Design Director

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.