Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Brand/design director
at Ormond Group
Ormond Group is seeking a brand/design director to join its team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Job summary
You will be instrumental in shaping and delivering the creative vision for our physical and brand assets. You have to be versatile and tenacious with a passion for delivering results and managing the bottom line. You will work with renowned design studios from across the globe and must be able to clearly communicate our brand pillars into a final product that allures guests, influencers and thought leaders in a variety of markets and geographies.
We view ourselves as a scrappy start-up and as a valued member of a small team, you will be expected to roll up your sleeves and work in various projects at different stages all at once. As part of the creative vision for Ormond Group, you will also be expected to give design guidance in all aspects of the guest experience, including graphic design, and be responsible for ensuring the Ormond brand is consistently reflected in all our projects.
What will you do?
- management, review and implementation of design at all stages for all projects, including new developments, conversions and renovations of existing hotels
- developing and ensuring conformity to brand pillars of great (but functional) style and design with a strong sense of place and delivering an outstanding guest experience
- a strong commercial sense is necessary to ensure cost control and adherence to budgets in order to provide a value for money experience for our guests
- provide design guidance to firm leadership including the recommendation of project/design consultants
- work closely with the commercial and marketing teams to ensure that the brand’s content and marketing collaterals are consistent with the group’s design sensibilities and brand intent
- manage external project/design consultants on a day-to-day basis
- overview and preparation of design briefs and guidelines
- review designs for brands and F&B concepts
- in smaller refurbishment projects, undertake turnkey responsibility for the concept to project management and implementation
- contribute to localization/region-specific requirements to brand standards
- participate in projects design review workshops/meetings
- prepare and deliver reports and presentations to firm leadership
- participate actively in value engineering stages of design for each project and ensure that brand standards and quality are not compromised in the process
- work with pre-opening team and project managers on new hotel openings
- participate with design scope and input for all PIP’s (property improvement plans)
- work with operations to provide timely design reviews and approvals
- create project-specific design narratives, presentations and guidance for use internally and externally
- participate in post-opening design reviews
- to keep abreast with trends in the travel and hospitality sector to introduce fresh ideas and design perspectives to our business
Who must you be?
- registered qualified architect or degree educated interior designer with strong planning skills and understanding of hotel spaces, facilities and interior design or equivalent qualification
- extensive experience in hospitality design
- either currently working for or have worked for a major international hotel company in a similar capacity, or major design or management role in architects or interior designers’ office on hotel and large mixed-use developments
- ability to work with and gain respect and trust of third party owner/developers architects, interior designers, engineers, contractors and across the company
- flexibility and sensitivity in the method of dealing with various people, personalities, cultures
- willing and able to take ownership and responsibility for multiple projects at one time
- happy to work in a start-up environment in a small team where everyone is expected to do all tasks, big or small, to deliver results
- ability to endure extensive travel, required on supporting projects under development, or hotels undergoing renovation, across Asia, Europe and Australia
- strong design background and proficiency with AutoCAD, along with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Photoshop and InDesign.
- strong knowledge of FF&E, furniture detailing, construction methods and materials.
- ability to see, develop and take responsibility for multi-discipline design/planning solutions
- able to work independently and possess good communication skills both written and verbal
- fluent English
What’s in it for you?
An opportunity to join a close-knit, dynamic and ambitious group that rewards results through competitive remuneration packages. The team is lean and nimble and applies an all hands-on deck attitude to get things done. There are opportunities for accelerated career growth, training and development for the right candidates. You will also get the chance to interact and work closely with senior management to learn how to build successful businesses!