Design Director

Highgate; New York (NY); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Highgate, a leading hospitality company, is seeking a Design Director to join their New York team. This role involves shaping creative directions for various hospitality projects, managing teams, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality results under tight deadlines. The ideal candidate has substantial experience in hospitality design and strong project management capabilities, ready to drive innovation and maintain effective communication among stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry focusing on design.
• Proven project management expertise leading multiple projects.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison among various stakeholders for design projects.
• Inspire innovation and creative strategies within design teams.
• Monitor budgets and schedules for design teams.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Problem-Solving

Analytical Skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or a related field

Job description

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This range is provided by Highgate. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$160,000.00/yr - $180,000.00/yr

Direct message the job poster from Highgate

Corporate Director of Talent Acquisition | Highgate | Predictive Index Practitioner

Overview

Highgate is seeking a dynamic and visionary Director of Design to join our New York team. This leadership role is instrumental in shaping the creative direction of our hospitality development projects across a world-class portfolio. The Director of Design will serve as the primary liaison between internal teams, ownership groups, brand partners, and external consultants—driving design excellence, innovation, and project execution from concept through completion. This position requires a strategic thinker with a keen eye for design, a collaborative spirit, and a proven ability to lead complex hospitality projects within fast-paced environments. With oversight of multiple high-impact initiatives, this role is ideal for a creative leader who excels in managing cross-functional teams, navigating stakeholder relationships, and delivering thoughtful, high-quality results that enhance guest experiences and maximize asset value.

Responsibilities

• Under the direction of senior leadership, the primary point of contact with owners’ representatives, brand representatives, design consultants and purchasing agents.
• Inspire and foster a culture of innovation by introducing forward-thinking strategies and techniques that drive performance and creativity.
• Maintain a balanced focus on strategic vision, operational execution, and value creation for development partners and ownership groups.
• Demonstrate strong influencing capabilities to drive alignment and results across cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.
• Cultivate a transparent and collaborative communication environment, ensuring effective information flow across all levels of the organization.
• Review and comment on design packages, ensure quality of design intent, drawings and specifications.
• Monitor budget, schedule and process of designers and purchasing agents.
• Responsible to ensure the design team are managing the stipulated project budget.
• Work with the rest of the Design & Construction team to find and vet appropriate designers and purchasing agents for each project.
• Oversee designer/architect /purchasing agent RFP process with inhouse and/or third-party project managers.
• Work closely with the design team and purchasing agent to develop the appropriate purchasing strategy.
• Review consultant contracts and ensure scope and intent is being met.
• Responsible for project drawing, update cash report. Consolidate invoices and backup for smaller projects.
• Periodically review hotel CapEx expenditures to ensure design consistency is met.
• Liaise with Hotel brands and ensure designers are following brand standards.
• On smaller projects, the design management runs with minimal oversight.
• Keep senior design leadership informed on a regular basis. Ensure issues are raised in a timely manner to avoid conflict.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a strong emphasis on design and development
• Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or a related field preferred
• Proven project management expertise, with the ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated success in delivering high-quality work under tight deadlines
• Experience developing and managing preliminary project budgets
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, with experience guiding cross-functional teams
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure and adapt to evolving priorities
• Nimble, flexible, and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Design

• Industries

  Hospitality

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