Lead - Design (Hospitality)

Ascentis Group; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascentis Group is seeking an experienced Design/PM professional to oversee consultant appointments, contract administration, and design management for high-end projects in Mumbai. The role requires coordinating cross-functional teams, driving schedules, and ensuring design quality.

The candidate will lead tender processes, manage budgets, and facilitate value engineering while maintaining stakeholder alignment and contract compliance. International exposure is a plus.

Qualifications

• 10–12 years of experience in design management or project management for high-end residential, commercial, retail or hospitality projects.
• International project experience is a plus.
• Tender/contract drafting experience is a plus.
• Post-graduate degree or PMP certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Prequalify local and international consultants and manage tender processes.
• Lead design leadership and scheduling, ensuring timely design deliverables with inter-discipline coordination.
• Assist in budgeting, value engineering and cost management to align with designs.
• Coordinate with operator/clients for design briefs and approvals; drive consensus.
• Lead design reviews, minutes, and ensure adherence to brand and architectural standards.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Planning & scheduling

English proficiency

Problem solving

Inter-discipline coordination

Education

B.Arch / BE / BTech

PMP certification

Tools

MS Project

Job description

Consultant appointments & contract administration:

• Prequalify local and international consultants for all design disciplines
• Prepare Requests for Proposal and administer tenders
• Clarify and evaluate proposals received and prepare tender report with adjudication recommendation.
• Assist PM and Client to negotiate commercial terms and prepare LOA and contract documents.
• Certify consultant bills for payment.
• Manage contractual claims and change orders.

Design leadership & scheduling:

• Implement documentation management and communication protocols
• Manage all design documentation with document controller
• Assist the planner in preparing the pre-construction master schedule.
• Prepare design briefs with inputs from client, operator, PM, and QS team
• Lead all design meetings/calls, prepare agenda & minutes, and follow-up on assigned tasks
• Prepare design schedules with weekly/fortnightly deliverables and inter-discipline dependencies
• Track design deliverables against schedule, flag delays, and implement recovery plans
• Lead design reviews and approval process by all stakeholders and drive inter-discipline coordination.
• De-bottleneck design hold-ups and help stakeholders to reach consensus.
• Ensure the operator brand standards are incorporated in the design and leverage the operator operational expertise to improve the design functionality.
• Post tender documentation, hand over design role and responsibilities to site design coordinator

Budgeting, value engineering, cost management:

• Assist the QS team to prepare the project budget and subsequent updates. Review the budget and ensure it is consistent with the designs.
• Throughout the design, ensure designers adhere to the budget brief and identify any deviation.
• Identify areas for potential value engineering to improve designs and/or reduce cost in coordination with the designers, the operator, and the client.

Required Education & Experience:

• B.Arch. or BE/BTech with experience in managing schematic or design development stage.
• Post-graduate degree or PMP certification is a plus.
• A minimum of 10-12 years' experience in design management or project management for high end residential, commercial, retail or hospitality projects.
• International experience is a plus.
• Tender/contract drafting experience is a plus.

Required Skills & Knowledge:

• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, able to lead international, multidisciplinary teams, and develop constructive relationships with all stakeholders.
• Good written and spoken English, able to convey complex ideas and design briefs in a concise and clear manner
• Good planning and organizational skills, able to effectively schedule and coordinate various design activities. MS Project proficiency is a plus.
• Sharp analytical mind with good problem-solving skills
• Solid understanding of all design disciplines, architecture/structure/MEP/façade/ ID/ Facility and inter-discipline coordination process.