SouthWood Corporation is a 55-year-old, turn-key sign company known for its exceptional quality and innovation as an industry leading designer, manufacturer, and installer of architectural signage throughout the country. Our core values of passion, curiosity, relentlessness, and a commitment to excellence are our blueprint to success every day and definitive of our community and culture. We are always seeking highly skilled and motivated performers to join our team. As a sign professional, you will play a vital role in driving results to meet challenging company goals and client expectations with signs of the highest quality.
SouthWood Corporation is seeking an experienced Design Manager to lead the Design Department and ensure all design work is accurate, complete, coordinated, and production ready. This role oversees graphic designers, drives consistent standards and workflow, and partners closely with Sales, Project Management, Production, and Installation to move projects efficiently from concept through fabrication and installation. The Design Manager will also help strengthen SouthWood's market presence by building trusted relationships with architects, developers, general contractors, and key clients.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the Design Department with ownership of design standards, workflow, schedules, quality, and overall team performance.
Ensure all design deliverables are accurate, complete, coordinated, code-conscious, buildable, and ready for client submission, production, and installation.
Establish and enforce quality control processes that reduce errors, prevent rework, and support consistent, first-time-right design output.
Review drawings for required dimensions, materials, mounting details, fabrication requirements, installation considerations, and alignment with project scope and budget.
Manage engineering and design vendor performance, ensuring outside deliverables are accurate, complete, and aligned with project requirements and design intent.
Maintain clear documentation standards, file organization, drawing structure, naming conventions, and templates that support efficient cross-functional use.
Plan team capacity, assign resources, manage workload, and proactively identify schedule or delivery risks.
Partner with Sales, Project Management, Production, and Installation to resolve design, engineering, production, or field conflicts before they affect timelines.
Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain design talent while building clear career paths and a high-performance, accountable team culture.
Build and maintain relationships with architects, developers, general contractors, and clients to position the design team as a trusted partner and support repeat business.
Qualifications
7+ years of design experience in environmental graphics, architectural signage, experiential graphics, or a related large-format production environment.
Proven experience leading designers, managing workloads, developing talent, and driving accountability across a creative or technical design team.
Strong understanding of sign fabrication, materials, mounting methods, installation considerations, and production-ready design documentation.
Demonstrated ability to establish design standards, review technical drawings, improve workflows, and reduce errors or rework.
Experience coordinating with engineering, production, project management, installation, and external vendors to deliver accurate and buildable design solutions.
Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Creative Suite; familiarity with technical drawing standards and production file preparation required.
Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to support clients and cross-functional internal teams.
What We Offer:
Competitive pay based on experience.
Opportunities for growth and skill development.
Paid time off and paid holidays.
Benefits package includes medical, dental, vision and 401k.
