Design Director

Description

The company is a commercial real estate services firm, and this role sits within its design services for client accounts.

The director leads design across assigned accounts covering corporate, workplace, and retail rollout work, setting standards, governance, quality, and innovation, while managing and developing a design team.

You work with clients, account leads, and internal teams to turn business needs into practical design solutions.

Responsibilities

• Act as the design subject matter expert for your assigned accounts, keeping work aligned with client design standards, workplace strategy, platform best practices, and client business goals.
• Run design governance across accounts, covering standards, workflows, quality control, deliverable expectations, escalations, and consistent delivery across teams and projects.
• Lead Revit rollout, technology changes, and design innovation, including building workflows, adopting standards, integrating processes, training people, improving visualization, and managing change.
• Build scalable processes, templates, tools, workplace standards, and best practices that improve efficiency, consistency, quality, delivery speed, and the client workplace design experience.
• Support corporate design, workplace planning, and retail rollout programs, including prototype standards, multi-site implementation, account-specific solutions, and scalable delivery models.
• Be the main design contact for assigned clients and account teams, turning their needs and workplace standards into clear design direction and workable solutions.
• Manage, mentor, and grow a large design team of design managers and associates, covering workload planning, resourcing, coaching, accountability, and professional development.
• Support onboarding, training, and change management for new accounts, tools, processes, and team members so adoption succeeds and stays consistent over time.
• Oversee and guide third-party relationships with architects, engineers, consultants, and other external partners to deliver successful projects.
• Work with clients, account leads, and internal teams to define design processes, improve team workflows, support account operations, and align design work with occupancy planning, capital planning, FF&E, moves, and wider operational priorities.
• Prepare executive-level reporting and communication on trends, timelines, performance metrics, SLA and KPI results, project health, risks, staffing impacts, innovation progress, escalations, and account performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a CIDA-accredited institution in a related field such as Architecture, Interior Design, Corporate Real Estate, Facilities, Project Management, or Construction Management, or a bachelor's degree in another major plus Interior Design certification, degree, or diploma.
• NCIDQ certification is preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in corporate real estate, workplace, design, or a related environment.
• 5, 10 years of management experience, including direct leadership, coaching, development, workload planning, and performance support for design teams.
• Experience leading design services across several client accounts or business lines while balancing competing priorities, service models, stakeholder expectations, and project complexity.
• Proven track record developing and managing design standards, processes, templates, tools, and governance models on large or complex accounts.
• Experience leading technology implementation, process improvement, and change management in a design, workplace, or corporate real estate setting.
• Strong client-facing leadership, including advising, influencing, building relationships, and presenting to senior stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of industry design software, including Revit, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Proficiency with architectural and engineering drawings, concepts, and design, with strong analytical, communication, presentation, attention to detail, and quality-control skills.
• Able to work independently and with others, manage concurrent projects, own requests through to completion, and deliver with minimal supervision.

Conditions

The role is offered at a pay range of $106,250.00 to $125,000.00.

Final pay depends on whether a collective bargaining agreement applies, the work location, local market rates, and the candidate's experience and qualifications.

Pay may also vary with eligibility factors such as location, hire date, hours worked, job type, business line, and collective bargaining terms.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and does not tolerate discrimination.

Benefits

• Eligible employees can enroll in health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance, and paid and unpaid time away from work.