Design Director

With over 20 years honing our skills, Design Clarity knows retail design. It's our grounding. We create successful projects by applying our retail insights and expertise to other sectors as we diversify. We maintain a clear focus on end-users and now we inject the experimentation of retail design into workplace, hospitality and leisure, financial services, and residential projects. With our Australian background and UK presence, we are inspired by global influences and embrace unconstrained ideas.

Position overview:

As the Design Director, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the creative direction of our company. You'll lead a team of talented designers, guiding them towards achieving our design goals while maintaining the highest standards of quality and innovation. Working closely with clients and stakeholders, you'll translate their visions into compelling design concepts and strategies.

Key Responsibilities:

Creative Direction & Quality Control

• Oversee quality control processes to ensure accurate and high-quality client work.
• Mentor, advise, and support designers to foster innovative and cutting-edge creative output. 
• Provide feedback, review markups, and undertake final checks prior to issuing documents.
• Nurture visionary ideas for concept design and ensure precise documentation and efficient project delivery.
• Manage the project process, ensuring cross-checking of drawings and final review before external issuance.
• Intervene and action if project work is deemed below standard.

Design Project work

• Being involved in design process and concept work, while delegating design development and documentation to the team.
• Emphasise creative input over detailed documentation.

Retail Strategy & Project Planning

• Emphasise design strategy and user-centered design process.
• Contribute to pitch meetings and provide feedback on PR and marketing briefs.
• Manage client relationships and oversee communication between staff and clients.
• Ensure client satisfaction by staying in touch with designers on each project.
• Take over projects from BDM and/or MD after initial business development phase to initiate project work.

External Client presentations

• Represent the business and present work either individually or as a team leader.
• Facilitate workshops to meet design standards and ensure alignment with company objectives.

Staff management

Sydney & London studio liaison

Key attributes:

• Ability to generate design packages is a must have.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to inspire the creative team to give their best.
• Exhibit outstanding creative judgment and guide the creative team in achieving the highest possible standards through hands-on coaching and mentoring.
• Proven experience in a client facing role and understand how to deliver on strategic business objectives.
• Excellent verbal and written, communication and presentational skills
• Proven leadership in a creative environment
• Client relationship development and management skills
• Advanced client and people management skills
• 7+ years of experience in commercial interior design as a senior designer with a focus on commercial sector
• Bachelor's and/or master’s degree in architecture, Interior Design or a related field.
• Strong experience in Adobe suite and Vectorworks 

What we offer:

• Work closely with talented, collaborative, passionate professional group of designers.
• Work on various retail and commercial projects across Australia and the United Kingdom alongside a talented team.
• Competitive salary and flexibility
• Equal opportunity employer, valuing diversity, and inclusion