Design Studio Manager

Position Summary

The Design Studio Manager is the organizational heartbeat of Ezra Lee Design + Build's creative and client experience process. This role bridges art and accountability. This role will ensure every client feels led, every project stays aligned, and every detail reflects the excellence, intention, and beauty that define our brand.

The Design Studio Manager will lead the rhythm of the studio, managing client communication, business development, tracking project milestones, coordinating billings, and ensuring the design team remains in sync. This position blends left-brain precision with right-brain empathy. This position is a combination of logistics, leadership, and client success.

Core Responsibilities

Client Success & Relationship Management

• Assist and manage business development for the Design Studio

• Serve as the client's primary point of contact once a project enters design development.

• Manage and communicate project progress, key decisions, and next steps with confidence and clarity.

• Anticipate client needs and ensure the studio delivers an experience that feels seamless, inspired, and personal.

• Represent the firm's voice with professionalism, warmth, and precision.

Project Management & Progress Tracking

• Create and maintain project schedules, budgets, and milestone reports.

• Ensure alignment between design vision, construction realities, and client expectations.

• Track deliverables across design, procurement, and construction coordination phases.

• Facilitate weekly design team check-ins and status updates to ensure on-time delivery and balanced workloads.

Financials & Billings

• Manage billing cycles and client invoicing across all active projects.

• Track and report hourly billings from team members weekly; ensure accuracy and transparency.

• Partner with leadership to review project profitability, hours, and forecasting.

• Support proposal creation, fee structuring, and submittals.

Studio Operations & Organization

• Maintain studio organization, in both digital and physical.

• Oversee tools, templates, and systems for project tracking, proposal generation, and billing efficiency.

• Support recruitment and onboarding for design team members as the studio grows.

• Ensure the studio environment reflects the firm's values of intentionality, creativity, and excellence in workspace to workflow.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in architecture, design, or project management (preferably in a high-end residential or design-build firm).

• Deep understanding of the design process from concept through completion.

• Proficiency in project management tools.

• Strong financial literacy and ability to track budgets, hours, and billing with confidence.

• Excellent written and verbal communication; articulate, composed, and cool under pressure.

• Natural leader with high emotional intelligence and creative empathy.

• Organized, proactive, and self-motivated; thrives in a fast-paced, detail-driven environment.

Who You Are

• You believe beauty and order go hand-in-hand.

• You thrive in structure but respect the art that fuels it.

• You care deeply about the client experience. Not just outcomes, but the 
feeling
 you leave behind.

• You communicate with clarity, confidence, and compassion.

• You find joy in helping creative teams deliver their best work through systems that serve artistry.

• You embody our firm's belief that 
excellence is emotional architecture.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-time delivery of design milestones and client deliverables.

• Accurate, transparent client billing and project profitability tracking.

• Client satisfaction and referral metrics.

• Team accountability and communication efficiency.

• Proposal turnaround and close rate.

• Overall studio organization, morale, and operational flow.

Cultural Alignment

The Design Studio Manager must reflect the firm's deeper "why": to create spaces and relationships that elevate how people live and lead.

This role demands both courage and grace.

Courage to lead with clarity and ownership.

Grace to manage details without losing the soul of the work.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.

• Health, dental, and vision benefits.

• 401k

• Paid time off and holidays.

• Opportunities for growth and professional development within a creative, high-performance team.

• Access to industry events, client experiences, and collaborative design-build projects.

Application Instructions

Please submit:

1. Resume

2. Cover Letter (reflecting why you align with our design philosophy and leadership culture)

3. Portfolio or example of project management materials (if applicable)

Send materials to: 

Subject line:
Design Studio Manager – Your Name