Studio Lead Designer

Role overview

Qualifications and experience

• A professional degree in architecture, interior design, or a closely related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Generally 15 or more years of relevant experience, including prior leadership of projects and people/talent development.
• Deep expertise in the studio’s primary market or practice area.
• Professional registration or certification is preferred; sustainable design credentials are also preferred.
• Working knowledge of common design software, digital tools, and office productivity platforms, including project management and collaboration software.
• The role calls for leadership of design teams, strong client relationships, polished presentations, excellent communication, organization, collaboration, and problem-solving.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, maintain quality, and meet deadlines.

Key accountabilities

• Partner with project design teams to uphold quality standards and measure outcomes against studio strategic objectives with local and regional leaders.
• Contribute to long-term practice-area planning, refine marketing approaches, and ensure appropriate people and resources are available.
• Guide teams in defining measurable success criteria for integration, innovation, and real-world impact from concept through completion.
• Stay involved in projects to define vision and goals, improve delivery processes, shape working culture, and ensure strong documentation.
• Support projects from early pursuit through construction, including needs assessment, concept and schematic design, design development, and final delivery.
• Steer teams, mentor designers, set design direction, and run productive critiques with project managers and practice and regional leaders.
• Serve as a client contact, understand client goals and requirements, and deepen client relationships over time.
• Help manage client expectations, maintain internal communication, and coordinate consultants with project leadership.
• Advise on studio staffing, utilization, and growth, recommending changes when needed.
• Provide technical and design guidance to solve complex problems and develop team skills.
• Review early concepts and inspire teams to produce excellent documentation and exceed client expectations.
• Connect firm-wide priorities with day-to-day studio work and embed core design priorities in client solutions.

Additional studio leadership

Location

• The role is listed in Dubai.