Principal, Interiors Market Leader Position Profile
ABOUT WIGHT & COMPANY
Wight & Company’s recognition as top-ranked leaders in architecture, engineering and interior design celebrates over 80 years of their continuing passion to make a better world. Founded in 1939 by Col. Raulin B. Wight as a civil engineering firm, their legacy is one of innovating ideas, technologies and responsible solutions ahead of their time. They disrupted the industry more than two decades ago with integrated Design Led-Design Build services, promising design and delivery excellence at unrivaled schedules and budgets. For more than 30 years, they have been at the forefront of delivering environmental solutions that at the time were not yet visualized and eventually became mainstream behind us.
Today, with the leadership of Chairman and CEO Mark Wight, they are an award-winning, fully integrated Design and Delivery firm with offices in Darien, Chicago, and Denver staffed with over 200 design, engineering and interior specialists, each dedicated to creating meaningful impact in the world today and in perpetuity.
Wight & Company has retained us to find an experienced professional to become a senior leader of their Corporate Interiors/Workplace Strategy market in their Chicago office.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Principal, Interiors will be based in Chicago as the market leader and will report to the President of the organization. They will play a key leadership role in the growth of the corporate interiors divison, driving strategy, and business development, in addition to overseeing design direction and providing overall practice leadership to the Interiors team. As a market-facing leader, they will have deep knowledge of critical issues and trends impacting the corporate interiors sector and drive the growth of Wight’s brand and reputation through thought leadership and strategic relationships.
The successful candidate will come with a 360 view of the business, interacting with clients and possessing the ability to assess, understand and execute complex projects. This person will be a seller-doer with high energy, drive who thrives in a challenging, entrepreneurial, fast-paced and dynamic environment, acting as an authoritative figure while not losing sight of the details. This individual will have a reputation for working with discretion, integrity, ethical decision making, while not being afraid to be “hands-on” with a high degree of responsiveness, strong attention to detail and common sense. This person will be a recognized leader in the architecture and design industry.
The successful candidate will be highly entrepreneurial, thrive on collaboration, and possess a holistic and deep understanding of the elements to drive a profitable operation. They will lead, nurture, and grow teams within the Interiors Group and for the organization. A key priority will be to continue the development of each individual staff member while enhancing the overall capability and capacity of the team.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead business development activities and strategies to secure new work and expand Wight’s presence in the Corporate Interiors market
- Champion the firm’s strategic planning efforts to grow the corporate interiors business
- Strengthen the firm’s market reputation and image to grow relationships and Wight’s client base through thought leadership, attending business development events, leading presentations, authoring publications, and having an active social media presence
- Develop sales projections and assist in market forecasting
- Play a lead role in fostering existing and new client relationships
- Write and coordinate proposal development and determination of fees
- Provide project leadership and delivery assistance in the early stages of project conception
- Supervise project teams and oversee production of drawings and documents, as needed
- Coach/mentor staff and next-generation leaders
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of relevant experience, a professional degree in architecture and/or interior design, strong business connections, and a proven record of successful practice in the local market. Other desired qualifications include:
- Established client relationships and ability to develop new client relationships
- Track record in developing winning pursuit strategies
- Demonstrated history of thought knowledge (thought?) leadership in Interiors
- Experience with projects of wide-ranging scope, including large-scale, programmatically complex projects
- Ability to recruit, mentor, and retain high-quality professional staff
- Experience in building, directing, and launching successful teams
- Collaborative and consensus-based approach to decision making
- A motivated, curious, “growth-minded” persona with great flexibility and undeterred by ambiguity
- Adept at storytelling with exceptional communication and presentation skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture or Interior Design
- Professional licensure and LEED-AP, preferred
- Strong understanding of Workplace Strategy and Interior Architecture
- Dedication to excellence in client service, design, and execution
- Growing understanding of data collection and analytics
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Title: Managing Director Email: blayton@comharpartners.com Direct: (239) 345-4050 Mobile: (847) 722-4180
Title: Director
Email: awatkins@comharpartners.com
Direct: (312) 313-8458
Mobile: (847) 651-8116
