Lead Framing Carpenter

This is Precision Carpentry

Would you like to work on projects where construction quality and precision are prioritized over cost and speed, and where health, durability, and sustainability are uncompromised features of every finished project? Would you like to make a genuine difference in the built environment?

Kala is a unique, in-house team of architects, designers, framing and finish carpenters, and Phius Certified passive house specialists fully committed to redefining how the built environment can positively impact our world.

We are not looking for production carpenters. We are looking for craftsmen. You will be leading an industry-defining framing team responsible for the most critical component of a high-performance structure—the building envelope. You’ll be training on and working with the latest tools and techniques, executing air-sealing strategies to deliver passive house air tightness, mastering exterior insulation, rainscreen and cladding systems that extend building durability by decades, and installing high-performance windows that are thermally broken and will never fail due to air and water intrusion.

If you are ready to stop chasing deadlines and start mastering your craft with a team that is obsessed with excellence while also enjoying market leading compensation, benefits, and training, we want to talk to you.

Perks + Privileges

• Benefits

Kala offers health, dental, and vision insurance

• Retirement

Kala offers a 401K matching program that adds to your own tax-deferred retirement savings

• Paid Time Off

Kala offers every employee personal paid time off with pay in addition to the standard US holidays

• Bonus Opportunity

Meeting high-performance ACH and production targets result in bonuses paid quarterly

Responsibilities

• Lead a Team

You'll direct the day-to-day work of your framers — assigning tasks, setting the pace, and making sure every hand on the job knows exactly what "done right" looks like before the next task starts. You're the standard-bearer for precision on-site: when a cut's off or a detail's rushed, you catch it and correct it in real time, not after the walkthrough. That means staying hands-on — swinging a hammer alongside your crew while keeping one eye on the schedule and one on ensuring Kala performance is being met.

• Craft the Envelope

The building envelope is where performance is won or lost. You will install windows and doors to exacting Kala standards, execute air-sealing strategies targeting 0.6 ACH50, and apply continuous exterior insulation, vapor control, and rainscreen and cladding systems with the precision they demand. Every detail — every transition, every penetration, every fastener pattern — is intentional. You will read and work from construction drawings, shop drawings, and specs, and you will understand why each detail exists, not just how to execute it.

• Solve It Together

High-performance building is a creative discipline. You will work closely with the Senior Framer and your teammates to problem-solve in real time, adapting to field conditions without compromising standards. You will communicate clearly — with your crew, with subcontractors, and through daily documentation of work performed, inspections, deliveries, and progress photos in project management software. A clean, safe, organized jobsite is a shared responsibility, and you own your part of it.

• Grow the Standard

You are joining a team that is actively redefining what residential construction can be. That means you will train — on passive house principles, Phius certification standards, advanced building science, and the tools and techniques that most framers will never touch. You bring 5–10 years of hard-earned experience to this team. In return, Kala will invest in turning that experience into mastery. A willingness to learn how to build to passive house standards isn't optional — it's the whole point.

Requirements

• 5-10+ years of framing experience
• Demonstrated ability to lead a group of framers through the full cycle of singe-family home residential construction projects
• Genuine curiosity about high-performance and passive house construction — no formal training required
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings and specifications
• Comfortable using a smartphone and basic field technology for daily documentation and communication
• Valid driver's license, clean driving record, and appropriate insurance
• Ability to work outdoors year-round in variable Kansas City weather conditions
• Ability to use ladders, operate hand and power tools, and lift a minimum of 50 lbs
• Strong communicator who works well in a collaborative, problem-solving environment
• Reliable, detail-oriented, and takes ownership of their work