Architecture and Design Director

inspirebrands; Georgia; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Inspire Brands seeks a strategic design leader to drive brand experience, architecture, and customer-oriented design across multiple restaurant concepts. You will influence leadership with innovative concepts, standards, and process improvements for both corporate and franchise stores.

The role requires 10+ years in restaurant or retail design, strong communication skills, and proven success in matrix environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, construction, engineering, interior design, or related field.
• Graduate degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in restaurant or retail architecture or store design.
• Experience leading design in a matrix organization.
• Experience in franchise development.

Responsibilities

• Set vision and strategy for multi-brand design initiatives across stores.
• Lead design governance, standards, and brand consistency.
• Coordinate with architects, engineers, and consultants; align with local regulations.
• Present to franchise committees and gain alignment on prototypes and standards.
• Drive value engineering across brands to optimize costs.

Skills

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Leadership in cross-functional teams

Education

Bachelor’s degree in architecture, construction, engineering, interior design, or related field

Graduate Degree

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

SketchUp

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Strategic brand design, customer experience, and architecture leader for multiple brands within a matrix organization that includes brand leadership, peers, teams, and Franchisees. Develop and implement design strategies and processes that contribute to the long-range success of the Brand's direction with strategic influence and innovation to the design, construction, and franchise support teams, along with our outsourced design consultants. Maintain high-performance and quality standards for all design ventures and contribute to the attainment of the overall vision, goals andobjectivesof the Brands using design thinking methodologies as the basis for growing and enhancing the business. Promote andmaintaindesign excellence on customer experience, site planning, building, interiors, signage, store planning, and brand initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Liaison with brand leadership on strategic design and aesthetic needs and influence leadership teamsin thedevelopmentofnew concepts, prototypes, multi-store formats,and design elements for corporate and franchise stores
• Setting the vision, strategy, and execution of all design and organizational initiatives for the multiple Brands including but not limited to: peer level disciplines, development, future technology, contractual relationships with architects, engineers, design consultants, local government jurisdictions (planning and zoning), etc.
• Leadthe creation and implementation ofbuildingdesign brandstandards.Serve as the design authorityfor building design standards andmanagethe brand exception review process.
• Lead all design related activities outwardto Franchisees including presenting to a variety of franchise committees, gaining alignment on new and evolvedprototypes, guide sets, andbrand standards.
• Create and implement value engineering solutions across multiple Brands

Education Requirements

Minimum

• 4Year /Bachelor’sdegree
• Required minimum -Bachelor’sdegree withinarchitecture,construction, engineering,interiordesign,or another related field.

Preferred

• Graduate Degree
• Preferred - master’s degree within Development trades.

Years Of Experience

• 10+ years of applied experience creating compelling customerexperiences.
• 10+ Experience in full-service restaurant or retail architecture, construction, or store design
• 5+ yearsworkingwithin a matrixorganization.
• Experience in franchise development
• Preferred – 15+ years’ experience in capital planning and project management, with an emphasisinrestaurants or retail outlets. Leadership in design and construction; experience in franchise industryrequired;previouswork in arestaurant franchise development function seen as highly desirable.
• Preferred experience working both nationally and internationally.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong communicator with excellent oral and written skills to include formal presentation experience and the ability to prepare and present presentations and negotiate agreements
• Ability tointerfaceandmaintainexcellent professional relationships with a variety of audiences to include franchise partners, internal construction and real-estate function, internal andoutsourced consultants, and various other departments within the Brands.
• Ability toparticipatein andfacilitategroup meetings inward and outward across the organization and franchiseegroups.
• Highly motivated and the ability to work as a team player.
• Design and technical acumen across the entire restaurant design and architecture process including architectural, site/civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and brand elements.
• High levelofproficiencyin reading and understanding architectural, structural, mechanical, and technical engineering documents
• Extensive value engineering experience across the development disciplines.
• Restaurant or retail concept design development and execution
• Ability to motivate cross functional teams to produce quality materials within tighttimeframes.ACAD/REVIT/SketchUp/Adobe Creative Suite proficientWork requires willingness toworka flexible schedule.
• PowerPoint/Word/Excel proficient

Travel Required

• Ability and willingness to travel up to20%

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.