Your Role
Gensler Costa Rica is seeking a Design Manager who will lead the strategic and operational delivery of architectural projects, ensuring alignment between design intent, client expectations, budget, and schedule.
Description
Gensler Costa Rica is seeking a Design Manager who will lead the strategic and operational delivery of architectural projects, ensuring alignment between design intent, client expectations, budget, and schedule.
As a Design Manager, you will oversee multidisciplinary teams and drive projects across all phases-from concept through construction and post-occupancy-balancing design excellence with technical feasibility and financial performance. You will serve as the primary point of accountability for project success, fostering strong client relationships and ensuring high-quality outcomes.
This role requires a leader who can navigate complexity, proactively solve problems, and guide teams with clarity, while maintaining a strong focus on communication, collaboration, and results.
What You Will Do
- Lead and manage the full project lifecycle, ensuring successful delivery from concept to completion.
- Own project performance, including schedule, budget, and profitability.
- Act as the primary client interface, managing expectations, communication, and long-term relationships.
- Oversee and coordinate multidisciplinary teams (architecture, interiors, consultants).
- Drive alignment between design intent, technical execution, and business objectives.
- Provide high-level guidance on design and technical strategies without owning all production directly.
- Ensure compliance with building codes, regulations, and quality standards.
- Lead project planning, staffing, and resource allocation.
- Identify and mitigate risks, resolving complex design and technical challenges.
- Oversee project documentation quality, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
- Manage contract negotiations, scope definition, and fee structures.
- Monitor construction phase activities, including site visits, RFIs, and submittals, at a strategic level.
- Ensure effective coordination with consultants, contractors, and regulatory authorities.
- Maintain accountability for financial tracking, reporting, and forecasting.
- Champion quality control and ensure the integrity of the design throughout execution.
- Mentor and develop team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment.
Your Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Architecture or related field.
- +8 years of experience in architectural practice, with strong project and team leadership exposure.
- Proven experience managing interior complex projects (workplace preferred).
- Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, schedules, and client relationships.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating consultants.
- Strong understanding of design processes, construction documentation, and project delivery.
- Knowledge of building codes, construction systems, and permitting processes.
- Experience in contract negotiation, scope definition, and financial accountability.
- Proficiency in Revit, SketchUp, Enscape, Adobe Suite, and MS Office (hands-on level not necessarily production-heavy).
- Fully bilingual (English/Spanish) with strong communication skills.
- Strong