Design & Documentation Coordinator

Location: Ho Chi Minh City — office + active project sites

Level: Mid-level, individual contributor (no direct reports)

Experience: 2-4 years in interior fit-out, architecture, or interior design, coordination/delivery track

Reports to: Project Director

Language: Working English required — part of the interview will be conducted in English

Type: Full-time, permanent

Salary: VND 18,000,000 – 20,000,000 gross/month

About this Role:

We don't design — the brand's architect does that. Our job is to make sure that design can actually be built; that the contractor builds exactly what was designed, not something close enough; and that every drawing used on site is the current, correct one.

Right now, this work lives in the Project Manager's head. This role exists to take it out of their head and hand it to someone who owns it.

Core mission: catch the conflict at your desk — before it shows up on site.

You'll own the drawing register, the design information flow, and the review of what contractors propose to build. 2D and 3D are tools for doing that job, not deliverables in themselves: a model proves a ceiling clash, a mark-up drawing settles an argument, a view shows the client what a change will look like.

This is not a concept-design role, but it's not a rendering role. It's for someone whose drawings prevent rework.

You'll also spend part of your time supporting WorkFlow, our co-working/café operating partner — same discipline, faster cycles, more ownership.

About your scope — what your week looks like:

1. Drawing & design control

•      Own the drawing/document register: issues, revisions, transmittals; distribute to designers, consultants, and contractors. Goal: nobody builds off an outdated drawing on your watch.

•      Review design packages before they go to the contractor — read the plans, RCPs, sections, and details properly; catch conflicts, missing information, and unbuildable details while they're still cheap to fix.

2. Shop drawing review

•      Review contractor drawings against design intent; markup, comment, and track every issue to close-out.

3. RFI / design issues / samples / submittals

•      Manage the RFI log and design-issue log; track samples and submittal approvals. Every open issue has a named owner and a deadline.

4. 2D/3D as verification and communication tools

•      3D: build models to prove issues — ceiling/MEP clashes, setting-out checks, buildability checks before a contractor prices the work.

•      2D: produce clarification and mark-up drawings for contractors — fast, dimensioned, unambiguous.

•      Client-facing 3D: build views to compare options, show the real consequence of a proposed change, and show remote stakeholders what a site issue looks like.

•      Maintain a standards/detail library so the next project starts from a better baseline than the last one.

5. Site

•      Weekly site walks to check as-built against as approved.

•      Brief contractors directly on design intent, resolve what the drawings don't fully cover, and record what was agreed.

•      Maintain the snag list, defect log, and photo record; drive snags to zero before handover.

6. Handover

•      Build the as-built record and O&M document pack throughout the project — not in the final week.

Objectives — how this role is measured:

•      Drawing register 100% current — nobody builds off a superseded revision.

•      No design issue or RFI sits open past 7 days without a dated next step.

•      Shop drawings reviewed and returned within 3 working days of receipt.

•      Design-caused rework trending to zero — tracked per project against clash-driven stoppages that should have been caught at the desk.

•      Site-walk findings logged within 24 hours.

•      Snag list at zero before the handover certificate, on every project you run.

No hiding problems. Issues surface early, with a proposed solution. Non-negotiable

Requirements:

•      3–5 years in interior fit-out, architecture, or interior design, with a track record in delivery and coordination — not a pure design-production background.

•      Can read a complete fit-out drawing set and catch conflicts before the contractor does. This is the core of the job.

•      Experience reviewing shop drawings and can clearly explain why a contractor's submission doesn't match design intent.

•      AutoCAD or equivalent: can markup, check, and produce your own dimensioned clarification drawings.

•      Can model and produce views in SketchUp, Revit, 3ds Max, or Rhino; can use a render engine if needed. 3D here is a verification and communication tool, not a rendering contest.

•      Hard requirement — site experience: has worked on a live site, briefed contractors directly, and can hold a detail on technical grounds.

•      Working English, written and spoken will join meetings with international brand teams and read specifications. English will be tested at interview.

•      Coordination: can describe a real case of chasing a decision out of someone who doesn't report to them — a consultant, contractor, or brand team.

•      AI literacy: uses an AI tool in real work, most days, and can demonstrate a real workflow at interviews.

•      Highly organized in Excel/Google Sheets, to the point of being annoying about it — this job runs on accuracy.

•      No degree required. Candidates are assessed on portfolio, drawing sets, and site evidence.

Nice to have:

•      Luxury retail, hospitality, or F&B experience with international brands; working to brand standards; multi-site rollout programs.

•      MEP coordination experience — can spot a clash before it happens.

•      BIM / Revit.

•      Owner's representative or PM consultancy background, rather than only contractor-side.

•      Strong written Vietnamese alongside English.

•      Cost sense — a rough feel for what a detail costs to build in Vietnam.

Compensation & Benefits:

•      VND 18,000,000 – 20,000,000 gross/month, set on demonstrated capability, not years of experience.

•      Salary review at 6 and 12 months.

•      13th-month salary before Tet.

•      Social/health/unemployment insurance (BHXH/BHYT/BHTN) contributed 100% of actual salary — no under-declaring.

•      12 days annual leave + Vietnamese public holidays.

•      Written development path and criteria from day one.

•      Site travel expenses are covered by the company.

•      Direct exposure to global luxury brand projects and the founders.