Design Studio Manager

The Phinery is seeking an experienced design-industry leader to lead and grow our design services business. This is a leadership and business operations role—not a designer role . You’ll serve as the operational quarterback for a team of five interior designers and two procurement specialists, partnering closely with the President, who leads the creative vision of the studio. We’re looking for someone who understands interior design from the inside out—someone who may have owned a design business, managed a studio, or held a senior operational role within an established firm. You understand the path from lead to proposal to design to procurement to installation, and know how to build systems, develop people, improve profitability, and create accountability. If you love design but are most energized by people, systems, numbers, and building a great design business, we’d love to hear from you.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Lead & Develop the Team Manage, coach, and develop five interior designers and two procurement specialists. Establish clear expectations, KPIs, goals, and accountability. Lead onboarding, performance management, and professional development. Monitor team capacity and foster a high-performing, collaborative culture. Drive Business Performance Track and improve leads, proposals, conversion, revenue, budgets, and profitability. Help designers establish and maintain appropriate project budgets. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, revenue, and margins. Partner with the President on strategic initiatives and long-term growth. Build Better Systems Own and continuously improve workflows, processes, and best practices. Identify bottlenecks and implement solutions. Strengthen communication between design and procurement. Ensure the team has the tools, information, and resources needed to work efficiently. Oversee vendor relationships, product information, and the studio sample library. Champion the Client Experience Establish systems for measuring and improving client satisfaction. Monitor feedback and address recurring issues. Serve as a senior escalation point when needed. Help increase referrals, reviews, and testimonials. Manage our Line List Work closely with our vendor network to strengthen our supply chain. Organize designer training for new product lines and new product introductions. Maintain the supply library, removing discontinued samples and adding new samples that align with our client's project needs and trends. Lead professional photography of completed projects. Coordinate designers, photographers, vendors, and other partners. Partner with the President and marketing team to maximize the value of the studio’s work.

WHO YOU ARE

You bring: 3+ years of experience running an interior design business, managing a design studio, leading operations within an established design firm, or other relevant experience. Proven experience leading and developing people. Strong understanding of residential interior design and its business operations. Strong business acumen and comfort with KPIs, revenue, budgets, and profitability. Excellent organization, communication, and follow-through. The ability to create accountability while maintaining a positive, creative culture. A natural ability to identify problems, make decisions, and build practical solutions. A genuine appreciation for exceptional design. Experience owning a design business, managing designers and procurement professionals, building operational systems and KPIs, improving sales conversion, or managing marketing initiatives is especially valuable.

PLEASE NOTE

This role will not develop design concepts, select finishes, or produce client design work. This role is to create the environment in which our designers can do exceptional work—and ensure the business behind that work is healthy, efficient, and growing. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Phinery Interior Design Studio