Head of Design Management

The Head of Design Management is responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and delivery of all design activities across the organization. This role manages a dedicated team responsible for consultant onboarding, scope management, design program control, and submission tracking.

Working as the central operations and coordination hub of the Design & Engineering department, this role bridges between the Product, Placemaking, and Project Management streams—ensuring seamless communication, alignment on timelines, and delivery of coordinated design packages in line with business milestones.

The Head of Design Management also serves as the main liaison between the design team and other departments including Development, Asset Management, Controls, Procurement, and Site Teams, ensuring cross-functional requirements are clearly captured, communicated, and translated into consultant scopes and deliverables.

Job Responsibilities :

• Oversee the preparation, review, and issuance of all design consultant RFPs, ensuring clarity and alignment with project objectives.
• Coordinate closely with the Heads of Product and Placemaking to validate that scopes of work are complete and consistent with the overall development brief, approved masterplan, and product vision.
• Manage the uploading of finalized RFPs and all supporting documentation to the e-Procurement portal, ensuring compliance with internal procedures and procurement timelines.
• Track RFP issuance, consultant responses, technical and commercial evaluations, and appointment stages in collaboration with Development and Procurement teams.
• Develop, maintain, and regularly update comprehensive design schedules and milestone trackers across all parcels and disciplines.
• Lead the follow-up on consultant deliverables, design package submissions, and interdisciplinary coordination deadlines.
• Monitor progress against design programs; identify potential delays or risks and escalate critical issues to meet project delivery milestones.
• Ensure that critical path activities and interdependencies between disciplines are clearly defined and respected throughout the design process.
• Serve as the central coordination lead between key design stakeholders, including : Head of Product (unit design, IFC coordination), Head of Placemaking (urban design, landscape, infrastructure) and Design consultants across all trades : Architecture, Structure, MEP, Landscape, and Interior Design.
• Ensure timely coordination and flow of design information across disciplines to eliminate rework, clashes, and scope gaps.
• Schedule and lead interdisciplinary coordination meetings; track action items and ensure timely closure and documentation.
• Oversee the tracking, coordination, and closure of all consultant and contractor queries throughout all project phases, including :
• RFIs and technical clarifications during design, procurement, and construction
• Input requests from Development, Operations, and Asset Management teams
• Establish accountability mechanisms across all teams to ensure timely and documented responses to design queries.
• Monitor and manage the submission process for all design packages across stages (Pre-Concept, Concept, Schematic Design, Detailed Design, Value Engineering, Tender, and Issued for Construction).
• Review submissions for completeness, discipline coordination, and proper version control before distribution.
• Maintain a central log for design submissions and manage their distribution to relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee the review and processing of design consultant invoices, ensuring alignment with contractual milestones and the actual status of deliverables.
• Evaluate and process variation orders related to changes in scope, timelines, or deliverables in coordination with the Contracts and Cost Control teams.
• Maintain a commercial performance tracker for all design consultants, including variation approvals and payment status.
• Define and implement internal protocols for design review cycles, submission workflows, and interdisciplinary coordination standards.
• Develop standardized templates and tools to streamline design processes, ensure traceability, and promote cross-functional alignment.

Requirements

Qualifications : Essential : Bachelor’s degree in architecture engineering

Work Experience : Essential : 18- 20+ years of experience, preferably in design management.