Creative Design Director Jobs in Seattle, WA (NOW HIRING)

SUMMARY

The Design Director leads Catalyst’s design team and advances a culture of creativity, consulting, and accountability. This role strengthens alignment between Design and Sales, ensuring designers contribute strategically throughout the client journey from discovery to solution development. By elevating design excellence and fostering a consulting mindset, the Design Director helps position Catalyst as a trusted advisor, translating client goals into thoughtful workplace solutions that deliver meaningful outcomes. The Design Director ensures the design team plays a proactive role in business development, helping Catalyst win work through strategic insight, compelling solutions, and confident client engagement.

KEYS TO SUCCES

1. Design Leadership & Team Development - You inspire and develop a high-performing design team. You provide coaching, mentorship, and clear expectations that encourage creativity, accountability, and professional growth.

2. Consulting Mindset - You elevate the role of design from task execution to strategic consulting. Designers ask better questions, uncover deeper client needs, and provide thoughtful insights that influence workplace solutions.

3. Creative Excellence - You cultivate a culture that values creativity, curiosity, and innovation. The design team feels empowered to challenge assumptions, elevate ideas, and deliver thoughtful environments that inspire clients.

4. Sales Alignment & Partnership - You strengthen the partnership between Design and Sales. Designers engage earlier in the sales process, contribute to pursuit strategy, and help create solutions that differentiate Catalyst in the marketplace.

5. Discipline & Accountability - You set the standard for technical rigor and design quality across the team. You ensure designers deliver accurate, well-coordinated work that aligns with project requirements, manufacture standards, and operational realities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Position Focus and Key Outcomes

• Provides direction and leadership to a functional team of 12+ designers.
• Defines and communicates innovative, clear and concise priorities to the Design Team that are in line with the Company direction and goals. 
• Fosters a collaborative culture that inspires creativity, excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Supports sales management teams in securing new business, satisfying existing clients and meeting yearly sales goals.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Ensures development of a top performing design department through career planning, training, mentoring, constructive performance feedback, and coaching.
• Works with designers to establish clear expectations and goals and holds them accountable for achieving these goals. 
• Develop designers’ ability to confidently lead client discussions, present solutions, and influence workplace strategy conversations.
• Makes decisions around hiring, promotions, and terminations; with HR, recruits, interviews, and hires the best designers.
• Creates onboarding Design path for new hires; identifies gaps in skill set and implements necessary plans to close gap.
• Assures maximum staff productivity through prioritizing and coordinating staff schedules; distributes and manages workload and workflow among the team.

Design Focus 

• Elevate Catalyst’s design presence in the market through compelling storytelling, presentation standards, and thought leadership.
• Represent and facilitate design in major presentations for current and prospective customers.
• Create/maintain design standards including construction/installation drawings, CAD, CET, process, codes, etc.
• Enhance Catalyst’s portfolio of design-oriented product solutions. Coordinates the review and approval of new product sources and vendors.
• Increase market visibility by establishing and maintaining contact with clients, potential clients, peers in the design community and people in related fields.
• Maintain current knowledge of developments and trends in the contract furniture industry with related products, applications, design concepts, work styles, ADA, ergonomics, and uniform building codes.
• Assure technology integration and innovation strategy to elevate design in our market; work with IT department to evaluate and acquire the best software/hardware productivity tools for the design department. 
• Facilitate continuous quality improvement of design processes and procedures to ensure accuracy and productivity, gaining efficiencies and reducing errors; propose new approaches, methods, or technologies.

Business Acumen

• Manages design services profitability, including billable hours; develops and manages design budget.
• Establish and monitor key performance metrics for the design team including utilization, project accuracy, design hours, and contribution to sales pursuits. 
• Continuously focuses on differentiating Catalyst from the competition and enhancing profitability through creative design and product solutions.
• Manages design contracts and coordinates outsourced design work.
• Understand the market strategy to increase sales of top manufacturers.
• Interfaces with sales to ensure design services are sold to clients during initial sales meetings with clients.

Organizational and Industry Interface

• Work cooperatively with internal and external team members; including interface with Catalyst teams, MillerKnoll and other manufacturers, subcontractors, etc.
• Run Design team meetings; attend all Sales Team meetings, and leadership meetings as required.
• Communicate Design project activity in team meetings and strategy sessions to ensure appropriate Design involvement.
• Meet with customers and A&D influencers to promote Catalyst’s creative design services.
• Regularly attend industry events to expand network.
• Participate as a positive team member with all Catalyst personnel.
• Model and practice Catalyst values.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in interior design or architecture
• Minimum of 8+ years of design experience
• Minimum 3+ years of supervisory experience
• Minimum 3+ years in contract furniture experience
• Demonstrated proficiency in Design technology requirements
• Excellent communication skills; ability to have hard conversations, listen, advocate

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

• Proficient use of AutoCAD, CAP, CET, and 3D rendering software to provide and coach appropriate design solutions. 
• Proficiency and understanding of company provided laptop, including Microsoft Office suite, MS Teams, and the internet.
• Ability to use PowerPoint, Publisher, and/or Canva to present design solutions
• Exposure to and understanding of Netsuite ERP system ideal.

BENEFITS 

This position is eligible for 401(k) plan participation, medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, FSA, HSA,  paid holidays, vacation time, sick time, and educational reimbursement.