Regional Design Director

Job description

If you think your skills, experience and aspirations make you a good match for this position, we encourage you to apply. This position may be filled anywhere in the United States. Preference may be given to candidates that can work in one of the CannonDesign offices located in our US offices in the Great Lakes Region, which includes Buffalo, Chicago and Pittsburgh, PA.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Regional Design Director is responsible for the oversight and leadership of creative and innovative excellence in a specific geographic area within the company. Currently the regions consist of 150 - 300 people spread across multiple local offices, each with their own design leadership.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL DO

Areas of Focus

1. Transforming design excellence

You will be accountable for design excellence and the overall design quality across the region. This responsibility will include regular touchpoints with senior design leaders and other design leaders in your region; holding virtual and in-person regional design-standard reviews; providing oversight of regional third-party recognition, including publication of projects in design and market-specific media outlets, as well as other potential opportunities for publication such as articles on research and innovation. Your region will be expected to regularly submit and successfully win design awards, contributing to firm portfolio.

You will be a leading voice for how our Living-Centered Design ethos is translated through our work with clients. Partner with marketing and communications teams to build strong narratives and communicate the impact of our work at a regional level. Represent the Firm externally at regional events, conferences and broader events that continually support the overall brand and direction of the firm. Write, speak and communicate externally through 3-5 venues annually. You will work with the Executive and communications teams annually to identify strategic placement / speaking opportunities.

You will share the responsibilities of senior design leaders, leading select clients to innovative design concepts that synthesize our clients’ culture, goals, and aspirations with the needs of people, community, society and the environment. Deliver solutions uniquely responsive to this expanded view of design impact. Lead design presentations, with an emphasis on storytelling and aiding client understanding of the design. Capture and communicate key client goals and metrics and how our design solutions add value.

1. Transforming the design team

You will nurture a community of designers in your region. Set the standard for an environment that exemplifies collaboration, experimentation, innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Partner with the Executive Director of Design in the recruitment of and retention of senior design leaders. Hold senior design leaders in your region accountable for the mentorship and growth of the next generation of design leaders. Ensure high-performance design teams are functioning in all offices in the region, and coordinate with the Regional Director, Regional Practice Director and Office Practice Leaders to fill creative talent gaps.

Most importantly, you will be an ambassador with your regional leadership team of our brand, responsible for demonstrating how our Living-Centered Design ethos comes to life in our culture and in the way we partner with clients, and in our work.

1. Transforming the organization

You will be the leading regional voice for the firm’s design aspiration to be one of the most innovative, creative, and highly regarded impact-driven solutions design firms in the world. You will be an integral part of the regional leadership team and ensure that our design aspirations are considered in regional and firm business goals.

You will be a key participant in the definition and execution of a strategic regional growth plan. You will be a partner in your regional leadership team and engage with others in the firm, office, and market leadership to develop and implement a business plan which identifies key business strategies and entrepreneurial initiatives focused on the continued growth and impact of the region. You will be responsible for engaging senior design leaders within your region as appropriate to participate in the process, take ownership, communicate, and champion the initiatives set forth.

Your success will be measured not only by achieving the metrics of success of your region but the ultimate success of all regions. You and your regional leadership team will be accountable both to CEO and executive team and evaluated both as a single region as well as on the performance of all the regions collectively.

Expectations

1. Demonstrable design talent

You must have evidence of your design ability through a design portfolio of significant built and unbuilt work. Third party recognition of your work as a lead designer by local, regional, and national design awards programs and recognized design publications or digital platforms is required. Your abilities and recognition will ensure you attract the strongest design talent in your region.

1. Strong communication skills

Aptitude for communicating complex ideas, both business and design ideas, in a compelling manner that convinces others of their value. Be a leading voice in firm-wide meetings, and events. Provide inspirational leadership to your region communicating design aspirations, outcomes, directions, and initiatives to our people.

1. Leadership, management and community-building

Ability to manage a diverse team of creatives in architecture and other disciplines spread across multiple offices. You will forge a strong sense of connection and identity among the regional design leaders, both building a creative community and promoting their collaboration with other disciplines. Must be comfortable with basic managerial skills: hiring, design management and creative operations, and resource allocation.

1. Business fluency

Although you are a creative leader first, you must possess general fluency in regional and firm business metrics. You must understand how to translate the strategic framework into regional growth goals. Contribute your leadership skills in concert with the Regional Director in the development and execution of a regional strategy focused on growth and impact, including achieving top line targets and successful financial results which will support a minimum 10% growth of the region year over year. You will be expected to support design-led growth initiatives in other regions.

Mindsets

1. Innovative thinking

Demonstrate the ability and aptitude for innovative design solutions that address the challenges of people, business, community, society and the environment. Driven to challenge the status quo and find new solutions. As our Strategic Framework states, you must be willing to “develop the highest potential, best opportunities for strategic differentiation – our competitive advantages – and take them further, faster.”

1. Collaborative approach

Support a culture of collaboration, transparency, safety and trust. Take a collaborative approach to understanding organizational problems. Partner with our most strategic thinkers to advance our goal of harnessing Living-Centered Design for every client to transform their business and the impact they make in the world. Recruit, retain and grow mid-career design talent to be senior design leaders for the region and the firm. Empower design leaders in your region to build high-performance teams, to delegate effectively within their offices and nurture future leaders.

1. Business centric

You must possess a passion for understanding our business and the business of our clients and seek continuous improvement for both. You will be expected to contribute to leading a region that supports the firm’s financial success. Your primary responsibility in this regard will be to define our design brand through excellence in the region’s work. You will also partner with the Regional Director to selectively curate the work we pursue or are called upon to do and build a culture of clients for life over commodity work.

Time Commitments

• Transforming design excellence: 60%
• Transforming the design team: 30%
• Transforming the organization: 10%

Targets and performance metrics for this role are subject to change as CannonDesign periodically evaluates our performance metrics.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in architecture required. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in architecture from an accredited program preferred.
• Generally, at least 20 years of related experience in design leadership roles or equivalent is required.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience leading others in a design studio or design practice segment required.
• Current US Architectural Registration preferred.
• Additional accreditation and/or training relevant to this role is preferred, including LEED.
• Design portfolio of significant built and unbuilt work. Third party recognition of your work as a lead or supporting design role by local, regional, or national design awards programs and recognized design publications or digital platforms is preferred.
• Strong oral presentation and storytelling skills required.
• Must be able to understand and execute business strategy.
• Must have professional acumen and maturity demonstrated by the ability to communicate authentically and respectfully.
• Travel required.

The salary range for this position is $204,240 to $255,300 annually.  This salary range is the range we believe is the anticipated range of possible base compensation at the timing of the posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the anticipated salary range for the position. Employees may be eligible for discretionary bonuses. We offer a full benefit package including medical, dental and vision coverage and flexible spending account options and voluntary insurances. We have paid time off, flex-time schedules, remote work options and a 401k plan and employee perk programs. For a general overview of our benefits, please visit our careers page at https://www.cannondesign.com/careers/benefits. Actual compensation may vary from posting based on geographic location, work experience, education and/or skill level.

ABOUT OUR FIRM

CannonDesign is a design practice where strategy, experience, architecture, engineering, and social impact converge. We don’t just dream up solutions — we create and bring them to life in ways to solve some of the biggest challenges facing our clients and the society. At the heart of everything we do is Living-Centered Design, a bold commitment to using our talents to not just improve the world but to truly reshape it for the better. It’s more than a philosophy — it’s who we are, and it drives us to make a meaningful, lasting difference every day.

ABOUT WORKING HERE

• We are relentless in our pursuit of client adoration (not simply satisfaction). Consistent delivery of the best service is what we are about.
• We are committed to ensuring our practice provides equal opportunities for all employees, as we strive to connect with communities around us and focus on the future of design. We support equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts that benefit all employees through the leadership of our DEI Council, our Employee Resource Groups which are open to everyone, and other community initiatives.
• We’re about communication and transparency here. If you want to talk to someone about an idea you have, or a challenge that needs addressing, we’re ready for you.

Please note that candidates can only apply to our positions on our company Careers site. It’s not uncommon for scammers to create positions that look legitimate on other sites; never enter your information or apply for CannonDesign positions on any platform. Should an issue arise that you feel we should be aware of, please contact us. Please provide your resume and portfolio when applying.

As a condition of employment, all employees are expected to complete mandatory training, including compliance training, within required timeframes and adhere to our internal policies and our Code of Conduct.

CannonDesign is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CannonDesign is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free from any and all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. It is therefore the firm’s policy to prohibit discrimination and harassment against any applicant, CannonDesign employee, vendor, contractor, or client on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. It is also CannonDesign’s policy to prohibit any and all forms of retaliation against any individual who has complained of harassing or discriminatory conduct, or participated in a firm or agency investigation into such complaints.