General Manager, Design Projects - Fort Lauderdale, FL (Onsite)

$100,000–$125,000 base | Permanent | Reports to Ownership

The Company

Our client is an established maker of custom nautical and marine-inspired décor for restaurants, hotels, and branded commercial spaces. Under one roof they run a design studio, a fabrication shop, a retail showroom, a wholesale channel, and a collection of authentic marine antiques. Ideas get drawn, built, and installed by the same team.

The Role

You'll be the client's main point of contact and the person who keeps every custom project on track. You'll work from the first conversation through installation, turning what the client wants into a clear scope, coordinating designers and the fabrication shop, and making sure each project lands on time, on budget, and as promised. Success looks like clients who come back for their next space and a project pipeline that runs smoothly instead of in fire-drill mode.

What You'll Accomplish

• Own client relationships on commercial projects, leading kickoff meetings, design presentations, progress updates, and final walkthroughs.
• Translate client goals into clear project scopes, budgets, and timelines that the design team and shop can execute.
• Build and manage project schedules across design, sourcing, fabrication, delivery, and installation.
• Keep projects on margin by managing quotes, scope changes, and change orders before they become surprises.
• Coordinate the in-house designers and the fabrication shop so handoffs are clean and work doesn't stall.
• Set expectations early and resolve issues fast, so clients always know where their project stands.
• Standardize how projects are briefed, tracked, and handed off so the studio can take on more work without adding chaos.

How You'll Work

You'll work daily with clients, the design team, fabrication, sales, and the showroom, and you'll report directly to ownership. You'll have authority over the project calendar, client communication, and vendor choices within agreed budgets. This is a hands-on, onsite role that includes time at client sites during installs.

What You Bring

• Experience managing custom projects in commercial interiors, hospitality, custom furnishings, or fabrication.
• Must have a solid understanding of construction, including how commercial build-outs are sequenced and how to coordinate with general contractors and trades on site.
• A track record of owning client relationships, including handling tough conversations about scope, cost, and timing.
• Strong organization, with experience running several projects at once against real deadlines.
• Comfort with budgets, quotes, and change orders, and a habit of protecting margin.
• Enough understanding of design, materials, and fabrication to know what can be built and to speak credibly with designers and shop staff.

Why You'll Want This Job

• You'll be the face of the business to its commercial clients.
• Your projects ship into real restaurants, hotels, and branded spaces.
• You'll have a direct line to the shop, so problems get solved in the same building.
• A lean team where how you run projects shows up directly in revenue and reputation.
• Room to shape how the company manages projects and serves clients as it grows.

Tom Collingbourne is the American Recruiters expert leading this search. Please upload your resume today!

Tom Collingbourne

American Recruiters

tcollingbourne@ariteam.com

To search all American Recruiters jobs, visit: https://www.americanrecruiters.com/job-search/

Job ID: 359978