Interior Design FF&E Coordinator

Variant Collaborative is a boutique interior design studio based in Chicago, IL., with projects focused on hospitality, retail, student housing, and multi-family interiors. Our firm is currently seeking a full-time Procurement Coordinator to join our growing procurement team. This role will play a key part in managing FF&E procurement across multiple projects, with a focus on budget oversight, vendor coordination, logistics execution, project delivery, and installation. The ideal candidate brings strong experience in FF&E procurement, budgeting, and warehouse/logistics coordination, and is comfortable operating with a high level of ownership in a fast-paced design environment. This role will work closely with the existing Procurement team and design team, with opportunities to contribute to process development and the continued growth of the procurement department. Core Responsibilities: Procurement & Project Coordination Manage FF&E procurement across multiple projects from specification through installation.Create, issue, and track proposals, purchase orders, invoices, and vendor documentation.Oversee order lifecycle, including production tracking, shipping coordination, and delivery scheduling.Partner closely with the design team to ensure alignment between design intent, budget, and execution.Maintain accurate procurement records and tracking documentation for all active projects. Budgeting & Financial Oversight Develop and manage FF&E budgets for assigned projects.Track committed costs against project budgets and provide regular updates to internal teams.Identify cost overages and propose alternative solutions that reduce spend while preserving overall design intent.Coordinate with accounting on invoicing, payment schedules, retainers, and client funding.Assist with value engineering efforts and cost management throughout project execution. Vendor, Warehouse & Logistics Management Source, vet, and maintain relationships with vendors, manufacturers, fabricators, and warehouses.Evaluate new warehousing and logistics partners nationally as project needs evolve.Coordinate receiving, storage, delivery schedules, and installation logistics with warehouse teams.Proactively troubleshoot vendor and warehouse issues, damages, freight claims, and scheduling conflicts.Collaborate with freight carriers, moving teams, and white-glove delivery services to support successful installations. Installation & Project Support Coordinate project installs, including scheduling, delivery sequencing, and onsite logistics support.Assist with resolving field issues during installation and punch completion.Support inventory management, returns, and storage organization as needed.Travel for installs. Team Collaboration & Process Improvement Help refine procurement workflows, tools, templates, and internal standards.Support coordination of vendor and rep visits, showroom meetings, and material sourcing.Contribute to building scalable systems and improving procurement operations as the team grows.Communicate regularly with internal teams, vendors, warehouses, and consultants to ensure project alignment. Qualifications: 4–6+ years of experience in procurement, FF&E, or interior design project coordination.Strong experience managing FF&E packages and specification workflows.Proven experience with project budgeting, cost tracking, and procurement reporting.Experience coordinating vendors, warehouses, logistics partners, and installations.Familiarity with procurement accounting processes, including invoicing, retainers, and payment tracking.Experience in hospitality, retail, multi-family, or commercial interiors strongly preferred.Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects. simultaneously.Strong communication and problem-solving skills.Comfortable working independently and collaboratively within a small team environment. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with specification or procurement software such as Gather.it, Studio Designer, or similar platforms.Experience supporting hospitality or large-scale commercial installations.Willingness to assist with hands-on project support, including receiving, traveling for installs, or sample coordination when needed. Please apply by sending your resume, cover letter, and portfolio combined as a single PDF (or portfolio website link) to info@variantco.com *** Please include in the subject line: "Procurement Coordinator Application".***