The benefits of working by the project.
Since 1984, CFA has matched architects and designers who choose project work — building in a few years the range most people take a decade to get, paid for every hour, and in charge of their own time. Here’s what that career looks like, and how to plan for it.
Turn one long stint into four.
In our 40+ years of matching, most architects and designers spend two to four years at each firm in the first 15 years after graduating. Take one or two of those periods and work by the project instead.
Rather than two to four years at a famous architect’s office doing stair details, we’ll match you to that same kind of firm, and you’ll learn stair details in six months to a year. Then we’ll match you with a firm doing corporate interiors, then high-rise, then institutional work.
Why designers choose project work.
Paid for every hour you work
A salary is built on 2,080 hours, but deadlines push design teams well past that with no extra pay. As a project consultant, you bill for the hours you work.
A portfolio with real range
Move across firms, building types and phases — workplace, residential, healthcare, hospitality — instead of years on one slice of one firm’s work.
Get known for what you do best
Firms bring in project consultants for a specific skill, project type or phase. Your specialty becomes the reason you’re called.
Your time between projects
Take the long trip, teach, pursue research or sit for your licensing exams. Between engagements, the time is yours.
The 1099 advantage
As a genuine independent contractor you can deduct the real costs of your practice and may qualify for the 20% qualified-business-income deduction.
A path to permanent, if you want it
When you find the right firm, project-to-perm lets the engagement become a permanent seat.
Tax outcomes depend on your situation and current law — this isn’t tax advice; consult a CPA.
What your salary really pays per hour.
Set your salary and the hours you actually work in a typical week. A salary stays the same no matter how late the deadline runs.
Illustrative. Assumes 52 weeks a year and the standard 2,080-hour salaried year (40 hours × 52 weeks). Not financial or tax advice.
How we match you.
We are matchmakers. A design-native matchmaker learns your skills, your rate and the work you want. On every opening, our matchmakers review it first, then CFA Match Intelligence helps them see the project work behind your résumé, not just keywords — and our matchmakers review every recommendation. We never rely on AI alone.
Some firms make a client-driven request for a CAD assessment. CFAeX is optional and free, and whether to take one is always your choice.
Keep exploring
Work with CFA →
What our matchmakers do for you, from portfolio review to offer support.
How project work works →
Join the network, get matched, and work on your terms.
See open roles →
Project, project-to-perm and permanent openings, updated daily.
What the market pays →
Pay benchmarks for architecture and interior-design roles.
From project to permanent →
How a project engagement can become a permanent seat.
The firm’s side of the math →
Why firms keep a full-time core and flex with project consultants.
Common questions
Do project consultants get paid for every hour they work?
Yes. A salary is built on 2,080 hours a year, but design teams routinely work well beyond that during deadlines with no extra pay. As a project consultant, you bill for the hours you work.
How does project work help my career long term?
Most architects and designers spend two to four years at each firm early in their careers. Working by the project for one or two of those periods lets you learn in six months to a year what might take years at one firm, then move on to other firms and building types, such as corporate interiors, high-rise and institutional work. When you return to full-time work, you are more marketable than peers who stayed at one firm, with a stronger personal brand, broader experience and better compensation.
What are the benefits of working as a project consultant in architecture?
Pay for every hour you work, a portfolio with range across firms, project types and phases, control over your schedule between projects, and, as a genuine independent contractor, the ability to deduct the real costs of your practice.
What should I plan for as a project consultant?
Your rate has to cover your own health insurance, taxes, retirement savings and time between projects. CFA’s matchmakers can help you set a rate, and the CFA Salary Guide shows what the market pays.
Can a project turn into a permanent position?
It can. When a firm and a consultant both find the right long-term fit, CFA’s project-to-perm placement lets the firm convert the engagement to a permanent hire.
Am I an employee of CFA?
No. CFA’s project consultants are self-employed independent contractors who bill through CFA and are responsible for their own taxes and insurance. CFA has been recognized by the New York State Department of Labor as a Referral Registry.
Paid for the work. Built for range.
Join the talent network and we’ll match you to project work worth your time.