Director - Design Operations

Director - Design Operations Position Type:
Full time Weekly Scheduled

Hours:

40 State:
Virginia City:
Arlington Zip Code: 22203 Total Base Pay Range: $ - $

Vivmark Residential exists to set the mark for what home can be. Formed through the merger of Avalon Bay Communities and Equity Residential, Vivmark brings together two industry leaders with a shared commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering exceptional living experiences. Our vision is to be the most trusted and best-performing rental housing company in America – one that continues to get better as it grows.

And we're looking for people who want to help us do it. As an owner, developer, and manager of more than 180,000 apartment homes in major markets across the US, we have the scale to offer something most companies can't. At Vivmark, team members move up and across functions, markets, and disciplines, building lasting careers. We invest in team members’ growth, development, and capabilities that make them and us better, and we hold ourselves to the highest standard as an employer.

The best people want to work here. We hope you're one of them.

The Director of Design Operations provides operational leadership and hands‑on execution for Vivmark’s Design organization, ensuring that resources, systems, and processes support effective day‑to‑day operations and continued growth. Working with Design leadership and internal stakeholders, the role strengthens project visibility, resource planning, coordination, and delivery. The successful candidate brings operational discipline, sound judgment, curiosity, and a practical approach to solving problems and helping multidisciplinary teams work effectively.

• Lead Operations and Resource Planning
• Maintain visibility into the project pipeline, schedules, milestones, and delivery across Architecture and Interiors.
• Assess workload and capacity with Design leadership to inform staffing and project assignments.
• Identify risks and competing priorities, and coordinate with internal stakeholders to resolve issues.
• Work with Design leadership to define group-wide business priorities, translate them into plans and track commitments and progress.
• Improve Processes and Systems
• Manage and refine existing workflows, standards, templates, and tools.
• Work with internal stakeholders and external partners to standardise design processes and clarify roles and responsibilities.
• Track adoption of design standards and assess process effectiveness, using regular reporting to identify gaps and guide improvements.
• Lead Technology and Innovation
• Research emerging technologies and industry trends, including AI-enabled tools and workflows relevant to architecture, interior design, and project delivery.
• Evaluate opportunities, recommend solutions, and lead implementation to deliver measurable improvements.
• Support Team Development and Systems Adoption
• Coordinate the operational aspects of onboarding, training, and systems adoption.
• Work with team leaders to identify and address capability gaps, supporting collaboration and consistent practices across functions and locations.

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field, with 8–12 years of experience in operations, project management, or team leadership, ideally within architecture, design, or a related industry.
• Demonstrated experience improving processes and systems for multidisciplinary teams across multiple functions or locations.
• Strong organisational, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate challenges, navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and follow through independently.
• Experience with…