Director of Design

About the role

The Director of Design shapes the vision and creative direction of Formcraft’s design studio. Working closely with the Design Principal, this leader sets a high standard for design, advances a studio culture of exploration and thoughtful critique, and mentors designers across the firm. They engage clients at a strategic level, helping them articulate a workplace vision that connects to their culture, business objectives, and ways of working. This is an active design leadership role across select large and complex projects, guiding teams from early concept through construction, establishing a project vision with clients, and directing key design decisions throughout the process. The ideal candidate brings a strong design point of view, a forward‑thinking approach to workplace design, and the ability to develop innovative ideas that elevate the work. They are a confident storyteller, comfortable engaging executive leadership teams and clearly communicating the thinking and value behind a design, while providing thoughtful critique and developing the creative strengths of others.

Responsibilities

• Shape the creative direction of the Design Studio, championing a culture of design exploration, collaboration, and constructive critique.
• Lead design reviews at key project milestones, providing clear direction and quality oversight of concepts, presentations, documentation, and the built work.
• Serve as the design lead on select large and complex projects, establishing the design vision with clients, guiding teams from concept through construction, and protecting the strength of the design through each phase.
• Build strong client relationships, lead design conversations at all levels—including executive leadership teams—and translate client goals and feedback into compelling design solutions.
• Support Business Development in pursuit strategy, prospective client meetings, interviews, and presentations, clearly communicating Formcraft’s design approach, thinking, and value.
• Partner with the Design Principal to advance the studio’s design direction, mentor designers and emerging leaders, and strengthen design skills across the team.
• Represent Formcraft’s design practice through industry events, professional relationships, and other opportunities to build visibility for the studio.
• Collaborate with internal and external marketing partners on project photography, portfolio content, awards, and other initiatives that communicate the studio’s work.
• Collaborate with principals and leaders across design, preconstruction, and construction to align design ambition with project goals, budget, schedule, and delivery.
• Represent the firm in a professional manner consistent with firm values and culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or a related discipline.
• 10–15+ years of professional experience with demonstrated leadership in commercial interior design.
• Proven ability to provide design leadership on large and complex projects and to lead multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong design expertise with the ability to provide direction, critique, and mentorship to design teams.
• Excellent client relationship, presentation, and communication skills; experience leading client‑facing design discussions and presentations.
• Experience with QA/QC and oversight of design deliverables through all phases of a project.
• NCIDQ Certification or architectural licensure preferred.
• LEED Accreditation preferred.

Skills

• Proficiency with Revit, AutoCAD, Bluebeam Revu, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrated analytical thinking and creative problem‑solving abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.