Lead Carpenter (Burton James)

Job Description

Job DescriptionDescription:

About the company

Burton James, recognized for its high-quality custom seating and home furnishings, is a privately owned, founder-led company with a fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture. We design, sell, and distribute luxury custom seating to interior designers and boutique/luxury retailers around the world.

About the Role

Burton James is seeking a highly skilled Lead Carpenter to guide our Frame & Build team that produces custom upholstered furniture. This role combines detailed, hands-on construction with day-to-day leadership: setting priorities, training team members, and enforcing quality control. The ideal candidate is expert in custom carpentry and frame construction, able to interpret CAD drawings and execute unique dimensions across varying frame styles. This individual embraces and supports our in-person/on-site work culture and embodies our company values of Ownership, Collaboration and Respect.

Core Responsibilities

• Build and assemble hardwood frames for custom upholstered furniture using detailed work orders, CAD drawings, and specifications
• Create and maintain patterns for furniture production
• Cut, shape, and fabricate custom wood components (tables, bases, legs) as needed for unique designs
• Verify squareness, diagonals, and alignment; hold tight tolerances on critical dimensions (arm/seat/back heights, pitch, rail locations) prior to handoff.
• Collaborate with the design, pre-fab, and upholstery teams to ensure all frames meet structural and aesthetic requirements
• Operate woodworking machinery (table saw, miter saw, router, planer, jointer) and tools with precision and safety
• Read and follow CAD drawings, work orders, reference photos, and customer specifications accurately
• Meet established quality and productivity standards consistently, working efficiently with minimal supervision.
• Modify or repair existing frames to accommodate design changes or customer-specific requests
• Assign jobs by priority and skill; set clear expectations for output, quality, and handoff timing.
• Collaborate effectively across all departments to proactively identify challenges before material is cut or a piece is upholstered
• Install bases, legs, arms, and other necessary components to completed each piece as required.

What we can do for you:

• Play a pivotal role in our company’s transformation and growth
• Align with a growing company that operates in the luxury market
• Provide training and career development opportunities
• Offer 3 weeks paid time off and 6 paid holidays per service year
• Enjoy a high-paced and collaborative work environment
• Receive up to 6% 401k employer contributions

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in furniture carpentry, framing, or custom woodworking (upholstery-specific experience preferred); 8–10+ years strongly preferred.
• Ability to work from CAD/shop drawings or reference photos with minimal oversight.
• Strong knowledge of hardwoods, engineered wood products, joinery methods, and reinforcement techniques.
• Hands-on leadership skills: assigning work, coaching, conducting quality sign-offs, and providing constructive feedback.
• Reliable and punctual, with a strong sense of accountability; able to communicate schedule changes in advance.
• Commitment to maintaining a clean, organized, and safe workspace, caring for tools/equipment, and following all safety protocols, including PPE use.
• Clear communication and cross-department collaboration; bilingual in Spanish and English highly preferred.
• Photo samples of previous work strongly encouraged.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that are required by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

· While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit; stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; as well as reach with hands and arms.

· The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds with the assistance of team members. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

· Ability to work in open environment with fluctuating temperatures and standard lighting.

Other Considerations:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the role.

Compensation

Starting base pay: $24.00 - $29.00+ per hour. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.