Workplace Design Manager

What You’ll Do

Set the Standard:

• Develop, own, and continuously evolve Ripple’s global interior design standards, ensuring consistency across all locations and project types.
• Create and maintain a robust library of design documentation — finish specifications, material palettes, FF&E standards, and brand-aligned guidelines.
• Establish and enforce design governance gates throughout project lifecycles.

Design Through Delivery:

• Develop and review space plans for new locations, expansions, relocations, and moves, adds and changes (MAC) across the portfolio.
• Translate programming requirements and headcount data into functional spatial solutions.
• Partner with the project management and facilities teams to ensure design intent is preserved throughout the project cycle.
• Serve as the primary internal design counterpart to external architect and design partners across all active projects.
• Lead design review and approval processes, providing clear, directive feedback that keeps projects on brand and on schedule.
• Own the FF&E program end to end — leading furniture design and selection, procurement, and coordinating with manufacturers for installation across all Ripple locations.
• Own the environmental graphic design and brand experience from concept through fabrication and installation ensuring every Ripple space communicates a consistent, on-brand identity.
• Maintain accurate, as-built floor plans for all Ripple offices globally, ensuring partner teams have reliable documentation for day-to-day needs and emergency planning.

Brand Experience and Innovation:

• Shape the look and feel of Ripple spaces globally, crafting spaces that are bold, deliberate, and unmistakably expressing our brand.
• Champion the employee experience balancing aesthetic ambition with operational practicality.
• Continuously push the design program forward through research, benchmarking, and bold, creative thinking.

Leadership and Mentorship:

• Mentor and develop junior members of the design team, building their technical skills, compositional sensibility, and professional judgment.
• Foster a culture of creative curiosity and continuous improvement within the design function.

What You’ll Bring:

• Over 10 years of experience in commercial interior design, including at least 3 years in a senior or lead role. Experience in an in-house corporate real estate or workplace function is preferred. Tech experience is a plus.
• Accredited degree in Architecture or Interior Design.
• Deep expertise in space planning, FF&E specification, and design documentation across a multi-site portfolio.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and influence external architecture and design firms — you know how to be a great client and a demanding one.
• A strong sense of cost consciousness — fluency in pricing of materials, finishes, and FF&E that allows for smart, creative decision-making without sacrificing design quality.
• Proficiency in design tools (AutoCAD, Revit, or equivalent), as well as strong visual communication skills for internal collaborator presentations.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills — comfortable operating alongside project managers, facilities teams, vendor partners, and executive collaborators.
• A portfolio that demonstrates a strong, consistent point of view across varied project types and scales.

The Extra Edge:

• Experience with international projects and an understanding of regional compliance, culture, and construction norms across major markets.
• Experience building or formalizing a design standards program.
• Familiarity with WELL, LEED, or BREEAM standards.
• NCIDQ certification or architecture licensure.