DBI is recruiting for a Design Firm COO for a client in Austin, Texas. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) oversees the organization’s ongoing operations and procedures. As a key member of the senior management team, the COO reports directly to the Owner.
The COO will achieve success by:
- Leading by example in terms of personal efficiency, work ethic, client service orientation and building trust through empathy in all relationships
- Maintaining the hospitality type client service environment – creating an experience, not merely delivering a set of plans
- Refining and expanding the Company’s client service, design and project management systems and processes to drive internal efficiency and superb client service
- Growing the team – in quality, quantity and cohesion
The COO will function as the Integrator following the lead of the Owner, who is working in the Visionary role.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide day-to-day leadership and management through creating consistency and efficiency in the overall work process
- Responsible for operational development and excellence, including elevation of business vision and strategy
- Own recruiting, retaining, leading, and managing a strong and stable workforce
- Comfortably and energetically present the company and its products publicly, including builders, key consultants, public relationships and others as needed
- Maintain world class client service as a hallmark of this firm
- Maintain design values and standards including elegance in efficiency and simplicity, the value of the iterative process, hospitable architecture, getting the details correct, and balancing beauty and functionality
- Plan and achieve revenue and profit targets
Requirements and Qualifications:
- Outstanding organizational and leadership abilities
- Must understand excellent design. This role does not need to bring strong design skills but does need to have a very strong design eye, taste level, and understanding of design concepts.
- Excellent interpersonal, presentation and public speaking skills, both practiced and impromptu
- Must be rooted in systems and process and needs to understand the data and analysis, performance, and operation metrics such systems produce
- The right candidate will bring high energy to the role combined with a humble, low-ego approach. The client and the Owner’s vision need to be the “heros” of the design process.
- Very client focused with an understanding how to meet the client’s needs but still surprise and delight with each solution and in every interaction
- An understanding of the details, and their importance, but able to see above the details when needed
- Aptitude in sound decision-making and problem-solving
