Lead Designer

Kaitlyn Wolfe; Scottsdale (AZ); On-site; USD 95,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaitlyn Wolfe leads full-service luxury residential and boutique commercial interior design projects from concept to final installation. This senior designer collaborates with homeowners, developers, architects, and trade partners to deliver cohesive brand aesthetics across renovations and new builds.

They guide clients with clarity and warmth, supervise junior designers, and ensure accurate technical documentation, schedules, and on-site styling to achieve a polished reveal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in interior design or related field.
• Minimum 5+ years experience in design leadership.
• Portfolio of design work demonstrating luxury interiors.
• Strong creative vision and clear technical communication.
• Project and team management experience.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
• Ability to guide clients through complex decisions and manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead design direction for luxury residential projects from concept through installation.
• Lead design direction for boutique commercial, wellness and retail environments.
• Adapt design approaches to fit client needs and brand goals.
• Serve as main contact for homeowners, business owners and developers.
• Oversee technical deliverables: drawings, finish schedules, specs.
• Coordinate with architects, builders, fabricators, and subcontractors; site walkthroughs.
• Maintain project milestones in CRM/Notion and collaborate with procurement.
• Lead installation planning and final styling.

Skills

Portfolio of design work

Strong creative vision

Project & team management

Interpersonal communication

Client communication

Detail-oriented

Self-management

Guide clients through decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in interior design or related field

Tools

SketchUp

AutoCAD

Enscape/V-Ray

Adobe Creative Cloud

Notion

Fohlio

Miro

Job description

The Lead Designer is responsible for independently leading full-service luxury residential

and commercial interior design projects, from early concept through final installation. This

role oversees both renovation and new construction projects and engages closely with

homeowners, business owners, developers, investor groups, architects, builders, and

subcontractors.

Project scopes include spatial planning, concept development, material and finish selections,

appliance and equipment specifications, plumbing and lighting selections, custom furniture

and millwork design, exterior hardscape coordination, furniture plans, window treatments,

accessories, art direction, and final styling.

The Lead Designer is the primary creative and client-facing decision-maker on assigned

projects and collaborates closely with the Design Director and Principal Designer to ensure

all work reflects a fluid and cohesive brand aesthetic. They provide leadership to an

assigned Associate or Junior Designer, setting the standard for technical accuracy, creative

clarity, and polished communication.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and interpret design direction for luxury residential projects, including private homes, spec build properties, and estate-level interiors.
• Lead design direction for boutique commercial, wellness and retail environments, such as hospitality spaces, retail, private office environments, and lifestyle-forward professional spaces.
• Adapt conceptual approaches to suit the behavioral, functional, branding, and emotional needs of varied client types:

• - Homeowners: supporting lifestyle vision, comfort, durability, and sensory experience
• - Business Owners / Entrepreneurs: supporting brand identity, customer experience, and daily use
• needs
• - Developers / Stakeholders: supporting market positioning, value engineering, and compatibility
• with construction schedules

Client & Stakeholder Communication

• Serve as main contact for homeowners, business owners, and developer teams.
• Lead design presentations that are clear, compelling, and strategic, guiding clients through complex decisions with confidence.
• Actively listen to extract client values, emotional goals, and lifestyle/operational needs and translate them into design direction.
• Use thoughtful communication and pacing strategies to maintain project momentum and prevent decision bottlenecks.

Trade Partner & Site Coordination

• Manage all project communication between clients and trade partners, including architects, builders, fabricators, subcontractors, and specialty craftspeople.
• Conduct jobsite walkthroughs to confirm progress, address field changes, answer questions, and maintain design integrity.
• Provide timely clarifications and field-ready direction to ensure construction teams can move forward without delay.
• Use strong visual communication (renderings, sketches, markups, redlines, annotated drawing updates) to reduce ambiguity.

Technical Oversight

• Oversee all technical design deliverables for assigned projects, ensuring:
• - Drawings and renderings reflect correct scale, proportion, elevation detailing, and material transition
• logic.
• - Finish schedules, material samples, hardware schedules, and specification sheets are complete,
• accurate, and continuously updated.
• - Renderings and visualizations represent realistic color, texture, finish, and lighting conditions.
• Redline and refine drawings, measurements, and documentation produced by Associates or Junior Designers.
• - Ensure all documentation supports accurate estimating, procurement, and fabrication.

Workflow, Documentation & CRM

• Maintain project milestones, deliverable timelines, and approval checkpoints in the studio’s CRM/Notion system.
• Collaborate with internal Procurement team and external Build teams to review pricing, lead times, alternatives, and installation sequences.

Installation & Final Styling

• Lead installation planning and execution, including furniture placement, styling, and proportion refinements.
• Liaise with the Procurement team and external Build teams for punch lists and oversee final adjustments to ensure a polished reveal experience.

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Bachelor's degree in interior design or related field
• Minimum 5+ years experience, non-negotiable
• Portfolio of design work
• Strong creative vision paired with clear technical communication
• Project & team management experience
• Exceptional interpersonal skill, emotional intelligence, and composure under pressure
• Expert in SketchUp, AutoCAD, Enscape/V-Ray and Adobe Creative Cloud
• Knowledge in Notion, Fohlio and Miro a plus
• Detail-oriented with a strong work ethic
• Ability to guide clients through complex decisions with clarity, warmth, and strategic pacing
• Ability to juggle and prioritize multiple projects and adjust work accordingly
• Possess strong verbal, written and visual communication skills
• Ability to self-manage and demonstrate professional maturity
• Ability to be productive working from home, a coffee shop, a jobsite, etc.
• Ability to be flexible with work hours - some days starting early, some days starting late, and ability to work weekends, if needed

CORE VALUES

• Growth Mindset
• Lifelong Learning & Humility
• Inspired by Nature
• Giving Back
• Purpose-Driven
• Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion