Studio Head

all things talent; Mumbai; On-site; INR 4,200,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Mumbai Architecture Studio, a boutique practice delivering intimate, high-finish environments, seeks an operational and cultural leader to work directly with the Founder & Principal Architect. You will ensure every project is delivered beautifully, on time, and profitably, building a high-performance team that values collaboration and care.

You will guide from concept to handover with clarity and judgement, shaping the studio’s systems, contracts, and people practices while maintaining

Qualifications

• 12-20 years in architecture and interiors across residential, commercial, and healthcare projects.
• Experience leading design-led boutique studios with a strong operational focus.
• Proven track record in studio management, team leadership, and project profitability.
• Strong grasp of contracts, rate negotiation, and effort estimation.
• Hands-on design input when needed, plus strategic leadership and people management.

Responsibilities

• Own journey from concept to handover with structured reviews and site visits.
• Manage the studio’s P&L, contracts, scope, billing, collections, and resource deployment.
• Build and grow the team from hiring to appraisals and career paths.
• Lead client, consultant, and vendor negotiations and foster lasting relationships.
• Create SOPs, templates, and dashboards; introduce tech and software to sharpen operations.

Skills

Studio leadership

Team leadership

Project profitability

Contracts & negotiations

Design & architecture tech

Tools

SketchUp

Photoshop

V-Ray

3ds Max

InDesign

Job description

Some spaces are felt before they are understood. Our client is a Mumbai-based architecture studio that builds exactly those: intimate, high-finish environments where material is part of the story. Its portfolio spans boutique retail and curated dining to residential and commercial interiors, and into large healthcare projects where thoughtful planning shapes how people heal. Across all of it, the studio treats architecture as a lived experience, where light, material, and craft shape how a space feels.

The studio was founded in 2010 by a principal architect trained in the US and London, who previously led institutional and cultural work in Canada and India before building her own practice. The studio is now entering its next growth phase, and this is your chance to help shape what comes next.

About the Role

This is the role that turns a brilliant studio into a brilliant business. You’ll be the operational and cultural leader of the studio, working directly with the Founder & Principal Architect to make sure every project is delivered beautifully, on time, and profitably. You’ll build a high-performance team that feels valued and genuinely enjoys working together, while keeping the foundations, from commercial discipline to people operations, rock solid so the creative work can soar. Hands-on design input when needed; but your real impact will come from leading with clarity, judgment, and care.

How You'll Contribute

• Own the journey from concept to handover, shaping it through structured reviews, site visits, and fast resolution of bottlenecks.
• Run the studio’s P&L, sharpen contracts and scope, and make sure billing, collections, and resource deployment are as thoughtful as the design.
• Build and grow the team, from hiring and onboarding to appraisals, career paths, and resolving issues with care and professionalism.
• Lead the conversations that matter, including presentations and negotiations, and build lasting relationships with clients, consultants, and vendors.
• Create the SOPs, templates, and dashboards that help the studio run with excellence, and bring in the tech & software that make it sharper.

What You'll Need

Must-haves

• 12-20 years in architecture and interiors across residential, commercial, and healthcare projects.
• Creative and operational leadership in a design-led boutique studio.
• A proven track record in studio management, team leadership, and project profitability.
• A strong grasp of contracts, rate negotiation, and effort estimation.
• Hands on skilled and working knowledge of Design and Architecture tech (including but not limited to SketchUp, Photoshop, V-Ray, 3ds Max, and InDesign).
• A leader who is hands-on yet strategic, emotionally intelligent, and driven by results.

What's on Offer

A seat at the table for the studio’s next chapter. Partner closely with a visionary Founder & Principal Architect, lead a talented multidisciplinary team on high-finish, design-led work, and help shape the business, systems, and culture of a human-centric firm where craft and people both flourish.