Design Studio Manager

Sixteen months ago, this studio was one person. Today it’s six, and you’d be joining to build the operational engine that gets it to seventy.

The company behind it isn’t a startup. It invented its category, and stands as the largest business in the global lighting control market. Engineering-led, privately family-owned, known for a level of product quality and employee retention that’s rare in manufacturing. 

The Role
Running the day-to-day operations of the NYC studio and acting as the primary operational partner to the Creative Director, you’ll turn direction into plans, timelines, resourcing and delivery. The work spans premium built-environment, furniture, automotive and technology brands, most of it complex and multi-stakeholder.

There’s no predecessor here. You’ll shape the studio’s rhythms, processes and culture as much as its workflow, and connect NYC to the HQ team and a growing London office. You’ll lead and develop a team of designers and coordinators as the studio scales. And you’ll advocate for design’s return on investment at executive level, up to and including the owner of the company.

Your first three months are full immersion. No project delivery, just integration and learning.

The Package
$145,000 – $200,000
Onsite working
40 flex days per year
Tuition reimbursement
401k match, health, dental and life insurance
Paid vacation
Travel up to 10%

The Person
You’ve spent 8 – 12 years in creative operations or project leadership, at least five of them running creative teams, most recently in-house. You came up as a designer and moved into management because you were good at it. 

You’ve run studio operations for a product-led brand, and you’re comfortable influencing senior stakeholders.