Design Principal - Interior Design

HGA•Sacramento, CA

17h

About The Position

HGA is seeking a visionary Design Principal to help lead and grow its Interior Design practice in Sacramento, California. The role offers a recognized design leader the opportunity to shape environments, strengthen client relationships, drive business growth, and influence design across healthcare, workplace, and other market sectors. The Design Principal serves as a strategic partner in pursuing, marketing, and delivering work; guides clients through complex design challenges; leads multidisciplinary teams; and is accountable for projects from vision through implementation. In partnership with firm leaders, this person helps build and sustain a thriving local, regional, and national practice aligned with HGA’s values, culture, and commitment to design excellence. The successful candidate has a record of leading award-winning projects, cultivating meaningful client relationships, and inspiring teams to deliver exceptional outcomes. They balance creative vision with practical execution, connecting thoughtful design, business performance, and collaboration. The role fosters a collaborative and inclusive design culture, supports mentorship and leadership development, and contributes to design conversations and critique. It also collaborates with firm and market leaders on business development, project pursuits, proposals, interviews, client decisions, project budgets and schedules, and design quality. The Design Principal helps elevate HGA’s national design brand, communicates work regionally and nationally, and represents HGA in the marketplace and design community. The posted salary range is $154,000 to $168,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Eligible employees working more than 24 hours per week on a regular basis may participate in HGA’s benefit programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design or a related field from an accredited program.
15 or more years of experience working on small- to large-scale project types.
NCIDQ or CID accreditation.
Proven leadership and project management skills, with a track record of successfully delivering projects.
Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with team members and clients.
Ability to oversee and be responsible for all aspects of project delivery.
Proficiency in Revit, SketchUp, other industry-standard software, and Microsoft Office products.

Responsibilities

Promote holistic design through collaborative, inclusive processes and team culture across disciplines.
Model empathy, curiosity, and originality in design work and interactions with clients, consultants, and staff.
Mentor colleagues and help develop others for growth and leadership.
Partner with Market Sector Leaders, Office Directors, and Practice Group Leaders to recruit, retain, mentor, and develop design leadership.
Foster design conversations, critique, and design culture at the office, practice group, or firm-wide level.
Collaborate with Principals-in-Charge, Market Sector Leaders, business developers, marketing support, and thought leaders to position HGA for projects in relevant markets and regions.
Help identify strategic targets, write proposals, and design interviews.
Manage client interaction and design-related decision-making.
Maintain the clarity and quality of the design concept through project details.
Work with project and team leaders to establish project budgets and schedules and monitor adherence.
Collaborate with other Design Principals to elevate design and grow or maintain HGA’s national design brand.
Work with firm, market, and marketing leaders to prioritize and refine regional and national communication of HGA’s work.
Represent HGA in the marketplace and design community through boards, committees, authorship, and speaking opportunities.
Oversee project delivery to ensure timely, high-quality results.