Design Manager

Position Summary

The Design Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing the Design Department, including Architectural Drafters and Interior Designers. This position ensures the successful development, coordination, and delivery of design solutions that meet client expectations, align with company standards, and support efficient project execution. The Design Manager provides departmental leadership, establishes processes, maintains quality assurance, and fosters cross-functional collaboration to support a high-performing and innovative design team.

In addition to management responsibilities, the Design Manager operates within a player-coach model, actively serving as Designer on select projects. In this capacity, the role works directly with clients to guide design vision, facilitate decision-making, and contribute to overall project success while leading by example within the department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Design Department Leadership and Oversight

• Provide overall leadership and supervision of the Architectural Drafting and Interior Design teams.
• Establish departmental goals, priorities, and performance expectations aligned with company objectives.
• Foster a collaborative and accountable team culture focused on quality, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Lead weekly Design Department meetings to coordinate workload, priorities, and project alignment.
• Review team capacity and coordinate with the VP of Business Development to assign projects appropriately.
• Approve team time entries within time management software and ensure accuracy and accountability.

Design Development and Coordination

• Serve as Designer on assigned projects, working directly with clients to guide design vision, decision-making, and overall project success.
• Manage a strategic project workload that supports departmental capacity, maintains technical proficiency, and provides leadership by example.
• Oversee the creation and development of architectural and interior design concepts that meet client needs and company standards.
• Ensure design solutions are functional, aesthetically cohesive, code-compliant, cost effective, and constructible.
• Promote integrated design coordination between Architectural Drafters, Interior Designers, and Project Management teams.
• Support space planning, layout development, material selections, and specification creation across project types.
• Confirm that design deliverables support efficient estimating and construction execution.
• Manager design team in both the Minnesota and South Dakota office.

Client Experience and Collaboration

• Project Execution and Department Coordination
• Monitor progress of multiple design projects to ensure adherence to scope, schedule, and budget expectations.
• Conduct periodic project reviews and site visits to provide direction and maintain design intent.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex design coordination or client-related concerns.
• Collaborate with suppliers, vendors, and consultants to support timely and accurate design implementation.

Technical Documentation and Standards

• Ensure preparation of accurate construction drawings, renderings, and supporting documentation using company CAD platforms.
• Maintain departmental standards for drawing quality, specification accuracy, and documentation completeness.
• Coordinate cross-discipline review processes to ensure design integration and constructability.
• Support continuous improvement of design templates, libraries, and documentation standards.

Material Selection and Procurement Oversight

• Oversee material, finish, fixture, and furnishing selection processes to ensure alignment with design intent and project budgets.
• Support estimating efforts by reviewing design scope and assisting with cost and specification clarity.
• Ensure proper ordering, documentation, and tracking of design-related products through company systems.
• Maintain strategic vendor relationships and support pricing negotiations when appropriate.

Quality Assurance

• Establish and enforce quality standards across architectural and interior design deliverables.
• Conduct routine design reviews and audits to maintain consistency, accuracy, and compliance.
• Oversee final design validation to confirm alignment with client expectations and company standards.
• Address design-related challenges proactively to maintain project momentum and quality outcomes.

Training and Team Development

• Lead onboarding, mentoring, and professional development initiatives for design staff.
• Identify skill gaps and implement targeted training to enhance departmental capabilities.
• Support career growth pathways for Architectural Drafters and Interior Designers.
• Encourage ongoing education, industry engagement, and knowledge sharing within the department.

Process Creation and Continuous Improvement

• Develop, implement, and maintain standardized workflows, procedures, and best practices for the Design Department.
• Continuously evaluate departmental processes to improve efficiency, consistency, and client experience.
• Ensure adherence to company design protocols, documentation standards, and communication expectations.
• Collaborate with leadership to refine Design-to-Estimate and Design-to-Build workflows.

Marketing and Brand Support

• Partner with Marketing and Sales leadership to support design-driven marketing initiatives.
• Coordinate final project photography, content development, and portfolio documentation.
• Provide input for social media, website updates, and branding efforts that highlight design excellence.

Reporting and Performance Evaluation

• Track departmental performance metrics, project outcomes, and workload trends.
• Provide input into performance reviews and development planning for design staff.
• Prepare periodic reports and insights for senior leadership regarding departmental performance and opportunities.
• Evaluate project outcomes to capture lessons learned and drive future improvements.

Additional Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned in support of organizational goals and project success.

Work Flow Capacities

• Thinking Creatively and Interacting with Computers: Develop, design, and create new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions using our CAD software. Utilize creativity in designing interior and exterior spaces, considering surrounding environments and textures.
• Communicating and Performing for Public: Provide information to supervisors, peers, subordinates, and clients through various methods including meetings, written communications, and our project management software. Serve clients directly to meet their design needs effectively.
• Decision Making, Problem Solving, and Analyzing Information: Analyze information, evaluate results, and solve problems by making decisions that include determining customer needs and preparing cost estimates. Break down data into separate parts to understand underlying principles and assess compliance with standards.
• Estimating and Drafting Technical Specifications: Estimate sizes, distances, quantities, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for activities. Provide detailed documentation, instructions, drawings, or specifications for construction and assembly.
• Organizing, Planning, and Coordinating Work: Develop specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work, including managing artistic or design projects and overseeing the design department to ensure collaborative and high-quality outcomes.
• Inspecting and Monitoring Processes: Inspect materials and monitor processes, materials, or surroundings to ensure quality and detect or assess problems.
• Documenting/Recording Information and Communicating Externally: Manage comprehensive documentation and communication efforts, representing the organization to external sources through presentations and design discussions.
• Establishing Relationships and Team Building: Develop constructive and cooperative working relationships, and encourage team trust, respect, and cooperation.
• Scheduling Activities and Processing Information: Schedule appointments and manage project timelines while compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, and verifying information or data.
• Judging Qualities and Evaluating Compliance: Assess the value, importance, or quality of things or people and ensure that project processes comply with relevant laws, regulations, and standards.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• The Interior Design Supervisor will provide direction, mentorship, and support to the Interior Designers through one-on-one meetings, ongoing training, and skill development. In this role, they will also create and maintain design processes, ensuring consistency and efficiency across projects. As a leader within the team, the Interior Design Supervisor will foster a collaborative and innovative work environment, helping to drive the overall success of the design department.

Professional Development and Continuous Learning:

• Assume responsibility for your professional development by participating in continuous education, attending necessary meetings, and staying current with new technology and methods as requested by senior management.
• Provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge and skills.

Team Support and Leadership:

• Support the success of the company with honesty and integrity.
• Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Assist in the orientation of new staff and cover for peers during vacations and other times of need as requested by management.

Safety and Compliance:

• Comply with all safety policies, practices, and procedures. Report all unsafe activities to your supervisor.

General Responsibilities:

• Perform all other duties as required or requested by management.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Architectural Drafters & Intrerior Designers
• Collaborative with team approach and general supervision as required to meet job expectation needs with the Project Managers

Education and Experience:

• Preferred Education: Preferably a four-year degree in Design/Architecture with a minimum of a two-year degree in the area of Design or a related field.
• Experience: 10+ years of experience is preferred, with knowledge of plans, drawings, and estimating.
• Key Skills: Must have the ability to develop a team and possess excellent customer service skills.

Language Skills:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Capable of writing reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Effective presentation skills to communicate information and respond to questions from groups including managers, clients, subcontractors, tradesmen, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills:

• Proficient in calculating figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.
• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

Reasoning Ability:

• Capable of defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts, and drawing valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Computer Operations:

• Proficient in personal computer skills including email, record keeping, routine database activity, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, and CAD-type programs.
• Proficiency should extend to the use of technology like smartphones.

Planning/Organization Skills:

• Ability to prioritize tasks and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Capable of working independently or as a team member, and delegating assignments effectively.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Pursue any certification as requested by senior management.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license with no DUI convictions.
• Required to maintain vehicle insurance coverage and have access to a vehicle.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands or finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms. The employee may occasionally be required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and to taste or smell. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include clear vision at 20 feet or more, color vision, close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus and judge distances and spatial relationships. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate / high.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Will be required from time to time to work in wet or humid conditions, work near moving mechanical parts, work in high precarious places, be subjected to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, outdoor weather conditions, and have risk of electrical shock, and vibration.

Physical activity level is moderate performing somewhat strenuous daily activities of a primarily product/technical nature. Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items, works with the fingers, and perceives attributes of objects and materials.

Overnight travel will be required. Including regular trips to the South Dakota office, to support operations across all company locations.

Pay: $75,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Work Location: In person