As the main design lead you will be responsible for designing and delivering the interior design packages for high-end projects. You will manage a team designers and junior designers and must ensure designs are delivered on time, on budget and with highest degree of quality. You will take a creative lead in innovative, sophisticated and original designs that support and represent the Company brand / style. You will respond to either a brief set by the Creative Director or to work for an individual Client taking on board their needs and requirements to deliver a quality end product. You will be expected to oversee and inspire groups of Designers working on numerous projects. This role requires close working relationships with the Project Leaders, Designers and Junior Designers and to creatively lead the design process.

-   Main design lead for all areas of each project (including finishes, details and full FF+E packages)

-   Leading, inspiring, motivating and overseeing the Designers, potentially across multiple projects at once

-   Time management crucial

-   Manage the design process to meet the deadlines as agreed with Project Leader

-   Ability to understand and document a full client brief and comprehensively relay information to the whole design team, set specific tasks and ensure productive use of all Designers’ time

-   Clear understanding of Scopes of Works with the ability to analyse a project in terms of the design deliverables required

-   Ensure the Client is fully aware of all design selections throughout the entire process, through detailed presentations including imagery, materials and reports

-   Deliver confident and inspiring presentations in order to gain and maintain the Clients’ trust throughout the process

-   Leading and creating inspirational design concepts and schemes through mood imagery and sketches and effectively communicating them to the team and client

-   Developing concepts and schemes into realistic designs

-   Overseeing Designer and Junior Designer to prepare presentation documents (InDesign) and leading the style and look of the creative concept

-   Produce a series of useable layout options for presentation to the Client / team

-   Responsible for all design decisions, for example, proportion, practicality, scale

-   Completely competent in the full FF&E design and Procurement process

-   Driving design process of FF&E including budgets, specifications and procurement

-   Leading the team in problem solving throughout entire design process resolving inevitable issues that arise when translating concept into realistic scheme; reviewing constraints of site; budget issues and timelines

-   Designing and detailing all joinery and construction details and communicating efficiently to the CAD resource for documentation

-   Strong knowledge of the interior construction and detailing process

-   Be capable of quality controlling all aspects of the design process; conceptual; documentation and actualisation

-   Overseeing the production of all plans (GA/RCP/Finishes/Small Power etc.) elevations and detail packages and ensuring all information is captured prior to release of documentation

-   Responsible for overseeing selection and documentation of all schedules, e.g. Sanitaryware, Ironmongery etc.

-   Commercial awareness and ability to set up and control FF&E budgets for individual interior packages

-   Responsible for all checks and mark-ups of design documentation

-   Attend review and planning meeting with Project Leaders, Creative Director and Board Members at end of each project stage

-   Act as an ambassador for the Company in all professional circumstances

-   Contribute to the staff appraisal process - Discuss and agree the personal objectives and goals of the Designers and Junior Designers and help them achieve these objectives within the timeframes specified

-   Create environment of knowledge and transparency within the team and peers to aid personal development

-   Attend weekly meetings with PL and rest of team to review project

-   Resolving site issues that arise on a daily basis, e.g. phone / email queries; attend regular site meetings; work closely with all contractors (construction, mechanical, electrical etc.) and Project Manager to ensure project is delivered on time and as per brief

-   Working closely with main contractor to ensure they understand the expectations and they provide a fully comprehensive Tender package

-   Work closely to agree on value engineering where necessary and to achieve budget set out by Client

-   Marking up and signing off all construction drawings and specifications

-   Regularly attend site to review and resolve on-the-spot issues, e.g. setting out; junction details and sketch details where necessary

-   Working closely with sub contractors, e.g. Joinery, Stone, AV, to ensure all parties are working to same expectations. Advising and commenting on any issues that arise

-   Responsible for tracking all FF&E costs and ensuring project is delivered within budget

-   Supporting the Project Leader in all relationships from Client to site contractors regarding any high level issues of programme and budget

-   To build strong and lasting client relationships based upon in depth understanding of their needs and the ability to consistently anticipate and exceed their expectations

-   Attend weekly meetings with Project Leaders and other Senior Designers to review both current projects and personnel matters

-   Continuously develop skills, knowledge and creativity to improve the performance of yourself and those around you

-   Inspire Designers and Junior Designers during all stages of the design process and effectively convey your knowledge and ideas

-   Build strong working relationships with trade professionals and ensure the Designers’ and Junior Designers’ conduct consistently reflects CDS’ core values and business interests

-   Directly responsible for Designers and Junior Designers, including managing Holiday requests; out of office exhibition / trade fair / supplier visits; deliverable scheduling

-   Recognised qualification in Interior Design / Architecture or relevant industry experience

-   Extensive experience in the successful delivery of luxury interior design projects, either luxury hospitality or high end residential, from concept to completion and all aspects of the full design process

-   Excellent FF&E and Supplier knowledge

-   Excellent knowledge of the construction process, fabrication and detailing

-   Prior experience managing the design process and design team to ensure all deliverables and objectives are met

-   Must have the rights to work in UK

-   An enthusiastic team player

-   A hard worker (we are often extremely busy)

-   Diplomatic and calm under pressure

-   Extremely organised and thorough (crisis prevention instead of crisis reaction where possible)

-   Flexible and, of course, reliable

-   Eligible to live and work in the UK