The Design Manager is primarily responsible for leading the Company’s pre-construction and project planning functions. This position manages a team that performs design, estimating, and sales tasks and collaborates with the Production Manager to ensure a seamless transition for projects & clients into construction. This role serves as a key ambassador of the Company brand and values creating a positive and engaging experience for staff and clients that is aligned with the Company’s mission statement and current strategic plan.
The Design Manager is responsible for a team of diversly-skilled staff and will work with each to provide regular training and coaching that will further the professional goals of the employee and the Company. This position will lead their department to contribute quality designs aligned with clients’ unique needs and wants, accurate design-build plans & specifications, detailed competitive project budgets & contract pricing, and clear sales proposals that set realistic goals for both scope & budget in design. This is a senior level position supervised by the General Manager and works in partnership with the Production Manager.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Implement strategic plan for the department and monitor & report on performance.
- Manage and supervise team of 3-6 staff.
- Clearly communicate processes, quality standards, and job expectations to staff.
- Foster a productive work environment that motivates and inspires staff toward high quality work, team engagement, and personal development.
- Monitor and interact with each employee regularly to discuss skill level, achievements, challenges, and growth potential. Provide at least one written review per year for each employee.
- Assign workload and assignments to employees that match abilities and provide opportunities for growth.
- Hold weekly team meetings to review resource allocation, encourage team collaboration on design, sales and project planning issues, and review or update company processes.
- Provide quality control and oversight for all design projects.
- Conduct a detailed review of each project including plans, specifications, correspondence, schedule, and logs once per week. Provide feedback and create task lists (as needed) for designers to ensure projects stay on track and follow applicable company processes.
- Ensure that all designs are produced to a high quality in a timely manner and are documented using the correct processes, templates, and formatting guidelines.
- Coordinate and monitor all consultant meetings as needed to ensure complete and accurate information is exchanged for projects, including civil engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineers, municipalities, and highly technical trades such as septic and well trades.
- Sit in on client meetings with lead designers as needed or requested.
- Assist designers with resolving any issues or concerns from clients during the design process.
- Assist carpenters and designers with troubleshooting issues relating to the design during construction or in relation to code compliance.
- Provide quality control and oversight for estimating.
- Schedule regular (at least once per year) reviews of estimating tools and materials to confirm all data and systems used in estimating are current and efficient.
- Attend job walks and other meetings with estimator as needed to troubleshoot and strategize for costing of complex or unique designs.
- Perform regular reviews of estimates for sales proposals, concept budgets, and contract pricing to confirm accurate and reasonable numbers for each project.
- Support positive collaboration between designers and estimators to ensure accurate take-offs and estimates for project builds.
- Provide quality control and oversight for sales.
- Work with the General Manager to set sales goals.
- Oversee sales pipeline to confirm timely and professional follow-up to all leads.
- Perform regular (at least quarterly) check-ins with sales staff to review sales goals and strategy.
- Perform regular reviews of sales proposals and processes to ensure consistency with current Company project processes, goals and strategic plan.
- Ensure department knowledge and skills are current and adequate to complete complex, custom, residential design-build projects.
- Ensure the team is knowledgeable about all applicable building codes and provide timely notification for all changes or new codes relevant to the department.
- Conduct training seminars, schedule field trips, and host vendor lunch & learn programs to keep designers at the front of trending designs and products, or delegate these tasks as needed.
- Set up training plans for the department and individual employees to encourage professional skill development.
- Work in partnership with the Production Manager to facilitate a positive working relationship and excellent communication between staff in the design and production departments.
- Coordinate the Design Intern program.
- Fulfill, or allocate the appropriate resources to, the job requirements for any key positions if one is vacant including Sales Coordinator, Estimator, and Lead Designer.
Qualifications
- Professional degree in Architectural Design or equivalent industry experience
- Business, sales, or management coursework desired but not required
- Willingness to register with the California Contractor Licensing Board as a Home Improvement Salesperson, if needed
- A minimum of 5 years of experience leading residential remodeling or custom home projects
- A minimum of 2 years of consultative sales experience with a strong customer-service focus
- A minimum of 3 years leading or managing teams of 2 or more people
- Experience with residential additions or new construction; design-build delivery methods preferred
- Working knowledge of California Building Codes, zoning regulations, and permitting processes
- Highly skilled in CAD applications; experience with Chief Architect preferred
- Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe software required
- Experience with CRM systems and project management platforms desired
- Demonstrated ability to produce documentation for built projects, organize information, and manage workflow
- Ability to motivate and inspire as a leader to achieve higher productivity and quality work from a team
- Ability to oversee multiple projects of varying complexity to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and high-quality results for each
- Ability to perform zoning and building code research
- Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills in English
- Solid time management and organizational skills with attention to detail
- Construction knowledge, management, or field experience desired
- Structural and detail design experience desired
- Experience working in a collaborative environment
- Ability to work independently and self-monitor progress to meet expectations
- Ability to delegate tasks and manage assigned resources efficiently and professionally
- Driven to consistently improve skills and knowledge in the residential design and construction field
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
Application Question(s):
- Do you have a valid and unrestricted CA driver license?
- Our company hours are 7am-4pm Monday through Friday. Are you available to work these hours?
- All employees are required to pass a background check and prior employment verification check. Are you okay with this?
- This is not a remote position. Would your daily commute to our office location be reasonable and sustainable?
- Do you have professional references available? Two must be supervisor references and two must be subordinate references.
- Do you meet the education and professional experience required in our listed Qualifications?
- Do you have proficiency in the use of one or more CAD programs for architectural and/or interior design?
Work Location: In person
