Your Role
As a Gensler Design Leader, you will lead creative, collaborative teams dedicated to design innovation and excellence within our Hospitality Practice Area. Drawing on your deep understanding of hospitality environments, guest experience, and operational flow, you will bring new approaches to design process and strategy, develop next-generation talent, and help our clients reimagine what’s possible. Our teams design for all of humanity, driving a passionately curious design culture that celebrates storytelling, brand expression, and human connection. We create solutions that are emotionally resonant and that positively impact people’s everyday experiences.
Our D.C. team is searching for a Design Leader that specializes in Hospitality interiors.
What You Will Do
- Creative Direction: Oversee hospitality-focused design projects from concept through execution, ensuring that our designs are innovative, impactful, and aligned with the firm’s high standards. Mentor and inspire the design team to explore new ideas and concepts that elevate the guest experience. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong proficiency in developing conceptual design work and possesses the ability to convey a compelling narrative through the built environment.
- Client Engagement & Development: Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, understanding their needs and objectives to deliver compelling hospitality design solutions. Act as the primary point of contact for major projects, ensuring clear communication and satisfaction. Partner closely with studio and office leadership to pursue projects with new and existing clients. The ideal candidate will have experience with client development and has a market presence with Hospitality clients.
- Market Trends & Innovation: Stay ahead of industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive insights. Bring fresh ideas and innovations to the table that ensure the firm remains a leader in hospitality design excellence and is well represented and published in the marketplace. The ideal candidate is a thought leader for innovative and engaging hospitality design--their point of view shared via articles, panel discussions, social media posts, and active participation with industry organizations and in the real estate community.
- Leadership & Strategy: Provide visionary leadership for the design team, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within the hospitality practice. Develop and implement strategic design initiatives that align with client goals, guest experience objectives, and business objectives.
- Mentor, Coach and Support Growth: Guide designers in discovering their strengths, mentor and coach to enhance and develop design skills. Provide open communication, active listening, and thoughtful questioning to unleash the potential of talent and teams within our People First culture.
- Oversee and curate project photography and awards submissions, ensuring hospitality projects are documented and showcased to reflect their design excellence and impact for the firm portfolio.
Your Qualifications
- Portfolio of innovative hospitality interiors projects
- Proven track record of delivering successful, innovative design outcomes for hospitality that have had a significant impact on client satisfaction and business growth.
- Exceptional portfolio showcasing a variety of hospitality focused design projects, highlighting innovative approaches to storytelling and successful client solutions.
- Strong understanding of design principles, guest experience, and project management methodologies.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to articulate design concepts and decisions effectively to clients and teams.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Possess uncommon design talent, a personal brand and a clear point of view
- Fearless integrator and advocate for diverse points of view and expansive thinking
- Ability to define a project’s creative foundation through storytelling, and merge the goals and strategy with a clear conceptual vision
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school of design or architecture
- 15+ years of professional interior design and/or architecture experience; recent and extensive Hospitality interiors project experience is required
- NCIDQ certified, RA and/or LEED accreditation are preferred
- Strong leadership, communication, presentation, and relationship management skills
- Proficiency in Revit and other computer design programs
- Must have a project portfolio of Hospitality interiors projects (emphasis on common areas, versus guest rooms)
*This role is not remote, we look forward to working with our new Design Director in our dynamic Washington, D.C. office.
**The estimated base salary range for this position is $130,000 - $170,000 plus eligibility for bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package, with final compensation contingent on relevant experience. To learn more about our compensation philosophy and full benefits offerings, please visit Great People, Great Rewards | Gensler.
Life at Gensler
At Gensler, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From curated art exhibits to internal design competitions to “Well-being Week,” our offices reflect our people’s diverse interests.
We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401k, profit sharing, employee stock ownership, and twice annual bonus opportunities. Our annual base salary range has been established based on local markets.
As part of the firm’s commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.
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