Vice President of Interior Design

Description:
Why this role exists

The Vice President of Interior Design exists to define, elevate, and operationalize Blue Heron’s interior design vision across both architectural interiors and furnishings. This role ensures that design intent is not only conceptually exceptional but also executed with precision, consistency, and scalability across every project.

Equally, this role is accountable for building a best-in-class furnishings platform that enhances the client experience, drives incremental revenue, and reinforces Blue Heron’s position as a fully integrated, design-led firm. The VP ensures that interior design is not a downstream service, but a central driver of value, differentiation, and brand identity.

Core Accountabilities

Design Leadership & Creative Direction

Establish and continuously refine Blue Heron’s interior design philosophy, standards, and visual language
Ensure cohesive integration between architecture, interiors, and furnishings across all projects
Lead concept development on flagship and high-visibility projects
Uphold design integrity from concept through installation

Furnishings Business Leadership

Build, scale, and lead a high-performing furnishings (FF&E) division
Develop a curated product and vendor ecosystem aligned with Blue Heron’s design standards
Own pricing strategy, margin performance, and revenue growth for furnishings
Establish standardized processes for selection, procurement, tracking, and installation

Operational Integration

Integrate interior design workflows into the broader design-build process
Partner with Procurement and Construction to ensure feasibility, budget alignment, and execution accuracy
Drive early involvement of interior design in project lifecycle to maximize impact
Eliminate silos between architecture, interiors, and field execution

Team Leadership & Development

Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing interior design and furnishings team
Define clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations
Develop design talent capable of operating at a luxury, client-facing level
Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement

Client Experience & Brand Elevation

Elevate the interior design client journey from inspiration through final install
Ensure furnishings enhances emotional connection, not just aesthetic completion
Participate in key client presentations and milestone decisions
Reinforce Blue Heron’s brand as design-led, highly curated, and execution-driven

What Success Looks Like

Interior design is consistently recognized as a defining differentiator of the Blue Heron product
Furnishings operates as a profitable, scalable business with strong client adoption
Projects demonstrate seamless integration between architecture, interiors, and construction
Design intent is preserved through execution with minimal compromise
The interior design team operates with clarity, accountability, and high performance
Clients experience a cohesive, elevated journey from concept through final installation
Vendor and product ecosystem reflects a curated, world-class standard

Who This Role Serves & Sets Up for Success

Primary Stakeholders

Architecture
Construction & Project Management
Procurement & Purchasing
Sales & Client Experience Teams
Executive Leadership

What “Setting Others Up for Success” Means

Providing clear, buildable design direction that reduces rework and ambiguity
Aligning selections with budget, schedule, and constructability constraints
Ensuring Procurement has vetted, standardized, and accessible product pipelines
Enabling Construction teams to execute interiors without interpretation gaps
Equipping Sales with a compelling, differentiated design narrative
Creating systems that allow teams to move faster without sacrificing quality

How Performance Is Measured

Primary: Client NPS, schedule adherence, margin, furnishings revenue
Design quality and consistency across completed projects
Reduction in design-related change orders and field conflicts
Client adoption rates for furnishings
Project alignment between design intent and final execution
Team performance, retention, and development
Efficiency and scalability of FF&E processes and operations
Requirements:
Capabilities Required

Technical & Functional Acumen

Deep expertise in luxury residential interior design and FF&E
Strong understanding of materials, detailing, and constructability
Experience building or scaling a furnishings or procurement-driven business
Proficiency in design documentation, specifications, and vendor management

Business & Integration Mindset

Ability to operate at both creative and operational levels
Strong financial acumen, including margin management and revenue modeling
Systems thinker who can integrate design into broader business processes
Experience working within or alongside design-build environments

Communication & Leadership

Executive-level communication and presentation skills
Ability to influence cross-functional partners and drive alignment
Strong leadership presence with the ability to inspire and hold teams accountable
Skilled in client-facing interactions at a luxury level

Character & Professionalism

High ownership mentality with a bias toward action
Commitment to excellence and continuous improvement
Disciplined decision-making grounded in both design and business impact
Integrity in representing the brand, clients, and internal teams

How The Individual Shows Up (Blue Heron Expectations)

Design-Led Thinking – Champion design as a strategic driver, not a downstream function
Accountability Without Excuse – Own outcomes fully, from concept through execution
Integration Over Silos – Proactively connect teams, decisions, and workflows
Client-Centric Mindset – Prioritize experience, not just deliverables
Operational Discipline – Build systems that scale excellence, not chaos
Continuous Elevation – Push the standard forward in both design and execution