Head of Design | Design & Pre-Construction

Melbourne | South-East | Salary + Potential Bonus

This is an opportunity for a commercially minded design leader to take ownership of the design function within a growing design and construction business.
We're looking for someone who can combine strong interior design capability with commercial thinking, client management and leadership — someone who can sit at the front end of a project, understand what the client needs, determine whether the opportunity stacks up commercially, develop the design direction and work alongside the estimating and construction teams to turn opportunities into successful projects.
This is not a traditional studio-based design role. You'll have genuine influence over the direction of projects and the wider business, sitting as part of the senior leadership team and helping shape the continued growth of the company.

The Role
You'll take ownership of the design function and become a key part of the business from the moment a new enquiry comes through.
Working closely with clients, estimators, construction teams and the wider leadership group, you'll be involved in:

• Meeting clients and understanding their brief, objectives, budget and operational requirements.
• Visiting sites and assessing opportunities from a design and feasibility perspective.
• Reviewing site audits and identifying potential design, construction and cost considerations.
• Working with estimators to establish project feasibility, scope, costs and potential fees.
• Developing early concepts and design directions that give clients confidence in the proposed solution.
• Leading client presentations and high-level design discussions.
• Supporting the business in converting enquiries into successful projects through strong relationships, design thinking and commercial understanding.
• Taking responsibility for design fees, hours and the overall profitability of the design function.
• Working alongside the construction team to ensure projects remain on budget, on programme and to the required design and finish standard.
• Overseeing design development and ensuring a smooth transition from the front end through to delivery.
• Providing guidance around interiors, finishes, fixtures, materials and buildability.
• Leading and developing an existing internal design team of approximately three people, alongside an external industrial design team.
• Working collaboratively with the wider leadership team to influence business decisions, processes and future growth.
• Helping establish and maintain a high standard of design across the business.

The Projects
The business delivers design and construction projects across retail, hospitality, education, industrial and commercial environments, with a particularly strong focus on spaces where design, functionality and customer experience are critical.

Current and recent work includes projects across:

• Retail and large-format retail
• Hospitality and food & beverage
• Gyms and fitness facilities
• Indoor recreation and entertainment
• Education
• Warehouses and industrial environments
• Commercial and workplace projects

The role will give you exposure to projects from the earliest feasibility and concept stage through to construction and completion.

What We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who has moved beyond simply being a strong designer and is ready to own a design function and have genuine commercial influence.

You'll ideally have:

• Significant experience within interior design, ideally across retail, hospitality, commercial or other customer-facing environments.
• A strong understanding of finishes, fixtures, materials and interior detailing.
• Proven experience dealing directly with clients and confidently presenting design concepts and solutions.
• Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of how design decisions impact cost, programme, feasibility and profitability.
• Experience working alongside estimators, builders, project managers or construction teams.
• The ability to assess a project at the front end and identify whether it is commercially and technically viable.
• Strong conceptual design skills — you need to be comfortable developing ideas and having high-level design conversations with clients.
• Experience taking projects from initial enquiry and feasibility through to delivery is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of Revit and Enscape.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Previous leadership experience, whether through managing a design team, leading projects or running your own practice.
• A genuine interest in the commercial side of design and the performance of a business.

The Personality
This role will suit someone who is:

• Commercially hungry and entrepreneurial.
• Confident enough to challenge ideas and contribute to business decisions.
• Highly collaborative rather than territorial.
• Comfortable working autonomously without needing to be micromanaged.
• A natural communicator who can build trust quickly with clients and internal teams.
• Passionate about design but equally interested in how a business makes money and grows.
• Energised by the opportunity to build something rather than simply maintain the status quo.

We're particularly interested in people who have run their own design practice, operated within a smaller entrepreneurial studio, or are an ambitious Senior Designer / Design Manager ready to step into genuine business leadership.

Why This Opportunity? This is a chance to move into a position where your impact goes well beyond individual projects.
The company is already established, profitable and has a strong pipeline. The ambition now is to significantly scale the business, and the successful candidate will have a genuine opportunity to help drive that growth.

Office-based role in Melbourne's south-east, with no regular work-from-home arrangement due to the collaborative nature of the position.

Interested? If you're an experienced Interior Designer, Design Manager, Design Director, Head of Design or entrepreneurial design leader who wants to take the next step into a commercially focused leadership position, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now or contact Kristina Kelleway for a confidential discussion.
Please only apply if you are based in Australia