Vice President, Design & Architecture

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Vice President, Design & Architecture based in the United States.

Overview

This is a senior leadership opportunity to shape the design vision and delivery of an exceptional portfolio of luxury residential, private club, resort, and mixed-use developments.
You will oversee projects from initial concept through construction, sales launch, and final delivery, ensuring each development reflects an outstanding design vision and a compelling market proposition.
Working closely with architects, interior designers, landscape specialists, developers, and executive stakeholders, you will transform market insights into distinctive, commercially successful properties.
You will serve as the owner's design authority, balancing architectural excellence, construction feasibility, budgets, and project schedules.
The role combines creative leadership with business strategy, requiring a strong understanding of how design influences property value, buyer experience, and sales performance.
You will also establish consistent design standards, develop consultant relationships, and build an internal team as the development portfolio expands.
Based in New York with regular travel to project sites, this position offers the opportunity to influence high-profile developments and create exceptional environments for discerning residents and members.

• Design Vision and Product Strategy: Establish the design vision and narrative for each development, ensuring alignment with the project's identity, location, brand, and target buyers. Collaborate with development, sales, and finance teams to define unit mix, layouts, sizes, views, outdoor spaces, amenities, club programming, parking, and storage. Use pricing data, sales absorption, and buyer feedback to refine product decisions before launch and throughout the sales cycle.
• Consultant Selection and Management: Identify, evaluate, and recommend leading design architects, architects of record, interior designers, landscape architects, and specialist consultants. Develop scopes of work and requests for proposals, assess fee submissions, and negotiate agreements in partnership with development and legal teams. Lead design meetings, establish decision timelines, and ensure consultants deliver high-quality work throughout schematic design, design development, and construction documentation.
• Architecture, Interiors, and Landscape: Direct architectural massing, façade development, material selection, and site planning. Oversee interior design for residences, lobbies, amenities, and private club spaces, including finishes, fixtures, and standard versus upgrade packages. Guide landscape architecture and outdoor environments, including pools, courtyards, rooftops, hardscaping, and site amenities. Establish and maintain consistent design standards and specifications across the development portfolio.
• Budget, Schedule, and Project Delivery: Manage design budgets and consultant fees, monitor scope changes, and oversee approvals. Partner with construction and pre-construction teams on value engineering while protecting the quality and integrity of the product. Oversee mockups, material samples, submittals, and design punch lists in collaboration with general contractors and trades. Guide design through zoning, planning, architectural and historic reviews, and community design approval processes.
• Sales and Marketing Enablement: Deliver design materials that support sales and marketing, including floor plans, renderings, finish schedules, model residences, sales galleries, and offering plan exhibits. Collaborate with branding and marketing agencies and sales teams to communicate the design vision consistently across digital channels, collateral, and broker materials. Oversee buyer customization and upgrade programs, ensure sales documentation accurately reflects the delivered product, and maintain design oversight from launch through closing and turnover.
• Executive Leadership and Team Development: Build and manage an internal design team as the portfolio grows. Present recommendations and design strategies to executive leadership, ownership groups, investors, and brand partners. Establish repeatable processes, document lessons learned, and translate successful approaches into portfolio-wide standards that improve quality, consistency, and delivery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Maintain strong partnerships across development, finance, sales, marketing, construction, legal, and external design teams. Balance creative ambition with commercial objectives, operational requirements, and project constraints while ensuring alignment among stakeholders throughout the development lifecycle.

Requirements

• Professional Experience: At least 12 years of experience in architecture, interior design, or design management, including 7 or more years working on the owner or developer side within luxury residential real estate.
• Luxury Development Expertise: Demonstrated success delivering high-end condominium developments, branded residences, private clubs, or resort residential projects from initial concept through construction, sales, closing, and turnover.
• Design Leadership: Proven experience directing internationally recognized architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and multidisciplinary design consultants. Ability to establish a clear creative vision while ensuring design decisions remain aligned with project goals and market expectations.
• Commercial and Market Awareness: Strong understanding of how architectural and interior design decisions influence pricing, sales absorption, buyer preferences, property positioning, and the overall customer experience. Demonstrated ability to combine exceptional aesthetic judgment with financial and commercial discipline.
• Technical and Development Knowledge: Working knowledge of construction processes, cost management, value engineering, zoning, planning and approval procedures, and offering plan requirements. Ability to assess design proposals in the context of feasibility, budget, schedule, and regulatory constraints.
• Budget and Program Management: Experience managing consultant contracts, design budgets, schedules, project dependencies, and approval processes across complex development programs. Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects while maintaining quality and accountability.
• Leadership and Communication: Exceptional presentation, negotiation, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to communicate design recommendations persuasively to executives, investors, ownership groups, brand partners, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Education and Credentials: A degree in architecture, interior design, or a related field is required. Professional licensure is considered an advantage.
• Adaptability and Professionalism: Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, adjusting to evolving project priorities, and maintaining a positive, professional approach under pressure. Strong teamwork, problem-solving, and decision-making skills are essential.
• Communication and Language Skills: Excellent English reading, writing, and speaking skills. Additional language capabilities are preferred.
• Travel and Schedule Flexibility: Willingness to travel regularly to project sites and accommodate flexible working hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, when required by business needs.
• Physical Requirements: Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions, remain standing or walking for extended periods, and occasionally lift or carry items weighing more than 50 pounds when required by the position.

Benefits

• Executive Compensation: Annual compensation range of $400,000–$550,000, plus bonus.
• Healthcare Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance for eligible full-time, year-round employees.
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) contribution for eligible full-time, year-round employees.
• Paid Time Off: Paid time off and paid holidays for eligible full-time, year-round employees.
• Additional Compensation and Recognition: Holiday pay, employee referral incentives, and recognition programs.
• Employee Meals: Meal benefits that support team members during working hours.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continued learning, career advancement, and upward mobility.
• Collaborative Culture: A work-family environment that emphasizes teamwork, service, professional relationships, and shared commitment to excellence.
• High-Impact Leadership: The opportunity to influence a prestigious portfolio of luxury residential and private club developments while shaping design standards and processes across multiple projects.
• Creative and Strategic Ownership: Significant responsibility for defining design direction, managing leading creative partners, and translating distinctive concepts into commercially successful developments.