Design Manager

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way.  

Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong.  Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward.   

What this job involves:

JLL's Workplace and Healthcare Design Advisory practice is shaping the future of the built environment, and we are seeking a Design Manager to join our North America practice, focused in the Toronto market.

Our team is building something distinctive -- a design and advisory business grounded in evidence, anchored in human behaviour, and committed to making the built environment work harder for the organisations and people it serves. We combine workplace strategy and advisory, design excellence, and project leadership and delivery to help organisations shape environments that drive performance and wellbeing.

We are looking for a Design Manager who will be the design backbone of our Canadian practice. This is a role for someone who takes genuine pride in the quality and craft of design work, who leads project teams with confidence and care, and who understands that great design begins with asking the right questions before a single line is drawn.

You will be responsible for the day-to-day design leadership of the Canadian studio -- managing projects from brief through delivery, guiding and developing the design team, maintaining quality standards, and ensuring every piece of work that leaves this practice reflects the highest level of design thinking and execution.

The Design Manager will report to the SVP Studio Director, and work in close collaboration with the EVP, Workplace and Healthcare Design Advisory, Americas. As the practice expands its healthcare advisory footprint across North America, this role offers a meaningful opportunity to develop experience in healthcare design, a sector undergoing significant transformation and investment.

What your day-to-day will look like:

Design Leadership and Project Delivery

• Lead the design process on Canadian workplace projects from brief through to occupancy, ensuring design intent is realised at every stage of delivery.
• Provide clear creative direction to the design team, making confident decisions on design approach, space planning, materiality, and finish selection.
• Review and quality assure all design documentation, drawings, and specifications produced by the team, maintaining a consistent standard of excellence across all outputs.
• Manage project timelines, design budgets, and team resources effectively across multiple concurrent engagements.
• Work with leadership to understand resourcing needs to further support the growth of the North American and Canadian workplace practice.
• Balance the need to lead active projects and those in the pipeline, bringing stability and direction to the studio from day one.
• Coordinate with consultants, contractors, and client-side project managers to ensure smooth design delivery through construction and handover.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Canadian design team, building individual capability and fostering a collaborative, high-performing studio culture.
• Provide regular feedback and guidance to designers at all levels, supporting their professional growth and technical development.
• Participate in the hiring of design team members, contributing to team composition and culture.
• Model the values and standards of the practice -- intellectual curiosity, design rigour, client focus, and a commitment to doing the work well.

Design Standards and Practice

• Establish and maintain design standards, workflows, and quality benchmarks that reflect JLL's position as a premium design advisory practice.
• Ensure all project work is grounded in a clear understanding of the client's organisational context, workforce needs, and business objectives.
• Champion the integration of workplace strategy and evidence-based design thinking into every project brief and design response.
• Maintain current knowledge of workplace design trends, materials, technology, and industry best practice, and bring that knowledge into the studio.
• Contribute to design knowledge management, including project documentation, case studies, and design standards resources.

Client Engagement

• Participate in client design presentations, workshops, and review sessions, communicating design thinking clearly and confidently to non-design audiences.
• Build strong working relationships with clients, earning trust through design credibility, responsiveness, and a genuine interest in their organisation.
• Contribute to proposal development and RFP responses, providing design input that demonstrates the quality and approach of the practice.

Healthcare Design (Opportunity)

• Contribute to healthcare advisory engagements as the practice grows, bringing design leadership to clinical and non-clinical environment projects.
• Develop fluency in healthcare design principles, regulatory requirements, and the operational context of health system clients over time.
• Collaborate with the EVP and advisory team to bring design execution capability to healthcare engagements across Canada and the United States.

Qualifications and Experience

Education and Professional Credentials

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Interior Design, Architecture, or a related field.

• NCIDQ certification is required.

• Membership in ARIDO strongly preferred; OAA registration an asset.

• BCIN for complex buildings preferred, or demonstrated intent to pursue.

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in commercial interior design, with significant time in senior leadership.

• Proven track record of leading design projects across the full lifecycle -- from brief to occupancy -- in the commercial workplace sector.

• Demonstrated success in business development: building client relationships, winning mandates, and growing a book of work independently.

• Experience leading and managing design teams, with a track record of building strong studio culture and developing designers.

• Prior experience at recognized Canadian or North American design firms is a strong asset; pedigree that carries credibility with clients, brokers, and the design community.

• Experience in healthcare, higher education, or other complex sectors is an asset, particularly for candidates interested in the healthcare growth opportunity.

Skills and Attributes

• Exceptional design sensibility -- able to direct and elevate design work across a range of project types and scales.

• A natural authority in the room -- inspires confidence in clients, commands respect from design teams, and holds their own with senior internal stakeholders.

• Strategic thinker who understands the business case behind the brief and can integrate advisory thinking with design execution.

• Strong communicator and presenter, able to articulate design thinking clearly to non-design audiences including corporate real estate leaders and C-suite clients.

• Commercially minded with genuine BD instincts -- understands that winning work is part of the role, not separate from it.

• Proficiency in Revit, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, and related design tools.

• Fluency in Canadian building codes, accessibility standards, and commercial construction practices.

About JLL Workplace & Healthcare Design Advisory

JLL's Workplace & Healthcare Design Advisory practice operates across Canada and the United States, providing design advisory, workplace strategy, and space planning services to corporate, healthcare, and institutional clients. Our methodology integrates evidence-based strategy with design execution, helping organizations make better decisions about their built environments.

We are building one of the most distinctive design advisory practices in North America -- one that treats the built environment as a lever for organizational performance, staff wellbeing, and client outcomes. The Design Manager who joins us will be a meaningful part of that story.

JLL is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and encourage candidates who bring perspectives that reflect the communities and clients we serve.

This range represents the estimated base salary and actual compensation may differ. Final base salary is determined by various considerations including but not limited to candidate qualifications, location, market conditions, and internal considerations. Some roles and employees may be eligible for discretionary bonuses, benefits, or other compensation.

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If this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements.  We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!

At JLL, we harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently accelerate meaningful connections between candidates and opportunities. Using AI capabilities, we analyze your application for relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications to generate valuable insights about how your unique profile aligns with the specific requirements of the role you're pursuing.

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