Career Opportunities

Are you looking for training to gain skills for a great career?

Designed Stairs is the industry leader of high-end luxury staircases. We are a unique hybrid of manufacturer and custom woodworking shop, producing high quality luxury stairs, both for installation throughout the Midwest and shipping worldwide.

We are a second-generation family-owned company that has been providing a quality product and service for over 50 years.

Many of our highly skilled craftsmen have been with us for 25 years or more. We are looking for dedicated, talented person to learn and grow their career through our top-notch training program, and make Designed Stairs their life long career.

We focus on creating a work environment that is engaging and rewarding and values quality of life.

What are we missing? YOU!

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Fabrication

 Woodworker Bench Carpenter

  • Are you an experienced woodworker?
  • Do you like to learn new skills and be challenged?
  • Do you have a desire to learn the art of stair building?

We offer health, vision and dental insurance; a 401-K saving plan, profit sharing/retirement plan, paid vacation, and paid holidays. Normal work hours are 6:00 am to 3:00 pm M-F, so you have your evenings and weekends free! At Designed Stairs your contributions matter and we value the quality of life. What are we missing? YOU!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A Woodworker Bench Carpenter:

As a woodworker at Designed Stairs, you are part of a team lead by an experienced stair builder. Each day you arrive to fabricate part packages for specific custom stairs. These packages will include hardwood components such as handrails, newels, balusters, etc. Your team is responsible to create the parts packages for above the stair structure that will then be installed by our installer team. Your team’s goal is to prefabricate all possible parts with known standards as well as custom one-of-a-kind job specific detail. Your process begins by reading job prints to understand the scope and detail of the specific custom job. You then select the parts needed for the job. Using multiple hand tools (miter saw, drill, router, etc) and larger equipment (drill press, table saw, bandsaw, etc) you fabricate the parts using skilled techniques and process according to stair building standards. If there are no set standards for a unique custom item, you then problem solve using woodworking and stair building knowledge to create a custom solution. You assure that your parts are made to a high standard and meet job specifications before staging them for delivery to the job site. Our installers appreciate the work our shop does to make their field installation go as smooth and fast as possible. Your work is installed in luxury homes and our builders and home owners are regularly thrilled and amazed with the beautiful stairs and railings.

Qualifications

  • Detailed with focus on high quality
  • Works well on a team and can work independently
  • Self-Starter
  • Can start and finish a job independently.
  • Positive can-do attitude
  • Can follow set standards and procedures
  • Problem solving skills
  • Ability to work efficiently and safely

Skills

  • Cabinetry, furniture, woodworking or construction experience (3 years min)
  • Understands woodworking techniques, procedures and terminology
  • Read and interpret drawings and sketches to determine material and fabrication needed
  • Solid Math skills
  • Skilled to use routers, as well as perform router operations using a fence
  • Skilled to carve using various techniques using grinders, chisels and scrapers
  • Ability to color match various parts to meet company standards
  • Skilled to use various hand and power tools safely
  • Skilled in various gluing procedures

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Current Opening: Yes

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Carver

Carver

Are you a hobby woodworker and want to make woodworking into a career? Do you have some carving experience, or an interest to develop your skills? Do you like to learn new skills and be challenged? We are an industry-leading company, where you have the opportunity to grow.

Be a part of creating luxury curved stairs installed into million-dollar homes. Work for an organization where your contributions matter and values quality of life.

We offer health, vision and dental insurance; a 401K saving plan, profit sharing/retirement plan, paid vacation, paid holidays.

Work hours are 6:30 am to 3:30 pm, so you have your evenings free!

Could you learn to be a highly skilled carver? Do you have good visualization skills? Do you strive for the highest degree of accuracy and have the patience to methodically achieve the desired results?

The process of carving rails: Starting in carving it's as simple as two pieces of rails joined together. You carve them for a smooth fit. As you master the chisels and carving you eventually start with a block a wood that rough shaped from our CNC. The wood is shaped for the twist and rise of a curved stair. You further shape the rail to match the rail profile needed.

Skills Required

  • Hand tools and power tools
  • Gluing materials, bar clamps
  • Radial arm saw
  • Straight-line saw
  • Table saw
  • Miter saw
  • Planer
  • Wide belt sander
  • Jointer
  • Digital and dial caliper

Ideal candidate:

  • 5 years of Woodworking experience
  • Mechanically inclined
  • Solid Math skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Talented working with hands
  • Positive can-do attitude
  • Self-Starter
  • Works well on a team and can work independently

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Current Opening: Yes

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Account Coordinator

Client Service Specialist

Are you a detailed and creative individual, who enjoys the challenge of winning quotes through creative problem-solving?  Do you know what excellent customer service is for discriminating buyers?

Are you hardworking, and looking for an opportunity?  Come joint our talented team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Build rapport with prospects and customers to determine customer needs.
  • Specify stair design to align with customers design concepts and project objectives.
  • Create and deliver solutions that meet our client's project needs.
  • Manage multiple projects to meet due dates.
  • Prioritize and manage a busy workload.
  • Research accounts to identify key prospects and generate opportunity.

Qualifications:

  • Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
  • Friendly, with the ability to build rapport quickly
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Visualization skills
  • Good math skills
  • Self-motivated, with the ability to manage workload independently
  • Exposure to the construction industry a plus
  • Design experience helpful
  • 3-year experience in customer service over the phone
  • 1-year sales experience minimum
  • Associate's or Bachelor's degree preferred

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Current Opening: Yes

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Stair Installer Apprentice

Stair Installer Apprentice

  • Do you have a strong desire to "be the best" at what you do?
  • Do you a like start each day with a challenge, and see a WOW at the end of the day?
  • We are looking for talented construction professionals to join our team and train as a stair installer.

Ideal candidate:

  • Construction Skills / minimum 5 years' experience
  • Desire to learn new skills and work hard
  • High quality and attention to detail
  • Strong math skills
  • Strong problem solving skills
  • Self-starter who works w/o supervision
  • Organized
  • Professional
  • Comfortable working on scaffolds
  • Driver license and transportation to jobsite throughout Chicago and suburbs
  • Strong Communication Skills
  • Service minded / good customer service skills
  • Positive team attitude

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Current Opening: Yes

Starting Wage

Work Location
Throughout Chicagoland

Pricing and Quoting

Costing/Pricing Engineer

We believe the most powerful single communication we make about our product and services is our price.  This position is instrumental in effecting our sales and maintaining quality controls throughout our office.

We are seeking a high energy, self-driven individual, who can solve problems and create unique solutions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Manage work flow from RFQ to order to assure an accurate and timely outcome.
  • Manages revision control processes.
  • Assures margins are managed for the best outcome.
  • Manages pricing system and oversees pricing process, along with hands-on pricing.
  • Develops pricing system, creates part and processes used for estimating.
  • Prices nonstandard products and formats nonstandard quotes.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering is preferred
  • Quoting customer service experience
  • Strong problem solving and analytical skills
  • Self-motivated
  • Strong math skills
  • Knowledge of construction or millwork products a plus

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Custom Mill  / Production Mill

Custom Mill / Production Mill

Are you talented at working with your hands? Do you set high standards for your workmanship? Do you like to learn new things and be challenged? Do you have woodworking or construction experience?

Our dimension mill makes high quality stair parts both to stock and custom per order.  We work in 30 different wood species and make stair parts of all types including one of a kind reproduction parts.  Learn this interesting and challenging job from highly experienced leadmen.

Skills Required:

  • Hand tools and power tools
  • Gluing materials, bar clamps and clamp carrier
  • Radial arm saw
  • Straight line saw
  • Table saw
  • Miter saw
  • Planer
  • Wide belt sander
  • Jointer
  • Router
  • Shaper
  • Digital and dial caliper
  • Fork truck

Ideal candidate:

  • High degree of accuracy
  • Talented working with hands
  • Mechanically inclined
  • Positive can-do attitude
  • Self-Starter
  • Works well on a team and can work independently
  • Solid Math skills
  • Problem solving skills

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Delivery

Delivery

Are you a service minded person who is dependable and can self-manage?   Do you like the idea of driving, but also want a job that requires some physical activity ?

We are seeking a friendly individual with an excellent driving record, who is dependable, professional, organized, and can lift 100 lbs.  Ideal candidate has a CDL. A newer driver is considered, and we will help them obtain a CDL.

A Day in the life of a driver:

Leave from your home about 6 am to get to your first stop by 7am.   Meet installers with specialty materials they need for their day.  Drive to next job site.  Stretch then unload oak stair parts and stage them in the area that will aid the installer for their efficient work.   You may have 4 job sites a day to deliver to.  There may be other stops of picking up materials.    Come back to the shop, review with the office any issues or open items you found while in the field.   See what needs to be delivered tomorrow and plan your route.   Review shop paperwork for each job, to make sure you understand the materials that need to be loaded.   Determine if a van will be suitable, or you need the larger box truck.  Load the truck. Drive the truck home, so you are ready in the morning.

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Inside Sales position, includes commission, for someone who likes challenges

Inside Sales

Are you a detailed/technical individual who enjoys the challenge of winning quotes through creative problem solving? We are seeking an individual who is self-driven and excellent at customer service. Do you like challenges? Come join our talented, productive team.

Ideal candidate:

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Friendly, with ability to build rapport quickly
  • Strong problem solving skills
  • Strong visualization skills
  • Self-motivated, with ability to manage workload independently
  • Phone sales or other in-house sales experience
  • 3-year sales experience minimum
  • Exposure to construction industry a plus
  • Design experience a plus
  • Bachelor’s degree a plus

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Build rapport with prospects and customers to determine customer needs
  • Specify stair design to align with customers design concepts and project objectives
  • Create and deliver solutions that meet client’s project needs
  • Self-manage multiple projects with changing scopes, prioritize and multi task workload
  • Sourcing new sales opportunities through incoming leads and outbound cold calls and email
  • Research accounts to identify key prospects and generate opportunity
  • Maintain and expand database of prospect customers

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage
Base plus commission

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Janitor

Janitor, Part-time

Work days: Mon & Thu - or - Tue & Fri
Work hours (4-6 hours per week): 6:30-8:30am - or - 3:00-5:00pm

Cleaning experience required. Must be able to work independently and recognize what cleaning needs to be done.

  • Dusting; desks, lunchroom, and showroom
  • Empty garbage and recycling
  • Mop and vacuum floors
  • Clean washrooms (4)
  • Communicating cleaning supply or repair needs

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Planner Scheduler

Planner Scheduler

The goal of this position is to improve work force productivity while meeting customer needs. 

This role is involved with planning, controls, and performance improvement.

This position works with many people and departments throughout the company to meet shared company goals.

Responsibilities:

  • Manage multiple schedules from production to delivery and installation
  • Delivery personnel report to this position
  • Coordinate the daily activities of field personnel
  • Collaborate with all departments
  • Purchase supplies and materials
  • Utilize MRP to maintain proper inventory levels
  • Keep inventory turns per company goals

Qualifications:

  • Experience in manufacturing planning
  • Experience in construction helpful
  • Bachelor’s in engineering is preferred
  • Strong leadership qualities
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Woodworking skills helpful

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

Technical Design / Builder Services

Technical Design / Builder Services

Work with builders to create stair designs that meet their needs.  You will work with both office and production teams.  Train side by side with senior-level Design Tech as your mentor.

We are seeking a self-starter who can grow to become an independent problem solver as you develop skills over time

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Meet with residential builders; listen, and understand their needs.
  • Provide solutions to meet their budget, space, or design requirements.
  • Create drawings for order.
  • Create technical engineering documents from AutoCAD.
  • Use field dimensions to design stairs.
  • Work from our Sandwich, IL office, and job sites throughout northern Illinois.
  • Learn to design all types of stairs and rails for million-dollar homes.

Qualifications:

  • Strong math skills
  • AutoCAD
  • 3D modeling software
  • Knowledge of construction
  • Knowledge of hardwoods and joinery
  • Problem-solving and analytical skills
  • Self-motivated
  • Strong communication skills, ability to interact with a broad variety of individuals
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering is preferred

Physical needs:  Bending and reaching, working over multi-story stairwells on planks or ladders.

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Current Opening: No

Starting Wage

Work Location
Sandwich, IL

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