Design Technology Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Olson Kundig is a design practice founded on the ideas that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture and people, and that inspiring surroundings have a positive effect on people’s lives. The firm’s work can be found across the globe, with projects as wide-ranging as huts to high rises, homes - often for art collectors - to academic, cultural, and civic projects, museums and exhibition design, places of worship, creative production, urban design, and interior design.

We are currently seeking a Design Technology Manager who will be a strategic leader responsible for developing the systems, culture, and talent that power digital delivery across the firm. This role operates at the intersection of mentorship, standards development, and cross-functional coordination - helping to ensure that the Design Technology team is equipped, aligned, and empowered to meet evolving project demands. This role also plays an active role in complex and high-risk projects, modeling high-impact engagement while supporting Design Technology team members through mentorship and example.  Working closely with the Project Delivery team as well as project leaders across design teams, the Design Technology Manager will shape scalable processes, guide project engagement strategy, and foster a culture of learning, consistency, and clarity within the department and beyond.

The selected candidate is expected to work regularly in Seattle, Washington, where <10% of domestic travel may be required.

Primary Responsibilities:
Team Leadership & Development

• Provide guidance, feedback, and structure for a team of Design Technology Leads, Strategists, and Specialists – supporting skill growth and clarity of ownership while ensuring outcomes.
• Foster a team culture centered on consistency, curiosity, and accountability.
• Mentor Design Technology Leads throughout digital design & delivery – modeling effective project engagement and using live project challenges as coaching opportunities.
• Help team members navigate ambiguity, clarify scope boundaries, and frame solutions constructively.
• Partner with leadership on team resourcing and capability planning to ensure alignment between Design Technology capacity, project engagements, and firm priorities.

Project & Practice Enablement

• Coordinate with Project Managers and Senior Leadership to ensure Design Technology engagement is intentional, timely, and appropriately scoped.
• Engage with complex or high-risk projects to clarify Design Technology strategy, reinforce role clarity, and model scalable delivery approaches.
• Identify under scope Design Technology asks, delivery risk, or conflicting project expectations – raise strategic flags and drive resolution through early communication and acutely clear expectations.
• Support the evolution of BIM Execution Plans and project delivery strategy by connecting project-level insights to firmwide delivery needs.
• Maintain trust and balance in team dynamics when engaging with projects – clearly communicating intent, supporting team learning, and reinforcing boundaries to protect capacity and role clarity.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

• Partner with Project Leaders, Visualization, Interiors, Building Performance, and Project Delivery teams to align tools, processes, and support across departments.
• Liaise with the IT Manager to ensure system-level decisions reflect the realities of digital design and delivery including team capability.
• Participate in firmwide working groups or planning efforts to represent Design Technology priorities and foster interdisciplinary alignment.

Standards & Systems Oversight

• Partner with the Project Delivery team on the development and refinement of firmwide Design Technology workflows, standards, templates, and training,
• Translate recurring project needs into scalable systems that improve clarity, reduce rework, elevate skills, and support consistent delivery.
• Ensure documentation is current, practical, and aligned with how teams work in real projects.
• Advocate for continuous improvement by identifying outdated standards, surfacing friction points, and prioritizing changes that deliver impact.

Department Strategy & Execution

• Contribute to long-term planning for training, documentation strategy, and technology platform adoption.
• Evaluate and support evolving project workflows through evaluation of AI-related tools and software.
• Lead software evaluation and vendor coordination – develop and execute proof of concept pilots.
• Lead internal retrospectives, surveys, or check-ins to gather feedback and use those insights to shape systemic improvements.

Must Have:
Industry & Role Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of AEC firm experience, with preference given to those with Architecture or Interior design backgrounds.
• Minimum 5 years ’ experience managing project-focused Revit/BIM workflows across all phases of design and construction.
• Exposure to a range of project types and sectors – including residential, commercial, institutional, hospitality, campus-scale, and exhibit work.
• Strong experience working across multiple offices, time zones, or through remote collaboration models.

Technical & Software Expertise:

• Expertise with Autodesk Revit, ACC , and related software add-ins.
• Strong knowledge of the project delivery lifecycle (Programming, SD, DD, CD, CA, etc.) including familiarity with contracts, Scope of Work development, and BIM Execution Plans.
• Experience managing standards, templates, and modeling systems – including implementation, versioning, and team-wide training.
• Understanding of legal and contractual risk as it relates to BIM deliverables, consultant coordination, and digital delivery strategy.

Leadership, Coaching, & Change Management

• Strong interpersonal relationship and communication skills to support the wide variety of project types and scales within Olson Kundig’s portfolio
• Effective change management skills.
• Proven experience coaching or managing team members across complex projects, offices, or roles.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional coordination across departments such as Interiors, Visualization, Building Performance and IT.

Project & Operational Skills

• Skilled at navigating ambiguity and project complexity – with a track record of clarifying scope, surfacing risks, and aligning resources early.
• Strong capability in cross-functional project delivery and problem-solving across design and construction phases.

Communication, Documentation, & Strategy

• Experience developing strategic documentation, team resources, or internal communication using tools such as InDesign, Miro, Asana, PowerPoint or similar.

Nice to Have:
Advanced BIM & Digital Delivery Expertise

• Familiarity with scan-to-BIM workflows, point clout integration, and/or reality capture tools.
• Working knowledge of BIM Level 2 (ISO19650, CIC BIM Protocols, etc.), IFC, COBie, or other international BIM standards
• Experience supporting Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), prototyping, or fabrication workflows.
• Experience collaborating with Architect of Record (AOR) firms, managing outsourced modeling, or leading large model coordination efforts

Adjacent Disciplines & Integrated Design Knowledge

• Familiarity with parallel disciplines and workflows, including Architecture, Interior Design, Building Performance, and Visualization.
• Exposure to how parallel disciplines structure deliverables and exchange information.

Computational & Automation Skills

• Proficiency or awareness of computational design and automation tools, such as Dynamo, Grasshopper, or PyRevit.

Knowledge Management & Organizational Systems

• Experience contributing to intranet systems, department-wide knowledge management efforts, or standards documentation.

What can you expect from us?

• A creative work environment and colleagues who are collaborative, creative, and challenging
• Opportunity to grow professionally
• Check our culture page to learn about life at Olson Kundig

Equal Opportunity & Pay Transparency
Olson Kundig is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, gender, age, religion, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations at any point in the employment process.

In compliance with Washington State’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (RCW 49.58.110), Olson Kundig provides transparent compensation information in all job postings. For this position based in Seattle, WA, the annual salary is between $135,000 and $145,000.  Final salary decisions are made based upon the extent and relevance of the candidate’s experience, as well as internal equity and external market factors.

In addition to a dynamic and creative culture, Olson Kundig provides a generous benefits package that includes 16 days of paid time off, paid holidays, health plan, 401k match, bonuses, profit-sharing plans for qualified positions, a monthly travel subsidy for public transportation, and more.

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship and must already possess long-term work authorization.

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