Design Manager (US)

Building Blocks Facades is hiring a Design Manager to lead project design delivery, coordination, and quality for facade projects. The role manages schedules and design teams, coordinates with clients and internal stakeholders, and oversees design reviews, documentation, and process improvement.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee and ensure successful project delivery, from kick-off and design assist/development through shop drawings, material take-offs, and fabrication drawings
• Lead the design development phase to generate design options for approval, and eventually finalize the project system drawings, prior to starting the shop drawings
• Develop in-depth knowledge of the project and act as the project subject matter expert in all project meetings
• Customer of UAE design team, overseeing the results of team through the UAE Director of Design
• Ensure design integration of manufacturing and installation requirements, adhering to project and industry standards
• Maintain precision, detail, and simplicity in complex geometries
• Standardize designs to maintain consistency, efficiency, and quality
• Participate in Value Engineering reviews to ensure optimal engineering costs
• Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment, encouraging open communication and knowledge sharing among remote team members
• Manage and own design project schedules, monitoring milestones and reviewing 6-weeks lookahead schedule with the Building Blocks Design & Engineering Team, driving schedule adherence, and providing weekly updates to external and internal stakeholders
• Collaborate closely with internal customers (procurement, production, installation) to ensure design deliverables align with overall project requirements and constraints
• Identify and mitigate design or scheduling risks early in the project, escalating issues when necessary to keep the project on course
• Oversee weekly progress on deliverables, ensuring team adherence to project timelines
• Coordinate closely with the client, providing regular updates and managing expectations
• Facilitate design reviews and coordinate client feedback to ensure alignment
• Act as primary point of technical contact for clients, attending weekly project meetings, ensuring clear, consistent, and timely communication
• Coordinate and lead client design meetings or reviews, presenting updates and technical solutions in a clear and professional manner
• Manage client expectations and communications regarding design progress, schedule, and any issues, ensuring the client is kept informed and satisfied with the process
• Oversee the quality control of all drawings and models produced by the team, reviewing work for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to project specifications
• Implement and follow internal review processes (check prints, peer reviews, etc.) to catch and correct errors before submissions
• Maintain version control and proper documentation practices for all project drawings, ensuring that current versions are easily identifiable and accessible
• Continuously assess and enhance adherence to the facade industry standards and best practices
• Collaborate with the Quality department to receive feedback and implement design changes as part of continuous improvement loop
• Ensure that the team follows established workflows and best practices for design and documentation
• Provide feedback on process efficiencies or potential improvements observed during project execution
• Uphold and reinforce the use of standard parts, templates, libraries, checklists, and design guidelines to drive consistency across all project deliverables
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering professional growth and technical skill enhancement
• Provide constructive feedback and coaching to ensure continuous improvement and performance

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• AutoCAD capability and a solid understanding of facade system design, including how components interact, integrate, and affect constructability, are essential
• Familiarity with BIM/VDC environments
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience, with a background in managing project design teams through design assist/development, shop drawings and fabrication drawing phases
• Strong understanding of façade design
• Experience with additional 3D/modeling tools (Revit, Rhino, CATIA, Tekla) is considered an asset
• facade design experience strongly preferred
• Understanding of GFRC and UHPC manufacturing and installation processes is an asset