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The Design Manager is responsible for managing a team of Designers assigned by the Director of Furniture Solutions. This is a high-energy, high-profile position that will require a broad scope of responsibility. In addition to directing a team of Designers, this role will also actively participate in design activities supporting clients and sellers. Other leadership responsibilities can be assigned by the Director of Furniture Solutions including establishing manufacturer training calls for the design teams and sellers, coordination of continued training and development for their team, maintaining active relationships with key manufacturing partners, and maintaining design queue integrity with their respective teams. Designers have ownership of projects from inception to occupancy, from initiation of a project opportunity in Salesforce CRM through invoicing. The ownership does not mean that the designers 'touch' every aspect of the project, but that they follow every step of the project to ensure that the result reflects the original expectations of the customer. 

The Design Manager will be responsible for evaluation of their team, collaboration geared towards best practices and process improvements, and communications with all furniture support function managers. Maintaining team member work schedules including opportunity assignments, strategic account support, presentation protocol, sales calls, periodic site visits, and any other functions necessary to successfully exceed customer expectations. The Design Manager will have a consistent understanding of prioritizing project opportunities to align with customer timelines and corresponding manufacturer lead time response.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Maintain relationships with key manufacturing partners and service providers

• Maintain client specific contracts through manufacturers to insure consistency

• Conduct training meetings with their respective design teams

• Uncover root cause issues and propose resolution solutions to address and alleviate those issues

• Schedule training calls with manufacturers and product/service providers

• Create a dynamic team that aligns with short term and long-term goals of the business division

• Lead by example 

People Leadership - Management Responsibilities

• Will be involved on strategic client calls and meetings in support of the sellers and their respective team of designers

• Will be responsible for recruiting viable designers, aligning with the Director of Furniture Solutions to resource according to growth rate and demand of clients

• Will onboard and train any designers that are recruited to ensure that those individuals are equipped to do their jobs efficiently and effectively

• Will conduct performance reviews for their team members, and make recommendations on pay rates to the Vice President of Furniture 

Impact on Business

• Design Managers will hold their teams accountable related to having detailed knowledge of each project's progression through the cycle. 

• Design Managers are responsible for maximizing profitability while limiting risk exposure on projects. Cost reduction in products and services are key critical negotiations.

• Design Managers will continuously reinforce accountability of reducing error rates on projects. Our goal is to maintain an aggregate error rate of less than 3%

• Design Managers will maintain direct relationships with manufacturers and communicate our expectations relative to lead time, recovery of costs tied to manufacturer errors/damages, and training awareness.

Business Strategy

• Full understanding of short-term and long-term revenue and profit goals to be prepared to staff accordingly for this growth

• Able to communicate finalized goals to their teams and maintain a positive and committed focus on meeting and exceeding these goals

• Fully engaged in creating and executing new strategies and processes that maximize proficiencies and efficiencies while maintaining 'right-sized' headcount in their team

• Embrace the direction and convey that direction consistently, accurately, and with a positive attitude

• Develop an invigorated and excited team that embraces the vision, endures necessary directional changes, while invoking a 'customer-first' mentality. 

Innovation & Change

• Identifying weaknesses or threats and provide proposed solutions to improve or alleviate them

• Identify training and mentoring opportunities within their team and create programs to help the individual design team members improve and grow

• Work with manufacturing partners to develop training schedules and new product roll out agendas

• Work with 3rd party installers to understand and execute on our expectations and standards related to installations for our clients 

• Be a visionary and looking at best practices to formulate concise and precise go-forward strategies

• Focus on the customer, while also focusing on their team members' individual development

Discretion and Independent Judgement

• Make judgement calls on potential profitability of any project, while understanding the significance of an account holistically to the division. 

Communications & Interactions

• Negotiations and interaction with manufacturers over products, pricing, discounting, and programs

• Communicate short term and long-term goals with their design teams. Be able to negotiate resolutions when there are contentious situations

• Negotiating installation costs, manufacturer pricing/discounting, negotiate delivery options/schedules, not to exceed 50,000.00 threshold whereby the Director of Furniture Solutions would be involved

What You Bring to the Table

Education - Minimum/Preferred

• Higher Secondary or Vocational Education         

• Design Degree - Preferred

Years of Experience - Minimum 

• 4+ Years - Commercial Contract Furniture Design

Basic Qualifications

• Previous Management Experience

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses or other forms of variable compensation.

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.