New York's architecture recruiters & design staffing — since 1984.
From our New York home, we place architects, interior designers, engineers, and BIM specialists with the city's leading design firms — and have since 1984, when we invented the category.
The firm that's been placing New York's designers since 1984.
We are not a national chain that opened a New York desk. Consulting For Architects was founded here in 1984, in Manhattan, as the firm that pioneered project-based placement for architects — and four decades and four recessions later, New York is still where we live, hire, and place.
From our studio at 276 Fifth Avenue, in the NoMad/Flatiron stretch of Midtown South, we sit a short walk from the design practices we staff, and within reach of every borough by subway. That proximity is the point: we've spent forty years learning which Manhattan studios run lean and need contract help, which Brooklyn practices are scaling and want a permanent senior hire, and what a role actually commands here versus what a listing claims to pay. A recruiter three time zones away can't know that. We do.
Every candidate is vetted by people who read drawings, for technical skill and design sensibility — so the architects, designers, and engineers we send fit your studio, not just the job description. Right now we have around 500 qualified architects and designers available — both actively job-hunting and quietly open to the right move.
Find us in NYC: 276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1008, New York, NY 10001 · (212) 532-4360
Our New York specialties
Architecture →
Project architects, job captains, designers, and PMs for NYC practices — screened for phase ownership, code and detailing judgment, and the ability to keep a job moving.
Interior Design →
Workplace, hospitality, healthcare, and residential designers — vetted for sector experience, design sensibility, and how cleanly their portfolio reads under a principal's eye.
Engineering →
MEP, structural, and plumbing / fire-protection talent — screened for technical depth, consultant coordination, and comparable project-type track record.
CAD & BIM →
Revit and AutoCAD specialists, skills-tested through CFAeX before you meet them — confirmed for software fluency and production accuracy.
Three ways to staff a New York project
Contract
Flex talent for deadlines and project peaks — billed hourly, on site or remote. The model CFA pioneered in 1984.
Project-to-permanent
Let a firm and a designer prove the fit on live work first, then convert when you both know it works.
Permanent
Direct placement of the long-term hire you want to get right the first time. Many NYC firms use all three with us over a relationship.
The New York design market we staff
New York's design economy is unlike any other, and we staff the breadth of it. In Manhattan, global practices and boutique studios sit side by side — corporate and workplace interiors, high-end residential, hospitality and retail, cultural and institutional work, healthcare and academic. Brooklyn — Dumbo, Gowanus, Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn — has become a design hub of its own; Long Island City and Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island round out a market spanning all five boroughs.
The sectors we place into: workplace and corporate interiors, residential (townhouse through multifamily), healthcare, cultural and institutional, hospitality, and retail — recruiting for the specific demands of New York practice: code, landmarks, co-op and condo boards, and fast schedules.
Why a New York specialist beats a national chain
Architecture and interior design aren't roles a generalist can staff from a keyword search — the difference between a strong candidate and the wrong one lives in the portfolio, the drawing set, and how someone talks about a project. CFA was founded by an architect, and our recruiters evaluate talent the way a studio would.
Knowing New York specifically matters just as much: we can tell you what a level actually pays here right now, where the candidate you want is likely already working, and which arrangement is realistic to land them. A national chain treats New York as one pin on a map. We've done only this, only here, since 1984.
New York firms, in their words
"What set CFA apart was their understanding of the profession… with no office there David still got me five qualified résumés in three days."
What design talent earns in New York
Compensation in New York runs ahead of most of the country, and it moves. Before you write an offer — or weigh one — see current New York design and architecture pay by role and level in our Salary Guide, built from real placement data. Or call the New York team at (212) 532-4360.
New York staffing — common questions
How much do architecture staffing agencies and recruiters charge in New York?
It depends on how you hire. For contract or project placement, you're billed hourly with no overtime charges — our fee is built into one combined hourly rate (the professional's rate plus ours), invoiced weekly and due within 30 days, with no separate placement fee. For permanent (direct-hire) placement, the fee is a one-time 20% of the hire's first-year salary, invoiced when you reach an agreement and backed by a 90-day guarantee (full refund if they leave within 30 days, two-thirds within 60, one-third within 90). Project-to-permanent blends the two: you pay the hourly project rate while on contract, then convert — 17.5% of first-year salary in the second or third month, 15% in months four to six, and after six months on the project there is no fee.
What's the difference between contract, project-to-permanent, and permanent placement?
Contract puts a pro on the work for a defined period with no permanent overhead, billed hourly. Permanent is a direct hire onto your payroll. Project-to-permanent is the low-risk middle path: work alongside the person on a live project first, then convert them to staff when you both know it's a fit.
How quickly can you staff a New York project?
For many roles, within days — we work from a curated NYC pool of around 500 qualified architects and designers available right now, both actively job-hunting and quietly open to the right move. Senior and confidential searches take longer, and we'll be straight about timing.
Do you place architects and designers nationwide, or only in New York?
Both. New York has been home since 1984 — we place across the five boroughs and with design firms nationwide.
Is CFA a New York-based architecture staffing agency?
Yes. Founded in NYC in 1984 as the firm that pioneered project-based placement for architects; our studio is at 276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1008. We place locally across the five boroughs and nationwide.
Which New York neighborhoods and boroughs do you cover?
All five boroughs: Manhattan (Midtown through Downtown), Brooklyn (Dumbo, Gowanus, Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn), Long Island City and Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
What design roles do you fill in NYC?
Architects, interior designers, engineers, CAD/BIM specialists, and project managers — from intermediate through director and principal level, on contract, project-to-permanent, or permanent terms.
What sectors do you recruit for in New York?
Workplace and corporate interiors, residential (townhouse through multifamily), healthcare, cultural and institutional, hospitality, and retail.
Do you place contract and freelance designers in NYC?
Yes — flexible, project-based staffing is core to what we do, and has been since we pioneered flex hiring for architects in 1984.
How much do architects and designers earn in New York?
See our Salary Guide, built from real placement data, for current New York design and architecture pay by role and level — or call the New York team at (212) 532-4360.
How do I reach CFA in New York?
Call (212) 532-4360, email recruiters@cons4arch.com, or visit our studio at 276 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1008, New York, NY 10001.
Hiring in New York — or building your NYC career?
Talk to the recruiters who know this market best.