Senior Design Manager

Suffolk Construction•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Senior Project Design Manager proactively and collaboratively leads integrated teams of internal and external design and construction professionals through Illuminate's end-to-end design-build management process, from design inception to building completion. The role focuses on improving the efficiency, accuracy, completeness, and speed of design, documentation, and construction, using innovative procedures, tools, and technologies to exceed client expectations. The manager oversees the successful realization of client project objectives for performance, programming, cost, and schedule; maintains client relationships; coordinates design teams with Suffolk Operations and other stakeholders; and leads project meetings and collaborative communications. During design, the role develops optimized processes, aligns documentation with construction sequencing, leads constructability reviews, identifies and addresses design gaps, and validates cost and schedule alignment. During construction, the manager prioritizes and expedites design issue resolution, coordinates decisions with schedule and lead-time needs, serves as liaison between the Architect of Record and project team, and draws on Suffolk and Illuminate technical expertise to develop solutions. The position also tracks project milestones, staffing, and financial health; helps refine and test design-construction workflows; supports Suffolk's constructability knowledge database and proactive QA/QC; and supports the introduction of automated design and documentation workflows. The work takes place in an office environment and includes walking on job sites.

Requirements

Significant experience in the professional design services industry, including relevant design project management.
Experience appropriate to project size, complexity, and type; specific years of experience are not stated.
Proven success working on multiple projects and commercial building types across project phases.
Experience managing teams throughout the design process, including completion of construction documentation (drawings and specifications).
Substantial hands-on experience through the full construction administration cycle on multiple projects.
Proficiency with Building Information Modeling platforms, including the Autodesk Suite, and other industry-standard 3D modeling and analysis software.
Substantial knowledge of jurisdictional building codes.
Extensive knowledge of industry standards and resources.
Must possess Suffolk's Core Values: Passion, Integrity, Hard Work, Professionalism, and Caring.

Nice To Haves

Certification as a licensed architect or professional engineer is preferred.
An advanced degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead delivery of client project vision, including performance, programming, cost, and schedule objectives.
Coordinate design teams, Suffolk Operations, industry professionals, trade partners, regulatory agencies, and other project stakeholders.
Maintain client relationships and support client engagement in and ownership of design decisions throughout project phases.
Lead project team meetings, workshops, and other collaborative communications throughout the project life cycle.
Hold teams accountable for deadlines and troubleshoot challenges using interdisciplinary team capabilities.
Develop and manage optimized design processes that deliver coordinated, buildable drawings before construction begins.
Align design and documentation development with construction planning, sequencing, and workflows.
Lead real-time constructability reviews with Illuminate VDC and Suffolk preconstruction experts to ensure documentation is complete, coordinated, and buildable.
Identify design gaps early and enable remediation before construction workflows are disrupted.
Work with preconstruction teams at key design milestones to evaluate and validate cost and schedule alignment with project objectives.
Prioritize and expedite design issue resolution with Suffolk field operations in alignment with construction sequencing.
Coordinate design decisions with project schedule and lead-time requirements.
Build effective working relationships with the project design team to identify, resolve, and complete design issues.
Serve as liaison between the Architect of Record and the project team.
Apply Suffolk and Illuminate technical expertise to develop design solutions for review with the architect and project team.
Track and report project milestone progress, staffing allocations, and project financial health.
Work with Illuminate leadership and project teams to analyze, refine, and test design-construction workflow assumptions in real time.
Leverage and grow Suffolk's constructability knowledge database as an input to proactive design QA/QC.
Support design technology staff in introducing automated design and documentation processes and workflows.