Director, Design & Technical Services

Proper Hospitality Careers•Santa Monica, CA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Proper Hospitality is seeking a highly experienced Director, Design & Technical Services to help lead the design, development, and technical execution of projects across the portfolio. This role will provide senior-level leadership across new development, renovations, capital projects, management opportunities, and existing hotel assets. The Director will be responsible for ensuring that projects achieve Proper’s expectations for exceptional design while also meeting the technical, operational, functional, budgetary, and long-term performance requirements of luxury hospitality. The ideal candidate combines exceptional design judgment with deep architectural and technical expertise. This individual must be equally comfortable evaluating an interior design concept, reviewing architectural plans, identifying building-system coordination issues, working through operational requirements with hotel teams, and representing Proper in meetings with owners, developers, architects, designers, engineers, contractors, and consultants. This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who understands how exceptional hotels are conceived, documented, built, opened, and operated.

Requirements

Approximately 10+ years of experience in architecture, design, development, or technical services, with significant experience in luxury hospitality
Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Interior Design, or a related field
Demonstrated experience delivering complex luxury hotels, resorts, residences, restaurants, or mixed-use hospitality projects
Deep technical understanding of building construction and building systems
Strong working knowledge of MEP coordination, fire/life safety, accessibility, lighting, technology, building envelope, and other core technical disciplines
Experience reviewing architectural, interior design, engineering, and construction documents
Strong understanding of hospitality planning, including guestrooms, public areas, F&B outlets and food service, wellness, meeting spaces, and back-of-house environments
Demonstrated ability to work from early programming and concept development through construction, installation, opening, and post-opening
Strong knowledge of FF&E, materials, finishes, detailing, fabrication, and installation
Experience with renovation and CAPEX projects in operating hotels strongly preferred
Proficiency with relevant design and documentation platforms such as AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, Adobe Creative Suite, and related project-management tools
Familiarity with AI tools and a demonstrated interest in applying them to design, documentation, visualization, and project workflows
Excellent visual, verbal, and written communication skills
Ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, owners, developers, creative partners, consultants, contractors, and hotel operating teams
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously in a fast-growing organization
Willingness to travel regularly to existing portfolio, as well as potential and active project sites

Responsibilities

Partner with the VP of Architecture & Design to establish and maintain the design vision and quality expectations for Proper Hospitality projects
Protect and advance Proper’s design philosophy across new developments, renovations, conversions, branded residences, and capital projects
Provide design leadership across architecture, interiors, lighting, landscape, signage, FF&E, OS&E, art, and other disciplines influencing the physical guest experience
Review projects throughout concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, construction, installation, and opening
Ensure that each property maintains a distinct sense of place while delivering a recognizable level of Proper quality and sophistication
Provide clear, actionable design direction to external architects, interior designers, and specialty consultants
Lead the development of comprehensive Proper Design Standards for use across the portfolio
Translate lessons learned from existing hotels into scalable standards and design criteria for future projects
Establish standards covering guestrooms, bathrooms, public spaces, F&B, wellness, back-of-house areas, materials, fixtures, equipment, lighting, technology integration, and other recurring hotel components
Develop processes for maintaining, updating, and communicating standards as the portfolio grows
Balance brand consistency with Proper’s philosophy of creating individual, site-specific properties rather than standardized hotels
Provide technically rigorous review of architectural and consultant documentation
Review and understand the integration of all major building systems
Identify technical coordination issues that could compromise design intent, guest experience, operations, schedule, cost, or long-term asset performance
Coordinate with architects, engineers, contractors, ownership teams, and specialty consultants to resolve complex design and technical issues
Review consultant drawings, specifications, RFIs, submittals, mockups, shop drawings, and other project documentation as appropriate
Participate in site visits, construction reviews, model room reviews, punch walks, and project turnover
Support the evaluation of prospective development and management opportunities
Review architectural plans, site plans, hotel programs, key counts, room mixes, amenity strategies, F&B concepts, back-of-house planning, and operational adjacencies
Assess whether proposed projects can successfully deliver the Proper brand experience
Identify design, technical, operational, and capital implications early in the deal process
Support preparation and review of preliminary area programs, project briefs, design scopes, consultant scopes, and development recommendations
Participate in design kickoff meetings and establish clear expectations for project teams
Provide senior design and technical oversight for capital improvement projects across the existing portfolio
Work closely with the internal Project Manager and property teams to define project scope, design direction, priorities, budgets, and execution strategies
Determine where projects can be designed and documented internally versus where external consultants are required
Lead or oversee in-house design efforts for appropriate CAPEX projects
Help properties solve recurring design, maintenance, operational, and technical challenges without compromising design quality
Evaluate proposed replacement materials, fixtures, equipment, furniture, and finishes for consistency with the original design intent and brand expectations
Provide senior oversight of interior design across the portfolio
Review space planning, material palettes, furniture layouts, custom furniture, lighting, millwork, decorative elements, styling, and FF&E
Coordinate closely with external interior designers and creative partners to protect design intent while ensuring constructability and operational performance
Review model rooms, prototypes, mockups, finish samples, furniture samples, and installations
Partner with procurement teams to address substitutions, lead times, budgets, and quality issues
Work closely with Operations, F&B, Engineering, IT, Wellness, Procurement, and property leadership to incorporate operational requirements into the design process
Translate operational needs into actionable design criteria
Ensure front-of-house and back-of-house spaces support efficient luxury hotel operations
Help establish a structured process for capturing operational feedback from existing hotels and incorporating those lessons into future standards and projects
Represent Proper Hospitality in meetings with owners, developers, architects, designers, engineers, contractors, and consultants
Establish clear design review milestones, deliverables, responsibilities, and approval processes
Provide concise and decisive written design direction following project reviews
Assist in evaluating, selecting, briefing, and managing external design consultants
Build and maintain a network of architects, designers, engineers, specialty consultants, vendors, craftspeople, and other resources appropriate for Proper projects

Benefits

Comprehensive Health Coverage : Medical, dental, and vision plans through Aetna, designed to fit a range of personal and family needs.
Wellness Access : Company-subsidized memberships with Equinox and ClassPass, plus wellbeing workshops and mental health resources.
Paid Time Off : Flexible PTO plus 11 paid holidays each year for corporate team members.
Paid Parental Leave : Paid time off for eligible employees welcoming a new child through birth, adoption, or foster placement.
Flexible Work Practices : Hybrid schedules for eligible roles and an emphasis on work-life balance.
401(k) Program : Company match of 50% of employee deferrals, up to the first 4% of eligible compensation.
Employer-Paid Life & Disability Insurance : Core protections with optional additional coverage.
Financial Education : Access to planning tools and workshops to support long-term stability and growth.
Hotel Stay Benefits : 75% off BAR (floor of $100) across the Proper portfolio.
Design Hotels Partnership : 50% off participating Marriott Design Hotels.
Dining Discounts : 75% off food & beverage at all Proper Hospitality outlets.
Lifestyle Perks : Complimentary or subsidized parking, cell phone reimbursement, and exclusive hospitality and retail discounts.