Director of Interior Design | Studio

Austin, TX, United States

Position: Director of Interior Design – Studio

Accountable to: Director of Interiors - Firmwide

Responsible for: Directing and providing studio leadership for activities including, but not limited to firm culture, people, business development, design, and delivery.

Requirements: Interior design degree and experience in leadership and as well as design project roles. Minimum 15 years experience in commercial interior design. Registered Interior Designer. Business Development experience with client relationships and a strong network.

Responsibilities: Enhance practice development strategies with growth plans, performance/developmental evaluations, practice area structure, and targets.

Nurture, mentor, and motivate design staff through experience, guidance, and professional development.

Business and financial management of the design studio practice with oversight of proposals, project management, design, and delivery.

Implement and participate in business development strategies to build a strong portfolio, long-term client relationships, increase external firm image, and create teams that best represent the firm for our clients.

FIRM CULTURE: Foster a “One Firm” culture and act as an integrator between disciplines and markets within a geographic location.

• Be an inspiration through internally sharing, debating, and promoting our best work. Know our peers and competitors’ achievements.

• Nurture an atmosphere that captures and creates knowledge. Implement tools and processes that facilitate access to knowledge.

• Provide recognition internally and externally, unstructured, and formally, immediate, and long-term for each employee.

• Champion our culture of Design Excellence by living STG Design’s Values.

PEOPLE: Provide Leadership, and act as a Coach and Mentor.

Practice Development

• Work to implement the strategic growth plan and achieve buy-in from employees as directed by firmwide leadership.

• Work closely with practice leadership regarding performance evaluations, developmental reviews, employee work performance, learning, and professional development. Assist Firmwide Director with respect to strategic hiring decisions, bonus reviews, and other recommendations.

• Promptly address employee issues and act as necessary, involve Human Resources and Firmwide Director as appropriate.

• Work with other studios and leadership to develop Subject Matter Experts (SME) by market sectors for thought leadership.

Leadership

• Demonstrate leadership skills by motivating employees to enable them to reach their individual potential. Take action to maintain a positive team environment, (lead by example).

• Provide staff members with an “open door policy” to allow individuals to feel free to communicate with you and other members of the leadership team.

• Assist directors with the professional development planning program; ensure employee goals are monitored throughout the year and linked to firmwide goals.

• Provide a creative, innovative, and collaborative environment — in part, by developing an effective coaching/mentoring program.

• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

• Schedule time with each studio member to enforce the studio role and have a meaningful and productive time with each one.

Management

• Monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of practice areas, with respect to leadership, business metrics, and project performance.

• Ensure that key experienced practice area members are made available and contribute to projects within other studios and offices as appropriate.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Focus business development efforts on thought leadership, market understanding, and creating connections to firmwide leadership.

• Help build a portfolio of strong, long-term client relationships.

• Market and develop new business on a consistent basis. Place strong emphasis on marketing for STG Design to win new projects and increase STG’s visibility.

• Ensure prompt and timely responses from appropriate parties to all proposal requests.

• Work closely with Marketing to maximize the effectiveness of lead generation efforts, collateral material, project marketing, and proposals.

• Help build and improve the external firm image by active participation in appropriate organizations and maintaining significant contacts with current and potential clients locally.

• Know the portfolio of practice areas and the firmwide portfolio of market sectors.

• Lead proposal preparation in terms of scope, fee, and schedule.

DESIGN AND DELIVERY: Maintain positive client relationships. Attend client meetings, lead, and participate in strategy, review conceptual development, and provide inspiration and motivation to the design team to ensure design excellence and high-quality documentation is produced.

Design

• Create a culture of design excellence that focuses on inspiration, openness, collaboration, knowledge, and recognition.

• Seek and keep talent that can develop work that is informed, purposeful, and compelling.

• Be responsible for overall design quality in the practice areas and work to empower and encourage employees to be a resource for others in the studio.

• Work with design leadership to encourage design charrettes and reviews throughout project phases.

Management/Financial

• Assure that projects are well-managed by focusing on the project process, service/delivery, work environment, and project documentation, as well as adherence to scope and fee.

• Build client’s trust and loyalty in STG Design; use as a springboard to develop additional business.

• Monitor key practice area metrics such as Held time, Productivity, and Accounts Receivable, act as necessary and appropriate.

• Oversee billing and fee management operations and ensure all financial activities follow STG Design policies and procedures.

Delivery

• Maintain the practice of quality review on all projects, including conformance to mandated QA reviews.

• Champion new technologies in which our firm is invested, including the BIM platform.

• Maintain a solid core of technical staff in the studio with appropriate experience to deliver quality documents at each phase of a project.

• Participate in Project Leadership/Manager meetings weekly.

GENERAL

• Demonstrate dignity, respect, and a professional attitude on and off the job.

• Participate in office meetings — including firm Leadership, and staff as necessary.

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