Design Operations Manager

Kiln•Lehi, UT

About The Position

About Kiln: Kiln is a flex office and lifestyle brand. We deliver an exceptional experience that elevates the performance and lifestyle of our members through an ecosystem of people, products, places, and spaces. Kiln launched in 2018 with locations in Salt Lake City and Lehi, Utah. Today, we’ve grown to 21 hubs across the Mountain West, and we’re just getting started. As a leader in the flex-office movement, Kiln is shaping the future of hybrid work in the evolving landscape of commercial real estate. Our Core Values 1: Human at the core 2: Achieve & Celebrate Together 3: Thoughtful and with Purpose 4: Always Evolving 5: Nothing short of Extraordinary 6: Scrappy & Ingenious Our Mission Our mission is to change the world within the workplace, elevating the quality of life for our members and enabling teams to build in new and creative ways. Our community lifts individuals, facilitates learning, and is creating a collective that is capable of things we cannot imagine. Role Summary: 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. Goals and Objectives Deliver Projects with Excellence: Set clear plans and coordination practices that ensure design projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to Kiln’s design standards. Enable a High-Performing Design Team: Create structure around resourcing, priorities, and capacity so designers can focus on doing their best work as the team grows. Create Consistency Across Locations: Establish shared processes, documentation, and design standards that support thoughtful, repeatable delivery across markets. Protect Brand Through Execution: Guide design decisions throughout development and construction to ensure Kiln’s experience and design intent are upheld. Strengthen Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build clear communication and alignment between design, project management, construction partners, and internal stakeholders.

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