Managing Director

Competitive base salary, performance bonus, and the opportunity to earn up to 5% equity over five years About Formed For Formed For creates sculptural work for architects, developers, interior designers, hospitality brands, corporations and public spaces. Our work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and installed in significant residential and commercial projects across the United States. We are a founder-led studio with an established reputation, real commercial momentum, and a clear ambition: to become the world's leading luxury sculptural design company. We are now looking for our first senior operating executive. The Role This is not a role for someone who wants to manage an existing business. It is for someone who wants to build one. Working directly with the founders, you will lead the day-to-day business, build the team and operating structure to support significant growth, and take responsibility for consistent delivery across every department. The founders will continue to lead creative direction, final design approval, key client relationships and long-term vision. You will have the mandate to turn that vision into a company that runs effectively without their involvement in every routine decision. As Formed For grows, the role may evolve into Chief Operating Officer. What You Will Do Lead day-to-day operations, establishing clear responsibilities, priorities and decision-making across the business Recruit, develop and manage leaders across the functions the company needs as it grows, including sales, design, projects, marketing, finance and operations Build reliable processes from sales handoff and project planning through production, delivery and installation Keep client commitments on track, resolve issues early, and protect quality, timelines and project profitability Establish operating budgets, financial reporting, forecasts and meaningful performance measures, including project margin, cash flow and on-time delivery Run regular leadership meetings and create a culture of integrity, accountability, collaboration and sound judgment Identify where the founders remain a bottleneck, then develop the people and processes needed to make those decisions without them What We Are Looking For Demonstrated success leading and scaling a founder-led or entrepreneurial business A track record of building teams and operating systems, with clear examples of improved delivery, financial performance or growth Strong financial and commercial judgment, including experience managing budgets and project or product profitability The ability to lead across disciplines while remaining willing to solve practical problems personally when needed Excellent communication skills, high emotional intelligence, and a thoughtful approach to colleagues, clients and partners A natural systems thinker who organises complexity instinctively, and is comfortable with technology and AI-enabled workflows Experience in design, architecture, custom fabrication, construction, luxury products or another bespoke, project-based business is highly valuable Someone who thinks like an owner, takes a long-term view, and measures success by what the team achieves rather than what they personally accomplish What Success Looks Like In your first year, Formed For should have clear ownership of major decisions, dependable project and financial reporting, stronger managers, and a more consistent client delivery process. Over time, your work should build a world-class leadership team, systems that allow the company to scale efficiently, and a business that operates successfully without founder involvement in daily decisions — enabling the founders to focus on creative direction, strategic relationships and growth. Compensation and Opportunity This role offers a competitive base salary, a performance-based bonus, and the opportunity to earn meaningful equity of up to 5% over five years, tied to agreed performance milestones rather than time alone. The equity opportunity is subject to final agreement on milestones, vesting and other terms. #J-18808-Ljbffr