Design Operations & Special Projects Lead

We are seeking a Design Operations & Special Projects Lead to serve as a strategic partner to senior Design Operations leadership during a critical period of transition and change.

As the organization moves from large‑scale campus initiatives into a steady‑state operating environment, this role will help ensure that design and workspace allocation functions operate with clarity, consistency, and resilience. While many core processes exist today, they are often informal, inconsistently applied, or dependent on individual institutional knowledge. At the same time, evolving ways of working are challenging traditional assumptions about how space is allocated, governed, and supported.

This role is focused on defining, documenting, and reshaping design and allocation processes so they are fit for the future—not simply preserving legacy practices. In parallel, the role will take on special projects as a trusted problem solver, independently addressing complex, ambiguous issues and delivering clear, actionable recommendations to leadership.

This is a senior, high‑autonomy role requiring strong judgment, analytical thinking, and comfort operating in environments where the future state is still taking shape.

Key Responsibilities

Design Operations & Process Definition

• Identify, document, and formalize core design and workspace allocation processes required for day‑to‑day operations, including:
  • Workspace allocation and reallocation
  • Design intake and prioritization
  • Design decision‑making, exceptions, and escalations
  • Handoffs between planning, design, and operations
• Translate institutional knowledge into clear, practical process documentation, decision frameworks, and playbooks
• Partner closely with Design Operations leadership to ensure processes reflect future‑state goals, not just historical practices

Process Evolution in an Ambiguous Environment

• Recognize and address how evolving business needs and new ways of working may require existing processes to be:
  • Stabilized
  • Refined
  • Replaced entirely
• Operate effectively in environments with emerging requirements and constraints, helping move the organization from ambiguity to workable operating models
• Surface trade‑offs, risks, and implications associated with different governance and process options

Allocation Governance & Decision Frameworks

• Support the refinement of allocation and design governance, including:
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Decision rights
  • Escalation paths
  • Standards and guardrails
• Help ensure allocation and design decisions are consistent, defensible, and aligned with enterprise principles
• Develop reference materials and tools that enable teams to apply standards independently and reduce reliance on leadership intervention

Special Projects & Independent Problem Solving

• Serve as a special project lead for complex or loosely defined issues that extend beyond current team capacity or established processes
• Independently frame ambiguous problems and develop:
  • Clear problem definitions
  • Options with associated impacts and risks
  • Well‑reasoned recommendations
• Present concise, actionable proposals that leadership can confidently act upon
• Act as a trusted partner and “pressure release valve” for leadership when issues fall outside normal processes or norms

What Success Looks Like

• Core design and workspace allocation processes are clearly defined, documented, and consistently applied
• Teams operate with less dependency on individual institutional knowledge
• Leadership can confidently delegate complex, ambiguous issues knowing they will be thoughtfully analyzed and resolved
• Design Operations is positioned to adapt as workplace needs and ways of working continue to evolve