Design Operations Manager

Kiln•Lehi, UT

11d

About The Position

The Design Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational planning, coordination, and delivery of Kiln’s interior design projects across multiple locations. This role sits between the design team, project management, construction partners, and the wider Kiln business, ensuring that projects are well planned, appropriately resourced, and delivered on time, on budget, and to Kiln’s design standards. The Design Operations Manager is not a creative director, but a hands-on leader and operator who enables the design team to do their best work by managing workload, process, communication, and information.

Requirements

Strong organizational and project management experience is required, with a proven ability to coordinate complex, multi-stakeholder work and drive it across the finish line
Background in or strong passion for interior design, architecture, or workplace design, with experience working alongside designers and construction teams, is highly preferred
Comfort working within budgets, schedules, and evolving priorities
Clear, thoughtful communication across design, construction, and business teams
Strong attention to detail with confidence managing documentation and process
A tenacious, proactive, and solutions-focused approach in fast-paced environments
An energetic, people-oriented leadership style
High integrity, accountability, self-awareness, and a strong work ethic

Responsibilities

Plan and manage design team workload across multiple concurrent projects
Allocate tasks and resources effectively based on project priorities, skills, and capacity
Track key deadlines, milestones, and deliverables to maintain project momentum
Monitor team availability and capacity, including time off and holidays
Support team growth as the design function scales from 4 to 6 designers
Serve as the primary design operations liaison with: In-house Project Management team, External construction teams and consultants
Ensure design deliverables align with project budgets, schedules, and construction requirements
Coordinate design reviews, feedback loops, and issue resolution throughout each project
Support value engineering exercises while protecting Kiln’s design quality and brand
Receive, filter, and coordinate comments, feedback, and suggestions from the wider Kiln team
Translate business, operational, and brand input into clear actions for the design team
Ensure design decisions are communicated clearly and consistently to all stakeholders
Maintain consistent design processes and workflows across all projects
Ensure drawing packages are complete, coordinated, and issued on schedule
Oversee version control, file organization, and drawing standards
Maintain and update drawing templates, details, and shared resources
Maintain organized and up to date digital drawing files, specifications, and material libraries
Ensure material samples, finishes, and product selections are well organized, documented and accessible
Support consistency of materials and details across Kiln locations
Review design outputs for completeness, coordination, and buildability
Ensure designs meet Kiln’s brand, operational, and spatial standards
Support post-project reviews to capture learnings and improve future delivery