Manager Design and Production- Hybrid Seattle

Nordstrom•Seattle, WA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Design and Production Manager coordinates the execution of the design engineering and physical production pipeline for Store Environment, translating design intent into fabrication-ready specifications and delivering finished environments across four regional shops. This role directly manages design engineers and guides the day-to-day priorities, timelines, and work of environmental designers to keep design projects aligned with production schedules. Formal people-management responsibilities for environmental designers (including performance reviews, compensation, career development, and creative direction) remain with the Senior Director. This role is accountable for keeping design and production execution moving day to day. The ideal candidate brings strong production and project-coordination skills, can effectively direct design work in a matrixed structure, and has (or is developing) the technical depth to make sound engineering and fabrication decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, design, project management, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
5+ years of experience in production management, design engineering, or project management, ideally within retail environments or physical production.
Demonstrated experience managing people and coordinating cross-functional design and production work.
Strong project-management skills, with the ability to prioritize and sequence work across multiple concurrent projects and stakeholders.
Comfort operating in a matrixed structure, including guiding day-to-day work for team members who do not formally report to this role.
Working knowledge of fabrication methods, materials, and engineering feasibility considerations for retail environments.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to partner across design, production, and store operations teams.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and shifting priorities across four regional shops.
Strong problem-solving skills to resolve engineering and production constraints under time pressure.
Sound judgment to determine when to resolve issues directly and when to escalate to the Senior Director.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and formally manage design engineers, including performance management and career development.
Guide day-to-day work assignments, priorities, and first-line feedback for environmental designers in partnership with the Senior Director, who retains formal reporting authority.
Own production feasibility, engineering specifications, and fabrication readiness across design and production projects.
Oversee production delivery across four regional shops, assigning office-based engineers to shop work as priorities require.
Keep design projects on schedule and aligned with production timelines, escalating creative-direction conflicts to the Senior Director as needed.
Serve as the primary escalation point for engineering constraints and material or fabrication decisions.
Partner with the Regional Production Shop Manager, Senior Manager of Graphic Design & Signage, and Senior Manager of Beauty Design to align project timelines and shared resources.
Own workflows, tools, and processes that support efficient engineering execution and design-project tracking.