our clients and partners.

YOUR ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY

Civic is looking for an NYC-area-based Environmental Designer with a passion for transforming ideas into physical experiences that spark emotion and conversation. You’ll join a passionate, collaborative, and culturally fluent creative team shaping environments for some of the world’s most ambitious and innovative brands.

This role sits at the intersection of spatial storytelling and brand experience—you’ll translate creative concepts into environments that immerse, delight, and connect audiences. From pop-ups and brand activations to large-scale installations and hospitality spaces, you’ll bring the Civic ethos to life through thoughtful, strategic design.

This is a hands-on, design role for an experienced 3D professional who can independently take a space from an initial concept through modeling, rendering, detailing, presentation, fabrication, and installation. You should be able to work quickly without sacrificing quality, developing full, photorealistic environments within accelerated timelines.

The ideal candidate is a designer who thinks in both 2D and 3D, thrives on collaboration, and understands how to balance conceptual vision with real-world execution. You’re as comfortable sketching quick ideas as you are working through technical drawings, renderings, and fabrication details.

You bring the creative judgment of an environmental designer, the spatial and decorative eye of an interior designer, and the technical versatility of a 3D generalist. You are proactive, solutions-oriented, highly organized, and energized by figuring out how to make ambitious ideas possible.

Above all else, you’ll bring:

• A deep understanding of spatial design and a passion for creating environments that tell a story

• Advanced 3D modeling, visualization, and rendering skills, with the ability to create polished, realistic environments on accelerated timelines

• A well-developed personal library of 3D models, furniture, décor, materials, textures, lighting assets, and production resources that can support efficient project development

• Strong conceptual and visual thinking skills, with the ability to move fluidly between ideation and execution

• An elevated eye for furniture, décor, styling, and spatial composition, with the ability to design a complete, cohesive environment. As well as an eye for color, texture, and lighting—and how they influence mood and behavior

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, able to clearly express design intent to clients, collaborators, and vendors

• Collaborative energy—comfortable working alongside art directors, producers, strategists, and fabricators to bring experiences to life

• A proactive, can-do approach to creative and technical problem-solving, particularly when working through changing requirements, or production limitations

• Curiosity about emerging tools, technologies, materials, and workflows, along with a genuine commitment to continually developing your craft

• A portfolio that demonstrates range: from sketches and renders to fully realized experiential builds. Showing strong modeling, lighting, texturing, post-production, furniture and décor selection, and the ability to create believable, fully considered environments

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Translate creative concepts into compelling 3D environments, installations, and branded spaces by owning the development of high-quality 3D visualizations from initial spatial studies through final, photorealistic renderings

• Create design presentations, mood boards, sketches, floor plans, renderings, and technical drawings that communicate spatial intent and storytelling

• Collaborate closely with Creative Directors, Producers, and 3D partners to ensure design intent is carried through fabrication and installation

• Create and apply realistic materials, textures, lighting, environmental details, placeholder graphics, artwork, signage, and branded surfaces throughout the design process

• Complete advanced post-production of renderings using Adobe Creative Cloud, including image compositing, lighting adjustments, artwork placement, retouching, and final presentation polish

• Select furniture, lighting, rugs, accessories, greenery, florals, and décor that support the design narrative and create a complete, elevated environment

• Source real, available furniture and décor options and maintain organized, shareable documentation

• Participate in site visits, vendor coordination, and fabrication reviews as needed (travel as needed)

• Be able to evaluate site conditions, guest flow, sightlines, scale, accessibility, material performance, furniture layouts, and operational requirements when developing designs

• Present design concepts internally and externally, guiding clients through the creative and spatial journey

• Work across a range of scales—from intimate pop-up experiences to large-scale immersive activations to multi-day conferences

• Stay curious and current on design trends, fabrication methods, and emerging technologies that elevate physical experiences. Understand where AI can accelerate the creative process while maintaining design accuracy, quality control, originality, and consistency across the final work

• Partner with cross-functional teams to problem-solve creatively and technically, ensuring both aesthetic excellence and practical feasibility with a proactive approach

ROLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Expert-level understanding of spatial and experiential design principles

• Expert Proficiency in SketchUp

• Strong working proficiency with Twinmotion and Unreal Engine, including the ability to create, light, texture, render, and navigate fully developed environments

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop and Illustrator

• Exceptional post-production and image-compositing skills, with the ability to elevate raw renderings into polished, client-ready visuals

• Strong skills as a 3D generalist, including architectural and scenic modeling, furniture modeling, asset placement, UV mapping, material development, texturing, lighting, rendering, and basic graphic integration

• Demonstrated ability to produce realistic, detailed renderings efficiently and to respond quickly to design feedback

• Strong storytelling and visualization skills—from rough sketching to polished renderings

• Knowledge of fabrication materials, processes, and production workflows

• Working knowledge of modular booth systems and event architecture standards

• Experience selecting and specifying furniture, décor, lighting, floral and styling elements for premium or hospitality-driven environments, that make a space feel complete and intentional

• General fluency with AI-assisted creative tools and a demonstrated understanding of how to use them appropriately within a professional environmental design workflow

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

• Experience with Monday.com or a similar project-management platform is a plus

REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design, Industrial Design, Architecture, Interior Design, or a related field

• 5–7 years of agency experience in experiential marketing, architecture, or environmental design (agency experience preferred) with fast-moving client-service environments

• Direct experience designing trade shows, conferences, branded events, pop-ups, exhibitions, hospitality environments, or experiential activations is strongly preferred

• A strong portfolio demonstrating spatial design work, preferably including brand activations (both B2C and B2B), conferences, or retail/hospitality environments

CIVIC COMMUNITY AND CULTURE BENEFITS:

• A positive, fun, supportive and diverse team environment, with opportunities for advancement and a commitment to staff development and growth
• Competitive salary and incentives
• Full benefits package including dental and vision, and retirement plan with employer match
• Best in class parental leave benefits
• Paid time off and encouragement to take time off for self-care
• Wellness stipend
• Hybrid work schedule

Resumes must include a link to portfolio*

Civic is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status.