Surface Design Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

The Project Strategy Director (PSD) is a senior leader responsible for the end-to-end success of assigned Luci projects across creative, strategic, operational, and commercial dimensions. Working in close partnership with the Project Creative Director and Project Manager, the PSD co-drives the creative and strategic vision, leads client relationships, and guides projects from early planning through delivery. The PSD owns project health in its entirety—creative direction, client confidence, team performance, schedule, scope, and financial outcomes—and serves as the primary point of contact for the client from kickoff through closeout.

• Owns projects health across creative, commercial, and operational dimensions. Proactively identify risk- schedule, scope, budget, client- and mobilize to resolve them before they escalated.
• Create and manage project work plans, timelines, milestones, and team collaboration processes. Information oversee the project schedule maintained by the Project manager.
• Maintain scope of work throughout the project lifecycle. Track Deliverables, identify out of scope work, and manage change order and additional services with proper documentation.
• Own commercial performance: monitor budget, fee burn, margin health. Partner with the Operations and Leadership to flag financial risks early and course correct.
• Lead and facilitate creation of all clients deliverables. Serve as an internal quality control check across disciplines

• Own the end to end client journey from kickoff through project closeout, shaping every touchpoint- communication quality, update cadence, presentation professionalism- so the client feels hear and informed and confident.
• Serve as the client's primary point of contact. Anticipate needs and concerns before they surface design the rhythm of Client engagement including meeting cadence, milestone review and check ins.
• Lead all commercial conversations with clients: scope change additional service requests, and fee adjustments. Project Luci's interest while maintain strong partnership.
• Contribute to business development through pitches, proposals, client interviews. Act as a Luci ambassador to build relationships and support growth.
• Interview and help select project partners and subcontractors in collaboration with Leadership. Manage those relationships to ensure work aligns with project vision.

• Lead the project throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring effective coordination and collaboration across all internal and external partners
• Coordinate with Department Manager and the Operations Manager on resourcing, scheduling and budget. Communicate work plan changes to all relevant stakeholders promptly.
• Provide ongoing support, troubleshoot issues, and mentor junior project stuff.
• Foster a culture of learning and best practice sharing in storytelling, visitor experience, and experiential design.

• Translate project vision into actionable design direction, ensuring storytelling intent and visitor experience goals carry through from concepting into final built work.
• Plan, Facilitate, and synthesize project team and client brainstorming sessions. Package and distribute outcomes.
• Lead content development: Collaborate with project team, client, and advisors to identify exhibit stories, develop content bubble diagrams, define exhibit flow, and determine how stores will be communicated (graphics, artifacts, interactives, etc. ).
• Oversee multimedia development including conecepting, defining objectives, creating RFP's and managing media partners.

• Provide strategic and creative oversight through delivery, ensuring design intent is maintained from documentation through fabrication, installation and commissioning.
• Lead relationships with external execution partner (fabricators, AV integrators, interactive developers, lighting designers, graphic producers, specialty consultants) and ensure their work meets Luci's quality standards.
• Oversee the design to production transition: manage documentation handoffs, review shop drawings and submittals, and flags deviations from design intent.
• Participate in site visits, installation oversigt, and punch list review to ensure the final experience delivers on the project vision.

• 10+ years of experience Museum Exhibit Design, themed Entertainment, Branded environments, Experiential Agency work or Event Production.
• 7+ years in a client facing leadership role focused on creative development or strategy: agency background and project management experience preferred.
• Proven track record of holistic project ownership: deliverables, team morale, client confidence, commercial performance and creative quality.
• Strong command of project commercial management: budgets, fee structures, change order processed and profitability metrics.
• Confidence leading financial conversations with client including scope adjustment and additional service negotiations.
• Sharp instincts for client experience management - ability to read a room, anticipate concerns, and shape the client's perception of the work and partnership.
• Experience managing design build or construction Delivery methods.
• Background in content development, interpretive planning or narrative strategy
• Solid understanding of user and visitor experience.
• Solid understanding of user and visitor environment.
• Strong presentation of the built and physical environment.
• Strong presentation, proposal and written communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple clients simultaneously in a fast paced environment
• willingness to travel as projects require.