Design Manager

Overview

About Suffolk

Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates, and invests across the entire project lifecycle through core construction management services and complementary business lines in real estate investment, design, construction, and technology investment.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries, auto allowances and gas cards for certain roles.
• Medical, emotional and mental health benefits, including dental and vision insurance plans.
• Virtual care options for physical therapy and primary care.
• Generous paid time off and 401(k) plan with employer match.
• Company-paid and voluntary life insurance.
• Tax‑deferred savings accounts and backup daycare days.
• Short- and long‑term disability and commuter benefits.

About Suffolk Design

Suffolk’s newly created design vertical, Suffolk Design, aims to disrupt the traditional design delivery process through a proprietary, collaborative, and fully integrated design‑build service offering.

The Role

The Design Manager will proactively and collaboratively lead integrated teams, made up of both internal and external design and construction professionals, through Illuminate’s optimized, end‑to‑end design‑build management process from design inception to building completion.

Core Design Management

• Responsible for the successful realization of client’s project vision, including performance, programming, cost, and schedule objectives.
• Lead the interface between the Illuminate team, Suffolk operations, external design and industry professionals, trade partners, regulatory agencies, and other project stakeholders to achieve project goals, all while embracing a culture of authentic collaboration and technical competence.
• Maintain and support client relationships during all project phases, ensuring a client‑first mentality that encourages both active engagement and ownership of all design decisions.
• Lead project team meetings, workshops, and other collaborative communications throughout a project’s life cycle.
• Hold self and teams accountable for meeting deadlines and troubleshooting challenges by leveraging the full capacity of interdisciplinary project teams.

Design Process Management

• Lead the development and management of optimized design processes for each project, supporting the efficient, linear delivery of fully coordinated and buildable drawings prior to the start of construction.
• Build upon Suffolk’s world‑class construction planning and execution capabilities by strategically aligning documentation development with construction sequencing, supporting streamlined workflows.
• In association with Suffolk preconstruction experts, lead the execution of rigorous, real‑time project constructability reviews during design process, ensuring that all documentation is complete, coordinated, and buildable prior to the start of construction.
• At key project design milestones, liaise with preconstruction teams to evaluate and validate that cost and schedule align with project objectives.

Illuminate Operations

• Track and report progress towards project milestone completion, staffing allocations, and project financial health.
• In collaboration with Illuminate leadership and the project team, analyze, refine, and test design‑construction workflow assumptions in real‑time to optimize Illuminate’s process moving forward.
• Leverage and grow Suffolk’s proprietary constructability knowledge database, which serves as a critical input to a proactive QA/QC process throughout design.
• Support Illuminate’s design technology staff in the introduction of automated design and documentation processes and workflows.

• Certification as licensed architect or professional engineer is strongly preferred.
• Professional degree in Architecture or Engineering is required. Advanced degree preferred.
• 8–10 years’ experience in the professional design services industry, with a background in design project management.
• Proven success working on multiple projects and commercial building types, across all project phases.
• Experience managing teams through the duration of the project’s design process, including completion of Construction Documentation (Drawing & Specification).
• Substantial hands‑on…