With a broad mandate to deliver high quality design work in a fast-paced environment, our studio-based employees have a unique opportunity to work on a world-class design team.  The ideal Design Manager is highly organized, deadline driven and effective at prioritizing work within complex schedules. This role requires broad retail, restaurant, and hospitality design experience.  They have a passion for design and can work effectively as part of a collaborative creative team to execute projects to the highest brand standards.

This position requires three days a week onsite at our Newton, MA offices.

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced and talented design professional to join Panera’s Store Design Studio, with experience working on high caliber creative teams. The Designer Manager works collaboratively within the Development Organization and will report directly to a Senior Manager of Store Design.  As an integral part of the design studio and broader development team, the Design Manager will deliver thoughtful and highly creative café design solutions that elevate the brand within a profitable business model, achieving functional goals and under fast paced project delivery timelines. 

Elevating Design

• Responsible for the design and overall look/feel of new and renovated cafés
• Create thoughtful and highly creative café designs that align with current design criteria (strategies) and Panera’s high-quality brand standards (prototypes)
• Actively participate in a strong creative studio culture that encourages open discourse, collaboration and critical thinking.
• Have a passion for all things design that includes an understanding of history and current trends in design, furniture, building architecture, etc.
• Approach project work, collaboration and feedback with a positive attitude and a focus on design quality and achieving business results.
• Be an advocate for elevated design with our franchise partners and/or cross functional teams to support larger brand initiatives.
• Participate in team design reviews providing experience, insight, and support to the creative process
• Serve as an advocate for the Brand

The Work

• Directly responsible for the site layout, functional layout, schematic design (exterior and interior), and furniture/material/finish palettes for Company and Franchise new and remodeled cafes, and other brands/concepts as may be identified over time.
• Bring projects into regular open-forum style design reviews as well as offline review as needed, and respond to design direction, coaching and guidance so that the projects meet Panera’s high-quality brand standards.
• Responsible for the quality, execution and timely deliverable of design development and construction drawings by Panera’s outside Architectural firms. Ensure all scope of work, design intent and federal, state and municipality code requirements are met on drawings.
• Work with Franchise partners to ensure that Panera design intent is executed to the highest standards and in coordination with their outside Architect’s design development, and construction documents.
• Manage outside consultants, Architects of Record, and review vendor produced documentation.
• Support Panera’s cross-functional team goals (Company Owned and Franchise; operations, ops services, real estate, construction, etc.) in order to:
  • Deliver effective store layouts that meet functional and business needs.
  • Provide effective collaboration and communication with broader store development team so that projects meet internal project timelines and construction budgets, hit annual project counts for all project types and achieve sales weeks goals.
  • Monitor the work quality of the external architect consultants to ensure they deliver high quality construction documents that comply with architectural and quality standards, building codes and health and safety regulations, on time and on budget.

Summary of Experience

• 5+ years of broad experience, including design, detailing, preparation of construction documents and construction administration.
• 3+ years of design experience in a restaurant or retail brand preferred.
• 3+ year’s management of outside architectural, MEP and/or other design consultants.
• Professional degree in Architecture, Interior Design and/or a related field of study.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Current working knowledge and experience with:
  • 3D visualization (SketchUp, Revit, hand sketching/CAD programs, etc.)
  • Contemporary design and color principles, architectural detailing and specifications.
  • Current knowledge of relevant professional building codes, health codes and compliance issues.
• Strong technical background, comfortable with site design, exterior design, interior design and detailing
• Strong oral and written communications skills, highly organized and detail oriented.
• Self-starter with ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Strong work ethic and professional attitude with ability to thrive in a fluid, fast-moving, high pressure, and constantly changing business environment.
• Ability to manage multiple project timelines and schedules simultaneously and work with little supervision to produce high quality work on strict timelines.

Competitive pay $92,055 to $110,466 annually.

The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.