[Hiring] Lead Interior Designer @Utopia

Role Description

We are looking for an ambitious and highly creative Lead Interior Designer to lead the design and delivery of high-end residential and hospitality projects. The successful candidate will have a proven record of completed projects and will be able to demonstrate their personal contribution from concept through construction and handover. They will lead and develop the interior design team, set a strong creative direction, and create and implement design standards across projects. This is a hands-on role requiring strong design judgement, ownership and resilience. The candidate must be able to manage tasks, teams and timelines across multiple projects, including work with short deadlines, while protecting quality and raising risks early.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead interior design projects from concept through handover.
• Create and implement design standards across projects.
• Manage, develop and coordinate the interior design team.
• Set priorities, allocate tasks and track team timelines.
• Review design proposals, drawings, materials, FF&E and visualisations.
• Coordinate with project teams, consultants, contractors and suppliers.
• Resolve design and delivery issues while protecting the design intent.
• Present design proposals to clients and senior stakeholders.
• Identify and escalate risks early.

Qualifications

• Degree in Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Architecture or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience.
• At least three years of team management experience.
• Portfolio of completed high-end residential and hospitality projects.
• Demonstrated involvement from concept through construction and handover.
• Strong creativity, leadership and communication skills.
• Basic project management ability and experience managing team tasks and timelines.
• Resilience and proven ability to deliver under pressure and to short deadlines.
• Professional fluency in English.

Requirements

• Work on projects from concept to realization: contribute across the full architectural journey, from early vision and planning to execution and operational experience.
• Design with long-term impact: create spaces intended to become globally recognized hospitality destinations.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration: work closely with interiors, landscape, construction, operations, and guest experience teams from the earliest stages.
• Creative influence from the ground up: contribute ideas before projects are locked into rigid systems or external frameworks.
• Global architectural exposure: work on location-specific projects influenced by diverse cultural, environmental, and hospitality contexts.
• High design standards: join a team deeply focused on detail, materiality, atmosphere, and timeless hospitality design.
• End-to-end development insight: gain exposure not only to design, but also to execution, operations, and the realities of luxury hospitality development.
• Exposure to luxury standards and materials: work with elevated design references, premium finishes, and globally inspired concepts.
• Influence guest experience through design: contribute to how spaces function emotionally as well as aesthetically.