Director of Design

Chicago, IL, United States

Overview

The Director of Design is a strategically important position in our firm, serving as a champion for our design brand, promoting a culture of creativity, and leading the continuous elevation of our design culture, talent, resources, processes, and outcomes. The Director of Design will adopt and champion our firm’s brand delivering innovative design solutions focused on agility, passion, client service, data driven solutions, and elevated user experience. This role will partner across our six market sector typologies, working with the leaders of each market sector to improve the quality and sophistication of their design solutions. The Director of Design will lead the creation of a long-term vision for the continued advancement of the quality and creativity of our firm’s design work. This continued evolution of the processes, tools and resources needed to achieve that vision, will be their primary responsibility. This role will report to the CEO, and work alongside other executives including Market Sector Leaders, our firm Technical Director, and Sustainability Director to achieve these objectives and continue to elevate Corgan’s brand and position in the industry.

This role is both an internal leadership position, as well as an outward facing role, supporting the promotion of the firm and our brand in the architectural profession. The Director of Design will support the growth of our design presence, brand, and recognition in the marketplace. This will include recommending how the firm should engage with the broader design community in support of our market sectors and our brand. As part of this responsibility, the Director of Design will support the firm’s representation at major design conferences and exhibitions, speaking about our work, and supporting the sectors in doing the same for their lines of business. The Director of Design will also support business development activities for high profile and strategic projects across all market sectors. This includes participating in the pursuit and throughout the client engagement and design process.

The Director of Design will lead the continuous improvement of our Design Track, which includes providing design mentorship across the firm at all levels of professional development. This includes ensuring that career paths within the design track remain rewarding, attractive, and challenging for designers that we have today, and in the future The Director of Design will partner with other leaders to continue the development of our internal design resources focused on research and innovation, physical models, 3D printing, fabrication, and advanced visualization. This includes providing strategic direction, mentorship, annual budgeting, and hiring oversight for those design resources.

The Director of Design will chair the firm’s Design Council, providing leadership and guidance to the Sector and Studio Design Directors throughout the organization. This includes equipping and empowering those leaders with the tools and guidance they need to improve the quality and creativity of the work produced in their sectors and locations, driving the group towards decisions on design practices, promoting the internal critique of work, ensuring that the design resources provided by the firm are applied to project work, and that our design brand is being honored and represented across the organization.

Responsibilities

This role will require a broad knowledge of the industry, extensive experience in design, and the delivery of architecture and interior design services, a thorough understanding of the collaborative process, and leadership style rooted in continuous improvement. The successful candidate should be committed to staying current with industry trends and best practices as well as understanding of how the profession of architecture, and the design and construction of buildings and spaces is evolving. A prime goal of this position is to advance the sophistication of our design solutions across the firm and the tools, technologies, and analytics we use to develop them. Our brand is rooted in innovation, agility, and strategic thinking, therefore the ability to grasp new technologies, processes, and methods of collaboration is essential. Our firm strives to be on the edge of the practice of architecture, always evolving with the world around us, while remaining firmly focused on achieving the objectives of our clients.

The ideal candidate for this role is a forward-thinking, creative individual with strong leadership, presentation, design, process, and team development skills along with demonstrated success in the industry. The candidate would ideally have an established industry presence nationally / internationally. The Director of Design will have experience with regular and successful interaction with internal studio members of all levels and must possess a flexible attitude with the ability to encourage collaboration in a team environment.

The Director of Design will be responsible for not just safeguarding the quality and creativity of our work through process improvements, but also advancing the design sophistication of what we design. This person will support the exploration and adoption (where appropriate) of new types of building systems, more advanced ways of detailing enclosures, new types of construction, etc. The Director of Design will help us explore the design aspects of how buildings can be agile, how they can become smarter, how they can enhance user experience through new technology.

A prime goal of the Director of Design position is to challenge us to be more advanced and forward thinking as architects and interior designers. Part of this role is to serve as an evangelist for not only process improvement, but a champion for pushing our project teams outside of their comfort zone.

Qualifications

15+ years of experience in architecture

Bachelors’ degree required

Architectural registration required

Proficiency and expertise in the full range of architectural language and systems (building enclosures, moisture migration, energy efficiency, roofing systems, curtainwall assemblies, and building systems integration)

Excellent communication skills, including written, graphic, and verbal presentation skills

Strong analysis and problem-solving skills

Strong teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills

Working knowledge of scripting, algorithms, and AI generative tools

Working knowledge of relevant design software (Revit, Sketchup, Rhino, Grasshopper, etc.), visualization tools (Enscape, Adobe Suite, Affinity), communication tools (PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.)

Working knowledge of Sustainability strategies, trends, techniques, and governing bodies

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and assess priorities effectively

Ability to work closely with multiple project roles and teams

Ability to travel as required for management and project responsibilities

Corgan believes in partnering for success, building on our legacy for the future, and providing an excellent service. Our 95% repeat client business record is a testament to our ability to serve clients in a competent, ethical, and professional manner. Corgan offers a competitive compensation and benefit package in addition to an excellent workplace environment and philanthropic culture.

Base Salary Range: $150,000- $228,000 annually – Based on geographical location.

The estimate range represents the general base salary range. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training. In addition, base salary is not inclusive of total compensation.

*Only applications received through our website will be considered. * EOE/M/F/Disability/Vet

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