Healthcare Design Specialist

About the role

Henricksen (Oak Brook, IL) is a full-service contract furniture dealership specializing in office, healthcare, education, government, senior living, and hospitality spaces. Founded in 1962 as a small, family-run dealership, Henricksen is now a leading national dealership with twelve offices across Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin, employing over 300 full-time staff and generating annual sales of $300+ million. With more than 300 manufacturer partnerships, Henricksen offers products ranging from systems furniture, casegoods, seating, lounge, and conference furnishings to architectural solutions including modular walls, flooring, lighting, sound masking, and technology equipment. Henricksen is one of the largest privately‑owned dealer partners of HNI in the United States.

This position can be based out of Henricksen’s IL (Chicago or Oak Brook), MN (Minneapolis), or WI (Madison or Milwaukee) offices. The Design Healthcare Specialist will serve as Henricksen’s subject matter expert in clinical design, laboratory applications, and healthcare‑focused client solutions across the organization. Working alongside the Director of Healthcare Strategy, the role translates clinical, laboratory, and operational workflows into effective strategies that advance Henricksen’s healthcare vertical offering. Emphasis is placed on design‑led solutions, the development of scalable tools and proven practices, and building internal healthcare and laboratory capabilities to drive growth, collaboration, and differentiated client outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Translate clinical and laboratory workflows, operational requirements, equipment needs, and patient, caregiver, and end‑user needs into effective design, space, and product solutions.
• Partner with sales, design, manufacturers, and other project stakeholders to develop differentiated solutions that address the unique operational and performance requirements of healthcare and laboratory environments.
• Provide expertise across acute care, ambulatory, behavioral health, exam and treatment rooms, care team areas, waiting spaces, clinical and diagnostic laboratories, research facilities, and other specialized healthcare environments.
• Guide the selection and application of furniture, modular laboratory systems, casework, work surfaces, storage, seating, and related solutions based on cleanability, infection prevention, chemical resistance, durability, ergonomics, safety, accessibility, flexibility, and reconfigurability.
• Support programming, space planning, product applications and specifications, product evaluations, mock‑ups, and strategic client presentations.
• Develop and maintain healthcare and laboratory typicals, planning guidelines, learning resources, product recommendations, tools, and proven practices that can be leveraged across markets.
• Educate and support Henricksen designers and sales teams on clinical and laboratory applications.
• Identify opportunities to replicate successful healthcare and laboratory solutions across the organization.
• Support strategic healthcare and laboratory pursuits, proposals, presentations, and client workshops.
• Collaborate with manufacturers and strategic partners to expand Henricksen’s healthcare and lab capabilities.
• Stay current on healthcare and laboratory trends, products, regulations, technologies, and emerging client needs.
• Contribute to healthcare thought leadership, case studies, industry events, and market‑development initiatives.
• Promote cross‑market sharing of lessons learned, innovations, and successful project outcomes.
• Maintain healthcare vertical reporting, dashboards, and performance tracking tools.
• Monitor healthcare strategic initiatives and provide regular progress updates to vertical leadership.
• Coordinate vendor, partner, and alliance activities supporting healthcare vertical initiatives.
• Ensure healthcare‑specific materials, messaging, and resources remain current and aligned with organizational standards.
• Support accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement efforts related to healthcare service delivery and operational effectiveness.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal healthcare leaders, market teams, and business partners.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration among healthcare‑focused leaders and professionals across markets.
• Promote a collaborative, inclusive, and client‑centric culture throughout the healthcare community.
• Model and reinforce organization values, culture, and commitment to excellence.
• Maintain accountability for ongoing learning and improvements required to perform the job.
• Collaborate and take initiative to support the success and growth of self, others, and the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, Architecture, Healthcare Design, Laboratory Planning, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in contract furniture dealership and/or manufacturer
• 2‑3 years of laboratory‑specific experience
• Strong understanding of clinical and laboratory workflows and their impact on space planning and product applications (i.e., modular and reconfigurable laboratory furniture systems)
• Experience developing solutions for healthcare and/or laboratory environments
• Knowledge of healthcare