Senior Architectural Design Manager

Marriott International is a hospitality company with more than 3,900 properties around the world. Marriot International opened its first hotel in 1957 and operates franchises worldwide. The company’s headquarters is based in Maryland and employees nearly 200,000 people worldwide. The company was founded by J. Willard and Alice Marriott in 1927 by opening a root beer stand in Washington D.C.

On a project / tactical level, the successful candidate for this position manages the design review and support services for franchised, managed, or corporate projects for new construction, conversion, or adaptive re-use, inspiring internal and external stakeholders to create design solutions that thrill guests and align with brand strategy. Candidates should have creative vision, be a strategic thinker and a strong communicator who can understand and engage with a wide variety of other disciplines and external owners/project managers.

* Supervises, directs, motivates, and trains assigned staff and outside consultants as necessary. * Manage selling the brand and design and negotiation of project to the external customer. * Manage project communication to owners, franchisees, internal project stakeholders and disciplines. * Represents department to both external and internal clients and builds positive and mutually beneficial relationships. * Provides technical reviews of drawings and other submittals for franchised or managed projects to ensure conformance with brand design standards. * Provide conceptual design studies, sketch plans, and criteria/facilities programs for projects as required. * Applies design talent to problem solving design exercises to achieve cost efficient results that align with the brand standards and the brand strategy. * Communicates and coordinates with internal disciplines to ensure the integration of relevant input in project reviews. * Coordinates review/approval (with participation from appropriate disciplines) of variances from brand standards requested by owners due to specific project circumstances. * Provides information, interpretation, and guidance to outside owners and their consultants, as well as internal design and construction staff, for adapting brand standards to specific projects. * Leads conversion scope site visits and prepares Property Improvement Plans (PIPs). * Maintains and updates project review templates and quality control checklists. * Prepares recommendations for design changes to address customer satisfaction data, operational concerns, brand initiatives, and development strategies. * Tracks and maintains project data and milestones utilizing a database tool. * Assists Design Strategies team in the maintenance and development of brand prototype documentation. * Maintains clear communication with all department management levels and advises/consults on sensitive owner or project issues. * Potential Travel: US / Canada – 25% travel is anticipated for this position * Manages time allocation on projects in accordance with specific project budgets, deadlines, and/or direction established by Senior Management. * Reports to Directors for policy guidance, methods, and systems support matters.

**Key Skills/Requirements:** * Knowledgeable about innovation & trends both in & outside of industry * Strong business acumen * Problem solving & creative solution skills * Ability to build strong working relationships * Customer service skills * Ability to negotiate and be flexible when appropriate * Strong organizational skills * Strategic thinking relative to the business * Ability to read and interpret architectural, engineering and mechanical drawings * Proficient in using Microsoft Office, scheduling, project & database mgmt. software (e.g., Microsoft Project, AutoCad, Bluebeam, Adobe). **Education/Experience:** * 4-year undergraduate degree in Architecture or related design discipline from an accredited college or university. * A minimum of 6-8 years of progressive experience in architectural design at a design firm for large commercial or hospitality projects. * A minimum of 6-8 years of experience in the preparation and coordination of architectural construction documents and coordination of consultants. * Excellent oral and written communication skills / excellent interpersonal skills. * Ability to work well in a high volume, fast-paced environment as a member of a collaborative team * Good architectural design skills, technical and project management skills. * Good business judgment and creative problem solving attributes. * Strong conceptual design/freehand sketching and/or digital presentation abilities. * Computer skills: electronic mark-up software, word processing, spreadsheet, database, CAD