Regional Director Design - Architecture

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Bringing True Hospitality to the world.

We want to welcome you to a world of bringing True Hospitality to everyone. When you join us at IHG®, you become part of our global family. A welcoming culture of warmth, honesty, and a passion for providing True Hospitality.

We pride ourselves on letting your personality and passions shine, recognizing the individual contribution you make and supporting your ambition to learn and create your own career path. In making a difference to our guests and owners, colleagues and communities, every day is a chance to create great and unique experiences, in your own way.

With over 370,000 colleagues in nearly 100 countries sharing our values, there’s countless opportunities at your fingertips.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Job Summary – (Role Summary) 

In collaboration with regional and global colleagues, the Regional Director of Design will lead the strategic visioning, development, and maintenance of IHG’s efforts to accelerate guest and owner-insight-driven design innovation within the Americas. Lead and mentor a team of architects and interior designers responsible for creating and embedding IHG’s brand design programs that will be implemented by our franchisees in their new construction and renovation projects. Plan, scope, and engage external consultants to design and estimate new architectural initiatives that deliver industry-leading design with the highest-potential value for guests and owners. Train and support the regional Design Review, New Construction and Property Improvement (PIP) project teams as they work with franchisees to implement the prototype design programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities – (Key Activities)

• Manage brand design initiatives for the Americas region from scoping and program development through concepting and commercialization by working with internal stakeholders and external consultants to deliver brand-defining design principles, programs, model rooms, prototype designs, brand standards and design guidelines for all brands, in accordance with funding allocations, deadlines, and/or direction established by senior leadership.
• Develop and regularly update hypothetical project development estimates in a standardized format for all IHG brands leveraging external cost estimating consultants, internal data, and industry knowledge.
• Work as design lead responsible for collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team to deliver original, creative solutions in a collaborative and timely manner.
• Represent the design team to internal and external stakeholders, communicating the status of brand design initiatives, project trends, design issues, and owner feedback.
• Apply design talent to problem-solving design exercises to achieve cost-efficient results that align with brand standards and brand strategy by facilitating best practice and customer trend evolutions.
• Liaise with the Global and Regional Brand Standards team to supply all relevant data to enable design standards to be written and implemented within the region.
• Coach and develop team members; hire, assess, discipline, document performance and recommend salary and classification changes.  Act as an advisor to staff to help meet established schedules and/or resolve technical or operational problems. Train new consultants as needed. 
• Research and communicate any design and construction trend changes and/or suggest improvements in order to keep IHG’s brand design and construction requirements innovative and competitive.
• Be active and informed in building a strong and relevant complement of external consulting partners for future development and execution of brand design initiatives.
• Communicate and monitor project specifications with outside vendors (architectural, interior design, engineering and/or contracting firms) to ensure scope and responsibilities are understood, and to ensure projects progress according to plan and IHG requirements.
• Work with Global Procurement to evaluate and recommend program suppliers.
• Contribute to ongoing development of Americas Design & Construction department’s internal and external processes, tools and resources.
• Actively participate in regular Design leadership meetings, providing input on team staffing, engagement and growth, as well as product and prototype design strategies and issues.
• Develop, train and maintain templates and ways of working.
• Organize and supervise construction and renovation of model rooms at IHG’s Design Center or in-hotel pilots.  Examples of assigned activities include: planning, budgeting and scheduling of all work; scope development and engagement of 3rd-party project team; negotiating pricing, overseeing and directing the p