Senior Specialist, Design Standards

Subway•Shelton, CT

About The Position

The Sr. Design Standards Specialist is responsible for the development of Design Standards and Policies for SUBWAY® restaurants and will act as a liaison between the Field and SUBWAY® Headquarters for design standards. Working closely with the BIM Manager and Sr. Director of Equipment, Design & Construction, they will lead design & décor specification development, product testing for FF&E products, and project management across select new and renovation development priorities. Strong project management skills — including planning, scheduling, budget tracking, and cross-functional coordination — are required to successfully deliver these initiatives on time and within budget. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to provide design support on their key initiatives and format development.

Requirements

3-5 years of experience in Interior design or architecture experience required.
Clear, effective communication style with internal and external partners.
Expert knowledge of 3D design software (e.g., SketchUp, Revit, AutoCAD) to communicate design concepts broadly.
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
Knowledge of sustainability trends and best practices.
Current knowledge of design industry trends.

Nice To Haves

Associated Degree in Interior Design, Architecture, Construction or Graphic Design preferred.
QSR, Fast Casual, or Retail design experience a plus.

Responsibilities

Manage the development and maintenance of North American Design Standards and policy documentation.
Work with internal stakeholders to ensure compliance with design requirements where appropriate.
Ensure that all platforms are up to date with current resources, guides and manuals.
Collaborate with the Mgr. BIM and Sr Director of Equipment, Design & Construction to assist in the creation of design & décor elements and packages that present the brand design strategy for all concepts. Included in this is both the interior and exterior design package.
Own the tracking of all FF&E workstreams related to our image and design packages.
Lead all aspects of the North American design product specifications library.
Design and test FF&E that communicates functional and branding information to customers.
Work closely with the Mgr. BIM to select materials and finishes that achieve design objectives that are also appropriate for the restaurant environment.
Coordinate, implement and ensure quality of all interior core finish materials (laminates, paints, wall coverings, tiles, etc.).
Work with purchasing teams on supplier and product evaluations.
Continuously evaluate and help to evolve the overall design and construction process (from end to end) to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and allow us to develop at pace.
Provide guidance and recommendations on how to improve the process for both the Field and Franchisees. Major inputs include the site-specific production design process, ordering platforms, equipment consolidators (KES) and general contractors.
Lead all North American Design Standards training efforts with the NAM design team, Master Franchisees and 3rd party agency.
Develop training manuals for a consistent design execution across all regions.
Be the primary escalation point for any questions related to our standards.
Support each regional design team, 3rd party agency and Master Franchisee with the content development on our design software platform.
Seek signage products and technology to ensure that we offering our Franchisees the most impactful and most current signage opportunities to maximize visibility.
Manage the relationship with signage suppliers, oversee approval of locally manufactured signage, and support product development.
Source information and approvals from Legal and Marketing departments in keeping with the appropriate use of the logo/communication, etc.
Update signage specifications and Operations Manual signage information as needed.
Work with CM's and local signage vendors or the approval of locally manufactured signage.
Apply project management best practices to lead select new and renovation development initiatives from concept through completion — developing project plans, tracking timelines and budgets, coordinating cross-functional and third-party resources, and proactively managing risks to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery.
Assist with the review of all design and décor related waiver requests.
Utilize SUBS as the mechanism to document and communicate the approval of a waiver.