Materials Library Associate
Flume is a San Francisco AI startup rebuilding how developers and contractors source the finishes that make a building (tile, stone, plumbing, lighting, hardware) directly from the factories that make them. Our platform uses AI to match projects to materials, run value engineering, and cut weeks out of the specification process. Our work shows up in real projects: Kimpton hotels, multifamily towers, hospitality renovations across the country.
We're hiring a part-time Materials Associate to run our SoMa sample library. Samples are how designers and developers decide what they actually want to buy from us, so getting them out the door fast and accurately matters. The role is small (2 to 5 hrs/week to start), flexible around your class schedule, and built to grow with you over the rest of your degree.
Why this is worth it if you're a current student:
You'll handle the actual finishes that get specified on real projects: Italian porcelain, engineered stone, LVT, lighting samples, hardware. You'll see what factories send, what designers request, what ends up on a $50M hotel renovation versus a 200-unit apartment building. You'll learn the language fast: nominal vs actual sizing, rectified edges, PEI ratings, the difference between a 12x24 porcelain and a slab. By the end of the semester, you'll know more about materials than most students two years ahead of you.
You'll also be working inside an AI-native company at a time when the design and construction industries are being rebuilt around these tools. You'll use our platform every day, see how AI gets applied to real sourcing problems, and learn how a modern AI startup actually operates, which most design students won't get exposure to until well into their careers, if ever.
This is also the kind of role that compounds. The longer you're here, the more responsibility you can take on: assisting with spec research, supplier outreach, project coordination. If you're a sophomore or junior, that's two or three years to grow into something substantial before graduation. We'd love to see the right person grow into a full-time role on the product, sourcing, or design ops side after school.
What you'd do (2 to 5 hrs/week to start, growing):
- Pull sample requests from our platform, find the right products in our SoMa library, pack and ship via UPS/FedEx
- Log tracking back into our system
- Receive incoming samples from suppliers and check them in against POs
- Keep the library organized, flag what's running low, what's mislabeled, what's new
- Move sample boxes between our office and the storage unit
- Ask us anything about what you're handling. Seriously. We'll teach you.
Who we're looking for:
- Currently enrolled in an interior design, interior architecture, or architecture program at CCA, SFSU, USF, CCSF, Academy of Art, or similar
- Ideally a sophomore or junior, since we want someone who can grow into the role over the rest of their degree
- Curious about materials. You don't need to know everything. You need to want to know more by Friday than you did Monday.
- Detail-oriented and reliable. If you said the package shipped Tuesday, it shipped Tuesday.
- Comfortable with basic web tools. We'll train you on our platform.
- Vehicle access for moving sample boxes between our office and storage
- Can lift 30 to 50 lbs (tile is heavy)
Logistics:
- $30/hr to start, part-time W-2 employee
- Mileage reimbursed at IRS rate
- SoMa, San Francisco
- Set your hours around your class and studio schedule
- Hours grow over time as you take on more
To apply: Email jobs@tryflume.ai with a short note about why materials interest you, your school and expected graduation year, and a resume or portfolio link if you have one. Tell us one material, fixture, or finish you've been geeking out on lately, and why.