Vice President of Design
Magnifica (Hospitality + Airline) | Windermere, FL | Full-Time
Job Summary
Magnifica is hiring a Vice President of Design to lead internal design teams across Magnifica Hospitality (private residences and resorts) and Magnifica Air (private-class airline). This role drives creative direction within Magnifica’s signature design philosophy, establishes standards, and ensures projects move from concept to execution with consistency and operational discipline. A key part of the role is building and maintaining relationships with world-class luxury designers, producers, and retailers—strengthening sourcing capabilities and ensuring access to exceptional materials, craftsmanship, and specialty production.
Note: In the refined version, all strong tags are treated as bold; for clarity, bold emphasis is retained where needed.
Responsibilities
- Design Direction + Standards
- Define and maintain design standards across residences, resorts, and aviation environments.
- Create guidelines for materiality, furnishings, lighting, finishes, and detailing.
- Ensure design decisions support guest experience and operational realities (durability, maintenance, lifecycle).
- Leadership + Team Management
- Lead internal design teams and key external partners; set priorities, roles, and expectations.
- Recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing designers and support functions.
- Establish review rhythms that improve quality and speed (critiques, approvals, documentation standards).
- Operational Delivery (DesignOps)
- Build repeatable workflows from concept through procurement and installation.
- Own design timelines, budgets, resource planning, and quality control checkpoints.
- Implement templates and systems for FF&E schedules, finish packages, vendor briefs, and punch lists.
- Sourcing + High-End Partnerships
- Develop and maintain a network of designers, artisans, fabricators, showrooms, and specialty suppliers.
- Create preferred-vendor programs and sourcing standards to improve reliability, pricing leverage, and lead-times.
- Support contracting, lead-time tracking, and vendor performance management in coordination with procurement and project teams.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with development, construction, operations, and brand teams to align design intent with execution requirements.
- Hospitality: support concept and delivery for public spaces, guest rooms/residences, amenities, and F&B environments.
- Air: support cabin interiors and onboard design elements in coordination with technical and operational requirements.
Qualifications & Experience
- 10+ years of design experience with leadership responsibility; luxury hospitality and/or high-end residential strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality design outcomes within schedule, budget, and build constraints.
- Strong understanding of FF&E procurement, fabrication timelines, vendor management, and quality control.
- High standards for taste and detailing, balanced with practical decision-making.
- Clear executive communication and strong cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Attributes
- Experience establishing design standards across multiple properties or product lines.
- A strong network across luxury design, fabrication, and specialty sourcing.