Exterior Designer

Why this role exists

Guests scroll past a good interior and stop at a great backyard. Our exterior team sits at the intersection of architecture, landscape, hospitality, and experience design, and the work is genuinely unconventional — the goal is a cohesive outdoor experience that makes sense spatially and makes someone think "okay, I want to stay here," not a catalog of features dropped on a lawn.

This is the most exploratory role on the team. You get real latitude on concept, and the expectation that comes with it: the idea has to hold up spatially, functionally, and financially, not just look good in a render.

If you've been looking for a design role that's less conventional and a lot more playful, this is the one.

What makes this role distinct

Every design role at Funkit needs design judgment. What separates this one:

• Strong spatial thinking and a design eye — you read a site quickly and know where things want to go.
• Creativity and concept development. You're not executing someone else's direction; you're setting it.
• The ability to combine landscaping, architecture, furniture, amenities, and guest experience into one cohesive exterior.
• Strong SketchUp skills.
• Thinking beyond a traditional backyard — understanding how an outdoor space becomes part of the experience of a short-term rental, not an afterthought behind the house.

What you'll be responsible for

• Designing outdoor layouts and amenity plans for full properties: pools, hot tubs, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, courts, games, and lounge areas.
• Landscaping concepts — planting, hardscape, shade, and how the whole site reads from the driveway to the back fence.
• Outdoor furniture and material selection that can survive weather and heavy guest turnover.
• Modeling in SketchUp, including terrain, topography, and existing architectural conditions.
• Placing murals and graphic moments in coordination with the graphic design team.
• Pulling every element into one concept, so the backyard doesn't feel like five separate decisions.
• Presenting your thinking clearly enough that a client can approve it and an install team can build it.

What we're looking for

• A background in Architecture, Landscape Design / Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, Hospitality Design, Experiential Design, or a related field — or somewhere in between. What matters is your design eye and spatial thinking, not your exact job title.
• Strong SketchUp skills. This is not negotiable — it's where the work happens every day, including terrain and site modeling.
• Creative thinking. We want unexpected moments, not a standard patio set and a fire bowl.
• The ability to bring different elements — amenities, planting, color, graphics — together into one strong concept.
• Practical judgment about scale, materials, drainage, and how people actually move through an outdoor space.
• Clear written and spoken communication, and comfort presenting your own work.

The logistics

• 3-month seasonal contract covering our busy season, with the possibility of transitioning into an in-house position afterward depending on performance and team needs.
• Fully remote, with availability aligned to U.S. Central Time.
• Fluent English required. Spanish is a plus — a large part of our Design Team is based in Latin America.
• Stable internet and a computer that comfortably runs SketchUp.

See what applies to every role at Funkit — remote working, time zone, language, and how we collaborate.