ROLE
The Design Manager is responsible for providing leadership for Shades of Green's Design Department, ensuring every project reflects the highest standards of ecological design excellence, client experience, operational efficiency, and team development. This role serves as both an accomplished landscape design professional and an exceptional people leader, balancing active client work with department management, coaching, and continuous process improvement.
The Design Manager champions the company's mission by cultivating a high-performing design team, advancing innovative ecological landscape solutions, and delivering an elevated client experience from initial lead call and consultation through successful handoff to installation. This leader partners closely with Operations, Sales, Marketing, and Education to ensure design excellence remains a defining characteristic of every client interaction.
Key Responsibilities
- Design Leadership & Technical Excellence
- Lead the Design Department in creating exceptional, ecologically responsible landscape designs that reflect Shades of Green's mission, values, and design philosophy.
- Serve as the department's technical expert in ecological landscape design, regional plant communities, edible and medicinal landscapes, water management strategies, and sustainable design practices.
- Establish and maintain design standards that consistently exceed client expectations in creativity, functionality, environmental stewardship, and visual presentation.
- Review, mentor, and provide quality assurance on all client-facing design deliverables to ensure technical accuracy, aesthetic excellence, and alignment with company standards.
- Continuously research emerging ecological design practices, materials, technologies, and industry trends, integrating best practices into department standards.
Client Experience & Design Consultation
- Deliver an exceptional consultative client experience by educating clients throughout the design process and helping them understand the long-term ecological and functional value of their landscape investment.
- Lead complex client consultations, presentations, and design reviews with professionalism, confidence, and expertise.
- Build trusted client relationships while proactively managing expectations, project scope, timelines, and design revisions.
- Support designers in navigating challenging client conversations and ensuring consistently high levels of client satisfaction.
- Maintain an active portfolio of design projects while modeling best practices for the team.
- Department Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, mentor, inspire, and develop a high-performing team of landscape designers.
- Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance evaluations, coaching sessions, and professional development planning.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and constructive feedback.
- Recruit, onboard, train, mentor, and off board Design Department employees.
- Ensure each designer has the resources, knowledge, systems, and support necessary to perform at the highest level.
- Promote an environment where clear communication, ownership, innovation, and professional growth are expected and celebrated.
- Operational Management
- Manage department workload, project assignments, staffing capacity, and production schedules to ensure timely delivery of all design projects.
- Establish, maintain, and continually improve design workflows, operating procedures, quality standards, and documentation.
- Monitor project timelines and proactively identify risks or bottlenecks before they impact clients or operations.
- Track department performance through measurable KPIs, including productivity, quality, conversion rates, and project delivery metrics.
- Analyze performance data and implement improvements that increase efficiency, profitability, and client satisfaction.
- Sales & Business Performance
- Partner with the Operations Director and Project Manager to improve design consultation effectiveness and overall sales performance.
- Monitor consultation quality and design and installation conversion rates, identifying opportunities for coaching and process improvement.
- Audit consultations and proposal presentations, providing actionable feedback to designers that strengthens client communication and improves close rates.
- Communicate department capacity, forecasting needs, and operational challenges during leadership meetings while recommending scalable solutions.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with Operations, Project Management, Installation, Marketing, Education, and Sales to ensure design insights inform company initiatives, educational programming, client communications, and digital content.
- Provide subject matter expertise to support marketing campaigns, educational materials, workshops, internal training and client resources.
- Help align organizational strategy with design department execution, ensuring company goals are translated into measurable departmental outcomes.
- Participate in quarterly EOS meetings and lead completion of strategic rocks.
- Attend and lead (on a rotating basis) all-staff meetings.
- Participate in annual budget planning in collaboration with the CEO + OD
Leadership Expectations
- The Design Manager is a leader who models professionalism, accountability, emotional intelligence, and technical excellence. This individual demonstrates confidence in decision-making while remaining coachable, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement.
- Success in this role requires balancing leadership with hands-on design work while cultivating a team culture built on trust, clarity, innovation, and shared purpose.
Qualifications Required
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in landscape design, landscape architecture, or ecological landscape design.
- Demonstrated experience leading, managing, mentoring, and developing design professionals.
- Advanced knowledge of ecological landscape design principles, edible landscapes, medicinal plants, native and regionally appropriate plant communities, and sustainable landscape systems.
- Strong understanding of site analysis, grading, planting design, hardscape integration, and the built environment.
- Exceptional client relationship management and presentation skills.
- Proven ability to manage multiple projects, competing priorities, and production schedules.
- Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
- Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to confidently navigate difficult conversations with professionalism and empathy.
- Self-motivated with exceptional attention to detail and accountability.
- Technical Skills
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Excel
- Adobe Creative Suite
- CAD drafting software
Preferred
- Land F/X
- AutoCAD
- Advanced water management and stormwater design experience
• Experience with regenerative landscape systems
- Landscape Architecture degree or equivalent professional experience
- Current First Aid and CPR Certification (or willingness to obtain through Shades of Green)
What Success Looks Like
The Design Manager successfully develops a high-performing team that consistently delivers exceptional ecological landscape designs, outstanding client experiences, and measurable business results. Designers are engaged, clients become enthusiastic advocates, department operations run efficiently, and the organization continues to elevate its reputation as a leader in ecological landscape design.
Pay: From $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have experience with Land F/X and AutoCAD?
Experience:
- Landscaping Design: 5 years (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Avondale Estates, GA 30002 (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Avondale Estates, GA 30002
