Role Overview
The Design Director is a pivotal senior leadership role within our business. You will be responsible for leading the creative vision, managing the design studio, and driving the success of our commercial workplace fit-out projects from initial client pitch through to final construction delivery.
As this is an SME environment, you will comfortably wear two hats: acting as a high-level creative strategist who can win big pitches, while remaining close enough to the details to mentor a compact design team and collaborate seamlessly with our in-house pre-construction and build delivery teams.
- Reporting to: Managing Director
- Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
Key Responsibilities
1. Creative Leadership & Pitching
- Lead high-profile client pitches and tender processes, translating abstract client briefs into compelling visual narratives and commercially viable workplace design concepts.
- Champion innovation in workplace design, keeping the firm at the forefront of trends in sustainability, ergonomics, agile working, and intelligent spatial layouts.
- Act as the primary creative voice of the company, presenting design proposals with confidence and authority directly to C-suite client stakeholders.
2. Studio & Team Management
- Manage, mentor, and resource a studio of interior designers, technical designers, and 3D visualisers.
- Establish and optimise internal workflows, quality standards, and design delivery processes to ensure all projects are executed beautifully, on time, and within budget parameters.
- Oversee team workloads, career progression, performance reviews, and talent recruitment for the studio.
3. Technical Delivery & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Ensure all concepts are technically constructible, partnering closely with in-house estimating, pre-construction, and project delivery teams to align designs with client cost plans.
- Supervise the production of comprehensive technical packages, detailed space plans, construction drawings, and finishes specifications.
- Safeguard design integrity during the construction phase by conducting periodic site visits and resolving on-site design queries dynamically.
- Maintain thorough knowledge of regional building legislation, planning policies, and health and safety/accessibility standards.
Skills & Qualifications
- Education: Degree in Interior Design, Interior Architecture, or Architecture.
- Experience: Minimum of 8–10+ years of dedicated experience in commercial workplace interiors, with a proven track record specifically within the Design & Build (D&B) sector.
- Pitch Win Track Record: A highly visible portfolio showcasing successfully pitched, won, and delivered office fit-out projects up to the value of (e.g., £5m–£20m).
- Software Proficiency: Hands-on familiarity or strong capability to review work within AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop), and MS Office.
- Soft Skills: Exceptional commercial acumen, persuasive presentation skills, and the adaptive leadership style required to motivate an agile team in an SME environment.
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