Design Director

Design Director

Department: Design
Reports to: VP of Design
Location: Somerville, NJ

Overview

We’re looking for a Design Director who is as invested in people as they are in great design. As a key member of our leadership team, you’ll shape the vision, performance, and culture of our design organization—ensuring our work drives measurable business results, delivers exceptional experiences for clients, and advances our team’s growth and expertise.

This role blends strategy with hands-on mentorship: inspiring team members, elevating design standards, creating operational clarity, and fostering true cross-departmental collaboration. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, loves building highly engaged and high-performing teams, and understands the business value design brings to every stage of the customer journey.

What You’ll Lead & Impact

Leadership & Team Development

• Coach, guide, and empower the design team, modeling accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Establish a strong feedback culture through consistent one-on-ones and ongoing mentoring.

• Oversee performance management, including proactive support plans and structured development programs when needed.

• Foster an environment where designers feel challenged, supported, and inspired to do their best work.

Onboarding & Talent Growth

• Design and oversee a structured two-week onboarding experience for new team members.

• Manage a 12-week development curriculum with measurable milestones to assess training progress.

• Partner with Design Managers to ensure consistent coaching and onboarding practices across team pods.

• Continually evaluate team skills and development needs to ensure career paths, learning opportunities, and skill expansion remain front-of-mind.

Project & Resource Management

• Assign work via ZOHO based on validated project scope, product direction, and timeline.

• Coordinate resources to balance workloads, maximize utilization, and maintain accuracy and timeliness of deliverables.

• Monitor capacity and proactively address bandwidth challenges before they affect deadlines.

• Provide high-level oversight and guidance on key strategic projects and complex accounts.

Operational Excellence & Quality

• Drive adherence to internal workflows—task tracking, deadlines, design standards, and closing procedures.

• Lead problem-solving efforts to remove obstacles and maintain high output standards.

• Ensure MxT and billable utilization targets (85%+) are consistently met and well managed.

• Champion process innovation, design thinking, and the adoption of new technologies to improve team performance and the client experience.

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships with sales, operations, project management, and other internal teams to create seamless, end-to-end client delivery.

• Reinforce shared accountability, open communication, and enterprise-wide alignment.

• Support engagement with dancker’s Growth Ventures (e.g., DBE, ForBuild, dePloy) as needed for client strategy and project execution.

Client-Facing & Business Development Support

• Partner with sales leadership on strategic accounts, serving as a design expert and trusted advisor.

• Join key client presentations and planning meetings, advocating for thoughtful design solutions that solve business needs.

• Elevate the role of design as a strategic differentiator throughout the sales process.

• Maintain deep expertise in commercial furniture trends, applications, and innovations.

Skills & Competencies

• Mastery of commercial furniture design software including CET, AutoCAD, SketchUp, BlueBeam, and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Experience using ZOHO Projects or similar platforms for task and resource management.

• Strategic thinker who can connect design execution with business strategy.

• Exceptional communicator and relationship-builder across all levels of the organization.

• Self-directed, organized, and skilled in managing multiple priorities and designers simultaneously.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or a related field.

• 10+ years of experience in commercial furniture design, including 5+ years in leadership or management.

• Proven experience mentoring and developing talent while leading teams and supporting your own project work.

Strong understanding of commercial furniture markets and design solutions.