Job DescriptionThe GREWE Property Development team is responsible for delivering a new global headquarters from concept to completion. They lead the full lifecycle of the project-overseeing design, coordinating construction, managing stakeholders, and ensuring the building is fully prepared for operations. This team is responsible for ensuring the headquarters is delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with organizational goals and future workplace needs.
ResponsibilitiesDirector, Design Management - Workplace DesignThis role will operate in close partnership with the Project Engineering & Design Director (Design Integration Lead), who serves as the overall integrator of the design intent, design governance, quality assurance, and cross-project design integration.
Shape the Future of Work at American Express
The Director, Workplace Design will be responsible for defining and delivering the environments where colleagues spend most of their workday.
This leader will drive the vision, strategy, and execution of workplace environments across the headquarters program, ensuring spaces support productivity, flexibility, innovation, wellbeing, and collaboration while reflecting the American Express brand and culture.
The role extends beyond traditional office design. The successful candidate will help define how workplace environments enable business performance, team connectivity, employee engagement, and evolving hybrid work practices for years to come.
Responsibilities Include- Partner with the Design Integration Lead to ensure workplace environments align with the broader architectural, hospitality, amenity, and campus-wide design vision.
- Partner with the Workplace Strategy team to transform future-of-work strategy and organizational priorities into differentiated workplace design solutions, scalable standards, and experience frameworks that establish the headquarters as a benchmark for the future of work while advancing business performance and the colleague experience.
- Advocate for workplace user requirements while balancing program-wide design standards, operational objectives, and executive design direction established through design governance processes.
- Collaborate with the Design Lead to establish workplace design guidelines, planning principles, and performance standards that can be consistently applied across the headquarters program.
- Translate business, workplace strategy, operational, and brand requirements into deliverable design solutions.
- Ensure alignment between executive vision, user needs, and project delivery objectives.
- Lead all architectural and interior design activities across concept, schematic design, design development, and construction documentation.
- Oversee workplace and executive environments.
- Maintain design quality and design intent throughout construction and commissioning.
- Coordinate all engineering disciplines including Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection, Vertical Transportation, Acoustics, Security, Technology, and Specialty Systems.
- Ensure all engineering systems are fully integrated and coordinated.
- Lead design reviews, clash detection, constructability reviews, and technical risk assessments.
- Manage engineering scope, design changes, and technical decision-making processes.
- Integrate Digital and Smart Building requirements into the design process.
- Coordinate building technology, workplace technology, AV, IoT, workplace experience platforms, and smart building infrastructure.
- Support implementation of BIM, digital twins, data integration strategies, smart building platforms, and operational readiness requirements.
- Coordinate technology stakeholders to ensure future-ready workplace environments.
- Lead design-to-budget management throughout all phases.
- Review estimates, cost plans, and value engineering opportunities.
- Evaluate cost impacts of design decisions and design changes.
- Manage scope growth and support change control governance.
- Optimize value while protecting user experience, quality, and functionality.
- Lead the evaluation of proposed value engineering initiatives, cost optimization measures, and technical modifications to ensure business objectives are achieved without compromising the approved design vision.
- Integrate all design activities into the master project schedule.
- Manage consultant deliverables, approvals, procurement dependencies, and long-lead packages.
- Monitor design critical path activities and drive schedule recovery plans when required.
- Coordinate design sequencing with construction, procurement, and commissioning activities.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate design, engineering, cost, schedule, procurement, and operational risks.
- Maintain design risk registers and participate in project risk reviews.
- Proactively address design coordination gaps, constructability issues, and technical challenges.
- Escalate critical risks that could impact project objectives.
- Lead architects, engineers, workplace consultants, specialty consultants, and vendor partners.
- Manage consultant procurement, contracts, performance, schedules, and deliverables.
- Ensure coordination across multiple design and engineering disciplines.
- Drive accountability for quality, responsiveness, and delivery performance.
- Partner with Construction Management and Project Controls teams to ensure smooth delivery.
- Review RFIs, submittals, shop drawings, mock-ups, and change requests.
- Support commissioning, turnover, and operational readiness activities.
- Champion workplace excellence and employee experience outcomes.
- Ensure spaces support collaboration, focus work, flexibility, wellness, accessibility, and inclusivity.
- Balance operational efficiency with hospitality and user experience expectations.
- Lead design reviews, approvals, and change management processes.
- Prepare executive-level presentations and decision materials.
- Maintain decision logs, design registers, and approval records.
Provide clear reporting on design progress, cost impacts, schedule impacts, risks, and key decisions.
ImpactThe Workplace Design Director will directly influence how thousands of colleagues experience the workplace every day and will help define the future of work at American Express.
Why This Role Matter's This leaders will shape the physical experience of the American Express global headquarters.
- The Workplace Design Director will focus on how colleagues work.
- This role will play a critical role in delivering GREWE's vision of: Providing the best workplace experience for every colleague, every day, at a competitive cost.
Partnership with the Project Engineering & Design Director (Design Integration Lead)- Partner closely with the Project Engineering & Design Director (Design Integration Lead) to translate executive vision, business objectives, workplace strategy, and brand aspirations into coordinated design solutions that support the overall headquarters design vision.
- Execute design responsibilities within established program design standards, design governance frameworks, and approved design principles established for the Project.
- Collaborate with the Design Integration Lead to ensure all workplace, amenity, hospitality, base building, and specialty design elements function as a cohesive and integrated user experience.
- Lead formal design reviews with the Design Integration Lead and other key project team members to ensure consistency of design quality, user experience, materiality, functionality, and brand expression across all project workstreams.
- Support the Design Integration Lead in maintaining continuity of design intent throughout programming, design development, construction documentation, procurement, construction, commissioning, and project closeout.
- Escalate design conflicts, scope overlaps, competing stakeholder requirements, and cross-disciplinary coordination issues for resolution through established design governance processes.
- Coordinate closely with other project design leaders and consultants to ensure assigned design packages align with overall program objectives, approved standards, and project-wide design decisions.
- Participate in mock-up reviews, material evaluations, prototype testing, and design validation activities to confirm that executed work aligns with approved design intent.
- Contribute to design quality assurance processes and field verification activities to ensure constructed work reflects approved designs, standards, and user experience objectives.
- Collaborate with the Design Integration Lead during construction administration to review RFIs, submittals, shop drawings, mock-ups, substitutions, and field conditions affecting design outcomes.
- Serve as a subject matter expert for assigned design areas while supporting program-wide integration and consistency across all design disciplines.
How Will You Make an Impact in This Role?- Serve as the owner's design leader for assigned project areas while operating within the program-wide design governance framework established for the project.
- Collaborate with the Design Integration Lead to ensure all design solutions support the approved headquarters vision, design standards, quality expectations, and user experience objectives.
- Drive excellence within assigned design scope while contributing to integrated, program-wide design outcomes across all workstreams.
- Participate in design certification and quality assurance reviews to verify that completed work aligns with approved design intent and established project standards.
- Support program leadership in preventing fragmentation across multiple consultants, delivery packages, and stakeholder groups through disciplined design coordination and governance.
- Establish and maintain design quality standards across all phases of project delivery. Ensuring seamless integration and alignment with other parts of the project.
- Lead programming, concept development, design reviews, and milestone approvals.
- Lead Target Value Design approach and as necessary guide value engineering efforts while preserving design intent and user experience.
- Direct external architects, engineers, specialty consultants, and vendor partners.
- Lead consultant procurement, selection, contract negotiations, and performance management.
- Integrate design activities into overall program schedules and construction sequencing plans.
- Oversee design reviews, decision-making, approvals, and change control processes.
- Build strong partnerships across project team, executive leadership and business units.
- Present recommendations and design updates to executive steering committees and HQ Stakeholder groups.
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Construction Management, or related field.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in architecture, interior design, workplace design, hospitality design, design management, or corporate real estate project delivery.
- Minimum 5 years of owner-side experience leading large-scale corporate, commercial, hospitality, or headquarters projects.
- Proactive critical thinking and qualitative/quantitative problem-solving skills (issue identification, problem structuring, analysis, development of recommendations)
- Exceptional organizational skills and ability to focus on details while not losing sight of the big picture
- Ability to easily partner with and influence senior leaders across the AXP organization
- Strong team player, ability to take direction and remain flexible and adaptable to changing priorities.
- Exceptional communication, presentation, leadership, and influencing skills.
Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.
About the TeamWe back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:
- Competitive base salaries
- Bonus incentives
- 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan
- Free financial coaching and financial well-being support
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
- Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
- 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy
- Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
- Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds progra
