Design Director

Description

• Operates as a visible technical leader to clients, participating in pursuits, interviews and early concepting conversations to define project scope and vision.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with clients. Serves as a trusted technical advisor, leveraging expertise to support client satisfaction and business development.
• Performs research and makes recommendations as to the feasibility of systems or equipment. Evaluates and recommends products for their application.
• Leads the development, establishment and maintenance of relationships with strategic partners and customers in support of and to expand business opportunities.
• Produces solutions to the most complex engineering problems and complicated design challenges through direct involvement or in an advisory capacity.
• Collaborates with project and practice leaders to ensure cohesive project execution and client satisfaction.
• Identifies and advances best practices, emerging technologies and discipline-specific design strategies that elevate project and program performance.
• Leads discipline-wide project and program design approaches.
• Performs a range of project/program management responsibilities in collaboration with project managers.
• Provides thought leadership within and outside of Henderson, including speaking engagements, whitepapers, or standards committees as appropriate.
• Helps guide project role assignments and shape the growth of discipline expertise in partnership with sector leadership.
• Serves as a technical mentor to engineers across all levels.
• Offers insights and research on emerging technologies, processes and solutions to drive technical innovation to the organization.
• Directs and mentors’ technical staff on the responsibilities and expectations for the design deliverables and workflow from concept design through completion.
• Serves as the discipline lead or consultant on major, complex, or strategic programs and projects, providing design direction, advanced problem-solving, and oversight of engineering quality.
• Serves as a corporate leadership level contact for clients, projects and programs as needed.
• Participates in client, company and/or industry events to build and maintain professional relationships, and to showcase thought leadership and technical excellence.
• Ensures assigned project and program designs and deliverables meet scope, schedule, cost, quality and client satisfaction requirements.
• Partners with sector leadership to develop client-specific quality satisfaction strategies and metrics, generally focused on project deliverables and workflow.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field of engineering (e.g., mechanical, electrical, fire protection, or architectural) preferred. High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED) required.
• Effective critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with designers at all levels in a clear and concise manner.
• Consistently performs to a higher standard of industry-wide expectations associated with carrying a PE license and being enabled as an Engineer of Record (EOR), including making reasonable engineering decisions and delivering the highest quality of work and accountability to projects.
• May be enabled as an Engineer of Record, having additional involvement, oversight, responsibility and accountability for the overall signing and sealing of projects.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant progressive experience required, including 5 years of leadership/management experience.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license preferred.
• Working knowledge of current and industry specific tools and software required, including BIM modeling, markup and annotation, workflow and task management applications.
• High technical aptitude with ability to learn, understand and utilize various systems and processes. Experience and comfortability with training others on systems and processes.
• Expert-level knowledge across several disciplines with a track record of technical excellence in at least one.
• Demonstrated advanced knowledge and application of building design and construction principles required.
• Proven success in leading complex, high-visibility projects or programs and leading clients.
• Sustainability certifications (e.g., CDP, LEED, WELL, etc.) preferred.
• Regarded as an industry leader with deep technical expertise and ability to influence the industry.
• Team oriented and willingness and ability to function in a highly collaborative environment, in group projects and leading less experienced designers. Ability to work independently as needed.
• Inspires others through technical strength, reliability and trust, driving accountability and high performance across teams.
• Demonstrated advanced proficiency in project management standards required.
• Proven track record of effective collaboration, communication and maintaining relationships with project stakeholders over time.
• Project management certification preferred.
• Additional certifications and accreditations aligning with the relevant technical field (e.g., BEMP, CPD, CDP, NICET, RCDD, etc.) preferred.
• Proficient knowledge and understanding of earned value, contracts and construction processes and methods required.

Benefits

Training + Development

Interview process

Visa Sponsorship

Security clearance