Director of Design

Blue Heron Companies•Enterprise, NV

About The Position

The Director of Design drives excellence in design and “creates the future of Home” by leading Blue Heron’s architectural design teams, standards, and processes. This role is responsible for ensuring that all design work reflects Blue Heron’s design ethos, supports our brand, and is executed with a high degree of constructability, efficiency, and client satisfaction. Partnering closely with the Vice President of Design, the Director of Design oversees design quality from early conceptual development through seamless transfer to Production. They lead designers, refine processes and tools, and collaborate cross-functionally to align design direction with project needs, client expectations, and business goals.

Requirements

Minimum 6+ years residential and/or hospitality architectural experience in an architecture firm or hands-on homebuilding/construction organization, with 3+ years of architectural management experience.
Professional Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree from an accredited Architecture program.
Architectural registration preferred, or actively on track for licensure.
Proven experience leading design efforts and ensuring adherence to design standards, guidelines, and brand ethos.
Experience working cross-functionally with interdisciplinary teams, including Construction, Operations, Purchasing, Sales, Marketing, and Accounting.
Routine use of SketchUp, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with Revit, Adobe Creative Suite, Lumion, and/or Enscape preferred.
Exceptional cross-functional collaborative attitude and a strong drive to deliver effective, integrated results.
Demonstrated ability to be decisive in establishing priorities, setting expectations, and providing clear direction.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to pivot as needed, motivate and develop team members, and hold teams accountable.
Experience working in a high-energy, fast-paced environment with multiple concurrent priorities.
Exceptional professionalism; effective written, verbal, and visual communicator and proactive problem solver.

Responsibilities

Support the Vice President of Design in maintaining best-in-class performance and advancing Blue Heron’s growth and brand through integrated operations, team alignment, and proactive problem solving.
Incorporate and reinforce Blue Heron’s design standards for conceptual design integration and support best-practice development and documentation.
Oversee that overall design direction and project solutions align with Blue Heron’s design ethos and brand promise.
Provide architectural design direction and oversight for Luminary homes and other key product lines.
Act as “moderator” of the Blue Heron Design Committee, actively calibrating committee members to current priorities and ensuring consistent application of design standards.
Ensure project team adherence to design tools, processes, and standards to drive efficiency, effectiveness, and repeatability.
Monitor and help deliver projects within established budgets and schedules, balancing design innovation with feasibility and cost.
Guarantee comprehensive, seamless, timely, and accurate project transfer—including plans, elevations, interior architecture, and plan options—to the Production team without additional errors and drawing modifications.
Champion constructability by coordinating with Production and Construction teams so design solutions are both bold and buildable.
Monitor and reduce design-related error rates through continuous improvement, reviews, and feedback loops.
Positively and actively collaborate with leadership and cross-departmental teams (Construction, Operations, Purchasing, Sales, Marketing, Accounting) to ensure adherence to internal processes and quality standards.
Provide insight on project design and the Blue Heron design ethos as needed by Sales and Marketing teams to support positioning, storytelling, and client engagement.
Ensure accuracy of collateral from Elite Design to support Sales & Marketing, including plans, imagery, and options.
Collaborate and coordinate with Visualization for Luminary homes to ensure renderings, animations, and visual materials accurately reflect design intent.
Assist with sales presentations and pre-sale meetings, presenting design concepts and solutions in a compelling and client-friendly manner.
Present SketchUp models and visualization assets to potential clients for Luminary homes and other key offerings.
Oversee the creation and management of Discovery assets as required by Discovery and Sales teams, including presentations, lot fits, KMZ view studies, and other early-stage design materials.
Ensure these assets are delivered on time, accurately reflect constraints and opportunities, and help support confident decision-making by clients and internal teams.
Manage designer staff, including workload distribution across multiple projects and priorities.
Interview, hire, and onboard qualified design team members, ensuring alignment with Blue Heron’s values and design ethos.
Provide ongoing training, coaching, and mentoring to designers, developing both technical and conceptual design skills.
Create, monitor, maintain, update, and train on processes and procedures for all design-related tasks.
Lead by example, performing as a designer on high-profile or complex projects as needed.
Foster a culture of accountability, creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the design team.
Create and refine project design processes, systems, training materials, and best practices that support scalable, consistent delivery.
Encourage routine and consistent use of design software including SketchUp, Revit, and Bluebeam; promote ongoing skill development with these tools.
Collaborate within and across design teams to ensure processes and procedures are implemented and followed on project teams.
Work with other departmental leaders to align design systems and standards with broader operational and production workflows.