Kitchen Design Manager

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Kitchen Designer

Role Purpose

The Design team for Kitchen Spaces is responsible for supporting the creation of food spaces in our Client's offices that promote collaboration and engage & energize employees throughout each day. With hundreds of restaurants globally, the team works with a variety of vendors to provide great service, delicious food, and innovative food experiences. As a Senior Design Manager - Kitchen Spaces - you'll work as part of a global design team and support the development process that creates the spaces where employees interact with food. Their back of house (BOH) areas need to support the healthiest & happiest workforce, and you will help ensure everything gets done by the right people at the right time to bring these venues to life.

Key Responsibilities

1. Support the Regional Design Manager - Food Spaces on the design management of kitchen spaces; ensure all team members are engaged in each appropriate project phase; maintain and distribute necessary documentation to keep project phasing on track.
2. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders on all things kitchen design, food service equipment, back of house layout & flow, equipment technology, MEP requirements, goods-in strategy, waste strategy, etc; ensure close alignment between the Client's requirements and the Food Service Consultant's design strategy and drawing package.
3. Assist and/or own global & regional sourcing agreement conversations with equipment suppliers and keep all relevant documents up to date.
4. Run drawing review sessions from concept to technical stage, being able to clearly indicate design misses, drawing mistakes and/or misalignments with the Client's requirements and standards. Be able to ensure quality control of all documentation regarding kitchen space design and food service equipment specification.
5. Assist and/or own the management of all required documents, including reporting and data management tools, design templates, etc.
6. Track all details of the kitchen design projects, including schedule and budget and be able to communicate potential pain points to the broader food space design team and wider project teams.
7. Understand and identify the unique complexities of each project early on in the process in order to objectively identify the most capable resources, specifically but not limited to food service equipment consultants.
8. Support the client on Technical Due Diligences and Project Briefs, as required, and in alignment with the Food Space Design Management team.
9. Establish and nurture relationships with third parties food operators to not only receive insight on local practices & existing facilities but also to run early-stage workshops for specific local input as well as to ensure full alignment on everything related to kitchen and food service equipment.
10. Participate in food/kitchen design workshops with architects, food service consultants, and other stakeholders, as needed.
11. Be an advocate for the Client's guidelines and requirements on all things kitchen and food service equipment, ensuring global consistency with regional relevance.
12. Overall support on equipment selection, suppliers, manufacturers, etc.
13. Support project teams, as required, with concept/detailed/technical drawings & specifications to ensure the Client meets standards and specific requirements for each project.
14. Review tender returns for food service consultants and support the Client with their appointment, whenever applicable.
15. Review tender returns for kitchen contractors and support the Client with their appointment, whenever applicable.
16. Attend site visits prior to construction delivery, as required/applicable, and support the creation and management of punch lists in order to address snags.
17. Support the Client with significant changes throughout construction that would impact the design of kitchen spaces.
18. Liaise with the overall project team to provide the necessary support in coordinating the architects' drawings with the food service consultant's and any other stakeholders (i.e. mechanical / electrical / plumbing).
19. Meet pre-established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on a regular basis in all projects.
20. Document/manage lessons learned processes.
21. Some travel within the region is expected.

Person Specification/Requirements

1. BA/BS degree in Design (Architecture/Interior). In lieu of a degree, 3-5 years of relevant work experience is required.
2. Minimum of 7 years of professional design/design management work with a focus on kitchen spaces and food service equipment.
3. Experience within food service or retail operations and flow either through direct experience or professional design work.
4. Skilled in the visual, written, and verbal communication of design issues with capability to think outside the box and bring creative, non-standard, and innovative solutions to the table.
5. Ability to work in a collaborative and fast-paced environment with a great degree of self-motivation and initiative.
6. Proven vision, leadership, and strategic skills to prioritize evolving initiatives in a fast-paced environment; able to turn ideas and capabilities into effective initiatives that engage users.
7. Detail-oriented with the ability to think, plan, and execute on multiple projects in different phases simultaneously with little direct supervision.
8. Understanding of permitting process, construction terminology, and building systems, and overall project sequence and timing.