Al Futtaim Jobs - Head of Interior Design | AFGRE | Dubai, UAE (Dubai, AE)

Job Requisition ID: [[76500]] 

No two days are the same at Al-Futtaim, no matter what role you have. Our work is driven by the desire to make a difference and to have a meaningful impact with the goal of enriching everyday lives. Take our engaging and supportive work environment and couple it with a company culture that recognises and rewards quality performance, and what do you get? The chance to push the limits every single day.

 

As a humble family business that started on the banks of the Dubai Creek in the 1930s, Al-Futtaim has expanded to a presence in 31 countries, a portfolio of over 200 companies, and 42,000 employees. You’ll find us in industries ranging from automotive and retail, to finance and real estate, and connecting people with international names like Lexus, Ikea, Robinsons, and Adidas. Our team is proudly multicultural and multinational because that kind of diverse representation gives us the global mindset to grow and impact the people, markets, and trends around us.

 

Come join us to live well, work better, and be the best.

 

Job Title                              Head of Interior Design

Reports to                          Director - Design & Development

Department                       AFGRE Mixed-Use Development & Design

Location                              Dubai Festival City, Dubai, UAE

 

JOB PURPOSE

The role will focus on effectively managing the design process and design consultants, and to oversee and make successful the entire design process from pre-concept design stage through final design and for construction documentation, including the selection of designers.

 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Pre-qualification and selection of design consultants

• Assess the market
• Define and assess specific requirements
• Define qualification and evaluation criteria
• Review available candidate consultants
• Develop relevant interview process and questionnaires
• Interview candidates
• Assess and compare presentations
• Make recommendations for selection of designers

Defining design scope and other relevant contribution to the creation, running, close-out of good design agreements, contracts and control of design costs.

• Define and assess DFC requirements
• Convert requirements to unambiguous and specific design scope clauses, specific deliverables, etc.
• Review and ensure completeness of design scope internally
• Review and ensure that combinations of different design scopes do not overlap and do not create ‘design gaps’
• Review designs received (on-going) against the design scope
• Assess progress and performance and make recommendations for payments to designers
• Take action to resolve any situations where designers are in default of their design scope
• Vary design scope as and when required but with analysis and agreement and control of the consequences (cost and time)
• Make final assessment when design scope is completed/fulfilled and secure all final deliverables before closing-off the agreement
• Create appropriate correspondence/records of all transactions

Coordination of different DFC requirements (owner’s vision, development, design, construction) into the designs

• Procure or make agreed definitions of all DFC requirements
• Assess those requirements for mutual compatibility in respect of design
• Iterate until reaching a set of requirements mutually compatible in respect of design
• Redefine these requirements if and when they change
• Put these requirements into design scopes
• Review designs against (latest) DFC requirements

Coordination and interfacing with other DFC Designers

• Establish relevant communication and information exchange between designers
• Liaise with designers and monitor the communication
• Eliminate any inappropriate forms or lines of communications, or lack of communications, which arise
• Explicitly correct or cause to be corrected any misleading communications which arise
• Establish explicit feedback/acknowledgement in respect of any corrections
• Procure relevant designers’ reviews and comments on other designs and ensure that the results are communicated
• Chair and minute unambiguously an appropriate number and type of coordination meetings
• Assign and follow up on actions to solve any issues/problems arising
• Create appropriate correspondence/records of all transactions

Procurement and verification of acceptable design packages of design documentation for each design stage

• Establish schedule, extent of design deliverables
• Review designs delivered in respect of general compliance with design scope and DFC requirements
• Review designs delivered in respect of general quality and for gross or obvious errors
• Procure design reviews by others in DFC or outside DFC as appropriate
• Communicate the results of those reviews unambiguously to the designers for actions as required
• Communicate the results of those reviews elsewhere as appropriate assign and follow up on actions required until the designs are acceptable
• Liaise as necessary with statutory authorities in respect of design approvals (in support of design consultants)
• Procure DFC internal design approvals
• Explicitly release the designs when they are acceptable
• Create appropriate correspondence/records of all transactions

Measurement and control of design progress

• Establish a design programme compatible with the construction programme
• Establish a method of measuring the design delivery (completeness, correctness) against program
• Prioritize critical path designs and enforce that priority on the designers
• Accelerate or cause to be accelerated designs which are late until they are on time
• Report upwards on design progress in a regular and consistent manner

Management of design change

• Identify potential design changes before they occur.
• Analyse and assess the implications (cost and time)
• Assess whether or not these implications require wider DFC approval – if they do then seek that approval
• Accept or reject proposed changes
• Communicate that acceptance or rejection unambiguously to all parties affected or likely to be affected
• Create appropriate correspondence/records of all transactions

Recruitment and management of design management staff

• Participate in staff recruitment and interviews
• Assign tasks which are appropriate in respect of the skills and experience and workload of the staff
• Liaise in respect of shared staff so as not to overload them and not to attempt to override others’ priorities
• Review the work done and provide positive or negative feedback as appropriate
• Organize and recommend any necessary training
• Carry out annual assessments

Contribute to the development of design management procedures

• Review and comment on design management procedures in respect of relevance, usability, and clarity
• Provide feedback in respect of procedures in use

 

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

Minimum Qualifications and Knowledge:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Interior Design, Architecture or equivalent
• International design experience
• Portfolio of design work
• Fluent in English, Arabic a plus

 

Minimum Experience:

• 10 to 15 years’ professional experience
• Familiarity with design standards, codes and practices

 

Job-Specific Skills:

• Expertise in layout, colour, lighting, materials selection, custom furniture, and installations
• Knowledge of furniture, finishes, materials, colour selections, and specifications
• Ability to engage and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to prepare clear and compelling presentations to executive management.
• Selection and pre-qualification of consultants
• Definition of design scope clauses, deliverables, etc., completeness and absence of any ‘gaps’
• Coordination with designers – clarity and accuracy of communicating DFC’s requirements
• Review of design packages
• Identification of cost, time and quality implication of any design change and recommendation thereof
• Team Management
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, 3D software, Adobe Creative Suite or other relevant design related programs
• Proficiency in MS Office (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

 

Behavioural Competencies:

• Ability to work under high pressure while carrying out multiple demanding tasks
• Highly creative, imaginative and artistic
• Professional knowledge
• Training and coaching
• Teamwork
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Leadership and organizational skills
• Exceptional communication skills
• Highly committed
• High integrity in line with the company’s code of ethics

 

 

We’re here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

 

Before you click “apply”: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

 

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

 

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