Talent.com
Design Director
Design Directordancker • Somerville, NJ, United States
Design Director

Design Director

dancker • Somerville, NJ, United States
1 day ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

Design Director

Department : Design

Reports to : VP of Design

Location : Somerville, NJ Overview

We're looking for a Design Director who is as invested in people as they are in great design. As a key member of our leadership team, you'll shape the vision, performance, and culture of our design organization-ensuring our work drives measurable business results, delivers exceptional experiences for clients, and advances our team's growth and expertise.

This role blends strategy with hands-on mentorship : inspiring team members, elevating design standards, creating operational clarity, and fostering true cross-departmental collaboration. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, loves building highly engaged and high-performing teams, and understands the business value design brings to every stage of the customer journey.What You'll Lead & ImpactLeadership & Team Development

  • Coach, guide, and empower the design team, modeling accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
  • Establish a strong feedback culture through consistent one-on-ones and ongoing mentoring.
  • Oversee performance management, including proactive support plans and structured development programs when needed.
  • Foster an environment where designers feel challenged, supported, and inspired to do their best work.

Onboarding & Talent Growth

  • Design and oversee a structured two-week onboarding experience for new team members.
  • Manage a 12-week development curriculum with measurable milestones to assess training progress.
  • Partner with Design Managers to ensure consistent coaching and onboarding practices across team pods.
  • Continually evaluate team skills and development needs to ensure career paths, learning opportunities, and skill expansion remain front-of-mind.
  • Project & Resource Management

  • Assign work via ZOHO based on validated project scope, product direction, and timeline.
  • Coordinate resources to balance workloads, maximize utilization, and maintain accuracy and timeliness of deliverables.
  • Monitor capacity and proactively address bandwidth challenges before they affect deadlines.
  • Provide high-level oversight and guidance on key strategic projects and complex accounts.
  • Operational Excellence & Quality

  • Drive adherence to internal workflows-task tracking, deadlines, design standards, and closing procedures.
  • Lead problem-solving efforts to remove obstacles and maintain high output standards.
  • Ensure MxT and billable utilization targets (85%+) are consistently met and well managed.
  • Champion process innovation, design thinking, and the adoption of new technologies to improve team performance and the client experience.
  • Cross-Department Collaboration

  • Build strong partnerships with sales, operations, project management, and other internal teams to create seamless, end-to-end client delivery.
  • Reinforce shared accountability, open communication, and enterprise-wide alignment.
  • Support engagement with dancker's Growth Ventures (e.g., DBE, ForBuild, dePloy) as needed for client strategy and project execution.
  • Client-Facing & Business Development Support

  • Partner with sales leadership on strategic accounts, serving as a design expert and trusted advisor.
  • Join key client presentations and planning meetings, advocating for thoughtful design solutions that solve business needs.
  • Elevate the role of design as a strategic differentiator throughout the sales process.
  • Maintain deep expertise in commercial furniture trends, applications, and innovations.
  • Skills & Competencies

  • Mastery of commercial furniture design software including CET, AutoCAD, SketchUp, BlueBeam, and Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Experience using ZOHO Projects or similar platforms for task and resource management.
  • Strategic thinker who can connect design execution with business strategy.
  • Exceptional communicator and relationship-builder across all levels of the organization.
  • Self-directed, organized, and skilled in managing multiple priorities and designers simultaneously.
  • Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of experience in commercial furniture design, including 5+ years in leadership or management.
  • Proven experience mentoring and developing talent while leading teams and supporting your own project work.
  • Strong understanding of commercial furniture markets and design solutions.

    If you're passionate about developing people, modernizing processes, elevating design excellence, and shaping a team that delivers meaningful client experiences, we'd love to meet you.

    Create a job alert for this search

    Design Director • Somerville, NJ, United States

    Related jobs
    Architect - Director New Jersey Market Leader

    Architect - Director New Jersey Market Leader

    DRG Architects • Somerset, NJ, United States
    Full-time
    With over 60 years of experience, DRG Architects is an expanding, award-winning architectural firm, renowned for delivering innovative, sustainable, and impactful designs, with offices in New Jerse...Show more
    Last updated: 30+ days ago • Promoted
    Director, Product Engineering

    Director, Product Engineering

    OrganOx • Madison, NJ, US
    Full-time
    Quick Apply
    OrganOx is an innovative, fast-paced, global medical device company with a mission to save lives by making every donated organ count. We are a commercial stage organ technology company, spun out of ...Show more
    Last updated: 8 days ago
    Junior Interior Designer

    Junior Interior Designer

    Ralph C Fey AIA Architects • Doylestown, PA, United States
    Full-time +1
    Interior Designer – Part-Time (3 Days / Week), 3–5 Years Experience.We are seeking a talented Interior Designer to join our dynamic and growing interiors studio, specializing in luxury residential de...Show more
    Last updated: 14 days ago • Promoted
    Design Consultant

    Design Consultant

    The Shade Store • Montclair, New Jersey, United States, 07042
    Full-time
    The base salary range for this position is$65,000.At The Shade Store, we have handcrafted the finest Shades, Blinds, and Drapery for 75 years. We believe designing beautiful custom window treatments...Show more
    Last updated: less than 1 hour ago • New!
    Sales and Design Manager

    Sales and Design Manager

    Canary Closets • Union, New Jersey, United States
    Full-time
    Quick Apply
    As a Sales and Design manager, you will play a crucial role in building wholesale manufacturing business.You will meet with contractors, business owners and designers in the wood-working industry.S...Show more
    Last updated: 30+ days ago
    Innovation Capability Director

    Innovation Capability Director

    Novartis Group Companies • East Hanover, NJ, United States
    Full-time
    Position Location : The ideal location for this role is the East Hanover, NJ site, but remote work may be possible (there may be some restrictions based on legal entity). Please note that this role w...Show more
    Last updated: 30+ days ago • Promoted
    Lead of Creative and Design

    Lead of Creative and Design

    Sanofi • Morristown, NJ, US
    Full-time
    Join the team transforming how wellness and beauty are delivered—by putting our consumers at the heart of everything we do, understanding their needs and routines, and creating products that inspir...Show more
    Last updated: 8 days ago • Promoted
    Design Director

    Design Director

    Accenture • Morristown, NJ, United States
    Full-time
    Work & Co, part of Accenture Song, is a global design and technology company with offices in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. We're known for uniting the industry's best hands-on strate...Show more
    Last updated: 1 day ago • Promoted
    Director Analytics Architecture & Solutions

    Director Analytics Architecture & Solutions

    PSEG • Newark, NJ, United States
    Permanent
    We're one of the country's largest energy companies, with a vision of powering a future where people use less energy, and it's cleaner, safer and delivered more reliably than ever.We're also deeply...Show more
    Last updated: 1 day ago • Promoted
    Senior Director, Data Center Design

    Senior Director, Data Center Design

    Cologix • Parsippany, New Jersey, United States, 07054
    Full-time
    Senior Director, Data Center Design.Based in Denver, Colorado, Cologix is North America's leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company. Our platform gives customer...Show more
    Last updated: less than 1 hour ago • New!
    Director, HEOR Modeling Lead

    Director, HEOR Modeling Lead

    Sanofi • MORRISTOWN, NJ, US
    Full-time
    Cambridge MA or Morristown, NJ.We are an innovative global healthcare company, committed to transforming the lives of people with immune challenges, rare diseases and blood disorders, cancers, and ...Show more
    Last updated: 1 day ago • Promoted
    Team Leader

    Team Leader

    Tractor Supply Company • Blairstown, NJ, US
    Full-time +1
    The Team Leader is responsible for assisting the Store Manager and Assistant Store Manager with the execution of operational, sales, and merchandising objectives by delivering a Legendary Customer ...Show more
    Last updated: 16 hours ago • Promoted • New!
    Director, Data Insights & Innovation

    Director, Data Insights & Innovation

    QuidelOrtho • Raritan, NJ, United States
    Full-time
    QuidelOrtho unites the strengths of Quidel Corporation and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, creating a world-leading in vitro diagnostics company with award-winning expertise in immunoassay and molecula...Show more
    Last updated: 15 days ago • Promoted
    Adjunct-Instructor, Graphic Design - Visual Design for the Web

    Adjunct-Instructor, Graphic Design - Visual Design for the Web

    InsideHigherEd • Branchburg, New Jersey, United States
    Part-time
    Adjunct-Part Time - Arts & Design.About Raritan Valley Community College : .New Jersey, Raritan Valley Community College has been serving as an academic and cultural center for Somerset and Hunterdon...Show more
    Last updated: 30+ days ago • Promoted
    Executive Director, Head of CRM Experience Design

    Executive Director, Head of CRM Experience Design

    Novartis Group Companies • East Hanover, NJ, United States
    Full-time
    This position will be located in East Hanover, NJ.Novartis is on a mission to transform medicine and improve lives worldwide. As a global leader in healthcare, we leverage advanced technology and da...Show more
    Last updated: 4 days ago • Promoted
    Director Analytics Architecture & Solutions

    Director Analytics Architecture & Solutions

    Public Service Enterprise Group Inc • Newark, NJ, United States
    Permanent
    We're one of the country's largest energy companies, with a vision of powering a future where people use less energy, and it's cleaner, safer and delivered more reliably than ever.We're also deeply...Show more
    Last updated: 1 day ago • Promoted
    Director, Global Capital Project Delivery

    Director, Global Capital Project Delivery

    NY Staffing • Princeton, NJ, US
    Full-time
    Director, Global Capital Project Delivery.Those aren't words that are usually associated with a job.But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is anything but usual. Here, uniquely interesting work happens...Show more
    Last updated: 18 hours ago • Promoted • New!
    Director

    Director

    RemX | The Workforce Experts • Newark, NJ, United States
    Full-time
    I am working with a growing client who is looking for a senior-level executive to work closely with the CEO of a growing residential real estate development company. This individual will serve as a ...Show more
    Last updated: 19 days ago • Promoted