Head - Design Operation - Interior Design Firm

Design Operations Excellence 

- Be an important part of the team defining the medium & long-term roadmap for the company. In essence, you will be one of the key drivers in what we believe will soon be another unicorn to emerge out of India.

- Building and implementing scalable processes to improve efficiency of the design teams and all projects are delivered within timelines.

- Realize company's vision by delivering happy homes while giving due importance to customers- affordability.

- Customer experience is at the heart of the company and we believe every customer should be well served; this position will be the top of the escalation chain with respect to design operations.

- Work with technology and product teams to help build tools critical for productivity and efficiency improvement of the overall design team.

Target & Revenue Driven Approach :

- Setup monthly, quarterly targets for the teams; build strong project management capabilities and scalable processes that will enable the team to achieve this target.

- Ownership of the core revenue generating function within the organization, working closely with sales & project management teams in project transition & target setting for realizing the order book m-o-m.

Team Management :

- Build an amazing industry leading design operations team with the capability to deliver 250+ projects a month across multiple geographies.

- Working closely with design development & R&D teams to ensure timely training of all resources and upkeep of team competencies with respect to new products / materials introduction.

- Timely project allocations, reviewing and auditing across teams to ensure process adoption is a ritual for the entire design operations team.

- Analysis driven decision making

- Consumer insights on designs will be critical for this role in order to devise design strategy, design delivery pitch & presentations, marketing strategies and devising communication plan for customers.

- Design SOP creation and implementation across associated functions. Monthly audit of Design processes &MIS to ensure adherence to SOPs. Escalation and closure of all open issues.

- Custodian of all approvals and policies related to offers, incentives and vertical channel schemes etc.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS :

- Design Sign-off, Engineering Designs & Production Handover

- Design sign-off is divided into two stages - (a) Design direction on the initial scope to help build confidence in a customer and (b) 3D designs with renders, estimate and product related requirements with approval from extremely satisfied customers

- Making sure the customer has been explained the 2D drawings, measurements and ensure all changes related to the designs are closed with the customer along with engineering drawings created and audited by the team prior to handing over to the production teams.

Design Timeline :

- Timeline is one of the most crucial aspects of design operations head's responsibility. Making sure the above activities happen on time as per the company's project timeline policy is crucial.

- Snag (Error) Free Designs

- A large part of project delays maybe a result of snags which occur due to errors in the design stage which has a huge impact on overall customer experience, delivery timelines and profitability for the projects.

- Happy customers (Net promoter score)

- While doing all of the above, keeping the customers happy till their designs are closed satisfactorily goes without saying. You will be driving the team to keep every single customer smiling and resulting in the Net Promoter Score (NPS) with 9+ ratings every time.

- Happy teammates (E-sat)

- It's not a fairyland, it's going to be a war zone every day when it comes to design operations with focus on achieving the monthly, quarterly and annual targets. It's very important to keep our people happy and motivated for them to drive towards their goals and targets) every day. Happy Employee = Happy Customers.

EXPECTED LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES :

- Drives for Results - Just gets things done.

- Achieves meaningful business results for the company by focusing and guiding others. Creates energy and enthusiasm for achieving desired results.

- Ability to sell a rock

- Someone who has wit over selling and can help the team to find positive ways to sell their designs.

- Accelerates Decision Making and Execution

- Demonstrates a sense of agility and focus in making decisions, executing plans, and taking actions. Prioritizes work based on what is highest value for the business and customers.

- Deploys Diverse Talent

- Realizes the right person in the right place. Ensures organization capability aligns to business demands.

- Connects among team, customer and the industry openly

- Actively connects among team, customer and industry openly in order to create new value for the company and customers.

- Changes mind-set of team members

- Operates as "One" by breaking down silos. Agile. Takes risks rapidly and courageously and learn from mistakes. Delivers results despite uncertainties in the marketplace. Makes changes in organization, process and procedure and translates into day to day activities.

- Coaches and develops people

- Provides coaching, feedback, instruction, and development support to help others excel in their job responsibilities. Develops individual skills and abilities of employees.

- Inspires People with Vision

- Articulates clear and consistent messages to employees so that they can understand and be excited by the company's vision, and their role in achieving it. Motivates individuals to achieve higher levels of performance that is aligned with the company vision, values and strategy.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS :

- Tier-1 design school graduate/PostGraduate with strong business acumen.

- Min 10+ years of relevant experience in similar roles having led large creative teams (50+)

- Solid understanding of interior standards with execution experience. Deep understanding of material costing and time management. Practical know-how of materials and products related to the interior.

- Entrepreneurship drive looking for opportunities and scope for innovation

- Passion for maintaining high team productivity through processes and data implementation and high bias for action on the execution of plans.

- Big picture thinker. Strong analytical skills. Experience in planning & management.