Design Manager

Position overview

Design leadership and delivery

• Develop design strategies, standards, workflows, guidelines, and processes aligned with business objectives and project requirements.
• Lead design from concept through approval, production, implementation, and final delivery; manage designers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and external partners.
• Review concepts, drawings, layouts, specifications, prototypes, mock-ups, presentations, and other design deliverables.
• Translate business objectives, customer needs, technical specifications, briefs, and stakeholder expectations into design direction.
• Set creative or technical briefs, design priorities, milestones, reviews, and approvals; give constructive feedback.
• Coordinate across departments and manage scope, deliverables, schedules, resources, dependencies, risks, and approval timelines.

Quality, coordination, and improvement

• Ensure design outputs meet brand, technical, functionality, user experience, quality, safety, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate materials, technologies, finishes, manufacturing methods, specifications, cost, feasibility, and delivery risks.
• Coordinate with suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, consultants, and production teams to ensure accurate delivery of approved designs.
• Maintain version control, design records, approvals, revisions, and change-management documentation.
• Monitor budgets, consultant costs, quotations, production expenses, and resource requirements; support procurement reviews of specifications, samples, materials, and supplier submissions.
• Research trends, customer preferences, competitor activity, technology, materials, and industry developments; identify innovation, sustainability, cost-efficiency, and customer experience opportunities.

Stakeholders and team development

• Organize design meetings, workshops, presentations, stakeholder reviews, site visits, and approval sessions; present concepts, progress, risks, and recommendations.
• Gather stakeholder feedback and coordinate revisions while maintaining project objectives, timelines, and quality.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, mentoring, and performance development of design team members.
• Protect confidential design concepts, intellectual property, technical information, client information, and company materials.
• Prepare reports, progress updates, presentations, documentation, and management summaries; improve design processes, collaboration, quality control, and delivery efficiency.

Requirements

• Diploma or bachelor’s degree in Design, Architecture, Engineering, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Product Design, or a related discipline.
• Proven experience in design management, creative leadership, project design, architecture, product development, engineering design, or a related field; strong portfolio showing design leadership and successful delivery.
• Understanding of design principles, development processes, technical documentation, quality control, and design review procedures.
• Experience managing designers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency in relevant software such as Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, Revit, SolidWorks, SketchUp, Figma, or other discipline-specific tools.
• Project management skills across scope, schedules, resources, budgets, approvals, and deadlines; strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Creative and commercial thinking, attention to detail, problem-solving, and decision-making; experience with external design partners.
• Understanding of relevant standards, safety and quality requirements, sustainability principles, and regulatory considerations.
• Leadership and team-development skills, including direction, feedback, coaching, and mentoring; ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Professional certifications or memberships relevant to the design discipline are an advantage.