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Design Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Design Manager

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$110K - $155K/yr

The Role The Design Manager will proactively and collaboratively lead integrated teams, made up of both internal and external design and construction professionals, through Suffolk Design's optimized ...

Design Manager

Miami, FL

$120K - $135K/yr

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Role The Design Manager will proactively and collaboratively lead integrated teams, made up of both internal and external design and construction professionals, through Suffolk Design's optimized ...

Design Manager

Denver, CO

$120K - $135K/yr

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Role The Design Manager will proactively and collaboratively lead integrated teams, made up of both internal and external design and construction professionals, through Suffolk Design's optimized ...

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Role The Design Manager will proactively and collaboratively lead integrated teams, made up of both internal and external design and construction professionals, through Suffolk Design's optimized ...

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

The Manager coordinates design timelines, deliverables from internal and external stakeholders, scope changes, and associated budgets under the direction of the Vice President of Development & Design.

Manage, mentor and guide design team members and preconstruction team members to ensure clear direction and execution * Manage, mentor and guide design assist trade partners to ensure effective ...

Design Manager - Multi-Site Leadership We're looking for an experienced Design Manager who thrives on leading teams, delivering innovative product and tooling designs, and driving continuous ...

About the role The Design Manager reports to the Director, Design and is a key execution Individual Contributor (IC) within the Design & Engineering team in the Product Delivery (PD) organization at ...

The Design Manager will ensure project success through exceptional organization, communication and collaboration. Reports to: Principal Engineer Collaborates with : Clients, AHJs, 3rd party ...

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Design Manager information

See salary details

$42K

$114.5K

$201.5K

How much do design manager jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for design manager in the United States is $114,491.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $83,500.00 and $144,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What Does a Design Manager in Construction Do?

A design manager oversees a design team during a project and typically works in the construction and architecture industries. As a design manager, you may work for specialty companies that contract out to construction firms on a per-project basis. Or, you may spend your career working as an in-house design manager for a construction company or architect firm. Regardless of the location of your job as a design manager, your duties revolve around supervising the design of a building project and include adhering to legislation and codes, eliminating safety and financial risks, and advising clients during development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Design Manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Design Manager, you need a strong background in design principles, project management, and leadership, typically supported by a degree in design or a related field and several years of design experience. Familiarity with design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and project management tools like Asana or Trello is essential. Exceptional communication, team leadership, and problem-solving skills help distinguish top performers in this role. These skills and qualities are crucial for effectively leading creative teams, delivering high-quality design outcomes, and meeting client or organizational goals.

How does a Design Manager typically balance creative vision with project deadlines and client expectations?

A Design Manager is responsible for guiding their team's creative direction while ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget. This often means carefully prioritizing tasks, setting clear milestones, and communicating regularly with clients and stakeholders to manage expectations. They serve as a bridge between creative teams and project managers, helping to resolve conflicts and maintain a productive workflow. By fostering open collaboration and providing constructive feedback, Design Managers help ensure both the creative vision and practical project requirements are met.

What are Design Managers?

Design Managers are professionals responsible for overseeing the design process within a project or organization. They coordinate and lead design teams, ensure design objectives align with business goals, and manage timelines, budgets, and resources. Design Managers often act as a bridge between creative teams and other departments, facilitating communication and ensuring that the final product meets both aesthetic and functional requirements. Their role can span across industries such as architecture, graphic design, product design, and digital media.

What is the difference between Design Manager vs Graphic Designer?

AspectDesign ManagerGraphic Designer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in design, management experienceBachelor's degree in graphic design or related field
Work EnvironmentLeads design teams, oversees projectsCreates visual content, works independently or in teams
Industry UsageUsed in corporate, agency, and studio settingsCommon in advertising, publishing, branding

The main difference between a Design Manager and a Graphic Designer lies in their responsibilities and scope. Design Managers oversee design teams and strategic project planning, while Graphic Designers focus on creating visual content. Both roles require relevant design credentials, but Design Managers also need leadership experience. Understanding these distinctions helps in choosing the right career path or job search focus.

What cities are hiring for Design Manager jobs? Cities with the most Design Manager job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Design jobs? The most popular types of Design jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Design Manager jobs? The top employers for Design Manager jobs are:
What states have the most Design Manager jobs? States with the most job openings for Design Manager jobs include:
Infographic showing various Design Manager job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,491 per year, or $55 per hour.
Design Manager

Design Manager

Suffolk Construction

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$110K - $155K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 7 days ago


Suffolk Construction rating

9.1

Company rating: 9.1 out of 10

Based on 6 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Overview
About Suffolk
Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates, and invests. We provide value across the entire project lifecycle through our core construction management services and complementary business lines in real estate investment, design, self-perform construction, and technology start-up investment (Suffolk Technologies). By integrating data, artificial intelligence, and advanced technology through our Seamless Platform, we connect design, construction, and operations to deliver smarter, more predictable results and redefine how America builds.
Suffolk - America's Contractor - is a national company with more than $9 billion in annual revenue, 3,000 employees, and 17 offices, including Boston (headquarters), New York City, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Herndon, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other key markets. Suffolk manages some of the most complex and transformative projects in the country, serving clients across healthcare, life sciences, education, gaming, aviation, transportation, government, mission critical, and commercial sectors. Suffolk is privately held and is led by founder, chairman and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #8 on ENR's list of "Top CM-at-Risk Contractors." For more information, visit www.suffolk.com and follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.
At Suffolk, we believe that our total rewards program should offer you and your family the support you need when it matters most. That's why we have created a program that provides employees with access to a wide variety of options that can be personalized to support you and your loved ones physically, emotionally, and financially.
Benefits include, competitive salaries, auto allowances and gas cards for certain roles, access to market leading medical and emotional and mental health benefits, dental, and vision insurance plans, virtual care options for physical therapy and primary care, generous paid time off, 401k plan with employer match and access to expert financial resources, company paid and voluntary life insurance, tax deferred savings accounts, 10 backup daycare days each year, short- and long-term disability, commuter benefits and more. For more information, click here.
About Suffolk Design
Suffolk's newly created design vertical, Suffolk Design, aims to disrupt the traditional design delivery process through a proprietary, collaborative, and fully integrated design-build service offering. Suffolk Design promises to leverage Suffolk's core construction capabilities, along with innovative technologies and processes to create world-class design-build and design-management services delivering to its clients design excellence with unprecedented levels of efficiency and predictability.
The Role
The Design Manager will proactively and collaboratively lead integrated teams, made up of both internal and external design and construction professionals, through Suffolk Design's optimized, end-to-end design-build management process from design inception to building completion. The ideal candidate will commit themselves to substantially enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, completeness, and speed of the design, documentation, and construction process, and will enthusiastically leverage innovative procedures, tools, and technologies to exceed our client's expectations.
Responsibilities
Core Design Management
  • Responsible for the successful realization of client's project vision, including performance, programming, cost, and schedule objectives.
  • Lead the interface between the Design team, Suffolk operations, external design and industry professionals, trade partners, regulatory agencies, and other project stakeholders to achieve project goals, all the while embracing culture of authentic collaboration and technical competence.
  • Maintain and support client relationships during all project phases, ensuring a client-first mentality that encourages both active engagement in and ownership of all design decisions.
  • Lead project team meetings, workshops, and other collaborative communications throughout a project's life cycle.
  • Hold self, and teams, accountable for meeting deadlines and trouble-shoot challenges by leveraging the full capacity of interdisciplinary project teams.

Design Process Management
  • Lead the development and management of optimized design processes for each project, supporting the efficient, linear delivery of fully coordinated and buildable drawings prior to the start of construction.
  • Build upon Suffolk's world-class construction planning and execution capabilities by strategically aligning documentation development with construction sequencing, supporting streamlined workflows.
  • In association with Suffolk preconstruction experts, lead the execution of rigorous, 'real-time', project constructability reviews during design process, ensuring that all documentation is complete, coordinated, and buildable prior to the start of construction.
  • At key project design milestones, liaise with preconstruction teams to evaluate and validate that cost and schedule align with project objectives.

Suffolk Design Operations
  • Track and report progress towards project milestone completion, staffing allocations, and project financial health.
  • In collaboration with Design leadership and the project team, analyze, refine, and test design-construction workflow assumptions in real-time to optimize Suffolk Design's process moving forward.
  • Leverage and grow Suffolk's proprietary constructability knowledge database, which serves as a critical input to a proactive QA/QC process throughout design.
  • Support Suffolk's design technology staff in the introduction of automated design and documentation processes and workflows.

Qualifications
  • Certification as licensed architect or professional engineer is strongly preferred.
  • Professional degree in Architecture or Engineering is required. Advanced degree preferred.
  • 8-10 years' experience in the professional design services industry, with a background in design project management.
  • Proven success working on multiple projects and commercial building types, across all project phases.
  • Experience managing teams through the duration of the project's design process, including completion of Construction Documentation (Drawing & Specification).
  • Substantial hands-on experience through the full Construction Administration cycle on multiple projects.
  • Proficiency with Building Information Modeling platforms, including the Autodesk Suite and other industry standard 3D modeling and analysis software.
  • Substantial knowledge of building and zoning codes, entitlement procedures, environmental regulations, and regulatory agency requirements, including those of the Division of the State Architect
  • Extensive knowledge of industry standards and resources.
  • Shared enthusiasm for executing the Design vision, with a demonstrated willingness to rethink traditional methodologies and to passionately seek out advancements in project delivery outcomes.
  • Desire to be part of something bigger than oneself and appreciate the opportunity that Suffolk and Design bring to radically transform the design and construction industry.
  • Genuinely collaborative and open to the expert opinions of leading construction and technology industry experts, all the while able to confidently bring technical design knowledge to the discussion.
  • Deep awareness and sensitivity to the workings of the design and construction processes, and the ability to interpret and develop creative, technically competent, and constructible solutions to design challenges.
  • Demonstrates value-driven design philosophy that incorporates sound business judgement, community benefit and aesthetic excellence.
  • Strong management capabilities and proactive leadership qualities that allow for systematic and consistent implementation of standard processes, procedures, and systems across Suffolk Design and Suffolk's broader design-build delivery business.
  • Self-motivated and able to work as part of a team or independently, depending on the situation.
  • Excellent communication and organizational skills
  • Inquisitive with a passion for excellence and continual improvement.
  • Able to travel, as needed.
  • Ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
  • Must possess Suffolk's Core Values: Passion, Integrity, Hard Work, Professionalism, and Caring

Working Conditions
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time; talk or hear; perform fine motor, hand and finger skills in the use of a keyboard, telephone, or writing. The employee is frequently required to stands; walk; and reach with arms and/or hands. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. The employee will spend their time in an office environment with a quiet to moderate noise level. Job site walking.
EEO Statement
Suffolk provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, national origin, citizenship, genetic information, disability, protected veteran, gender identity, age or any other status protected by law. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, benefits, and all other terms and conditions of employment. Suffolk will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination toward, or harassment of, applicants or employees by anyone at Suffolk, or anyone working on behalf of Suffolk.
Compensation Information
The expected salary range for this position (Design Manager) in US-CA-San Francisco is between $110,000 and $155,000 USD. This represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Suffolk's total compensation package. Actual salaries may be based on several factors including, but not limited to, skill set, experience, education and other qualifications. Suffolk offers a comprehensive benefits package as part of its overall compensation strategy. Salary ranges may differ by geography and are reviewed regularly to reflect market trends.