Head of Studio

Job Description

Job Description

The Head of Studio will provide overall leadership, design guidance, business judgment, and project management to The Studio at WS Development. The Studio is responsible for the design and execution behind all buildings, master plans, outdoor spaces, tenant spaces, and signage across WS’s properties. The studio is responsible for making beautiful, functional, and inspirational places where people want to spend time.

This role focuses on managing the people, processes, and priorities that enable great design in addition to setting strategy, assessing priorities, and providing design direction on specific projects as well as in regards to overall company goals. The ideal candidate will bring leadership, operational strength, strategic thinking, business plan savviness and a deep respect for and fluency in design, empowering a talented team of individual contributors to do their best work.

Working closely with cross-functional partners and senior leadership, the Head of Studio will shape and execute planning and design strategies that support WS’s success, positioning the company as a leader in thoughtful, impactful best-in class commercial development.

Key Responsibilities

Design Vision & Oversight

• Understand the nuances of the different properties from a customer, tenant, and business perspective to enable the ability to give direction on design decisions

• Be a student of best practices across design disciplines also to enable direction on specific projects

• Identify outside resources such as architects and landscape architects to engage on specific projects

Process & Operations

• Develop and implement systems that improve design quality, technical expertise, workflow efficiency, and client service
• Partner with cross-functional teams to establish project goals, budgets, timelines, and resource allocations — and ensure they stay on track
• Oversee occasional contract execution and consultant coordination in partnership with Studio team members and other departments.
• Maintain visibility into team capacity and project pipeline to enable smart, agile staffing decisions
• Support internal reporting functions, including time coding and salary reimbursement processes

Team & Resources

• Create and manage a flexible resource plan that supports both near- and long-term planning and design needs
• Lead and mentor a high-performing team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development
• Facilitate strong communication between Studio and its internal partners to ensure alignment, responsiveness, and clarity
• Serve as a thoughtful advocate for Studio team needs within the broader organization

Requirements

• Architecture and/or design experience
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing teams, with a focus on motivation, accountability, and communication
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional initiatives with multiple stakeholders and moving parts
• Strong organizational, negotiation, and strategic planning skills
• Experience working with design consultants or in design-led environments (architecture or related fields) preferred
• Creative sensibility and enthusiasm for working in a design-forward, collaborative setting — professional or personal experience in creative environments strongly preferred

About WS Development

Massachusetts-based WS Development is a mixed-use developer with a singular mission: creating places people want to be. With an approach that values art, science, innovation and, above all else, people, WS strives to engage each community it serves with best-in-class experiences, designed with our customers, tenants and partners in mind. Established in 1990, WS is one of few vertically-integrated real estate companies that conceptualizes, owns, operates and leases more than 100 properties that range from cutting-edge urban spaces to lifestyle and community centers. With over 22 million square feet of existing space and an additional nine million square feet under development, it is one of the largest privately-owned development firms in the country.

WS is where great ideas and great people come together to design, build, and operate some of the best loved real estate projects in the country. We live at the intersection of entrepreneurship and establishment. We have the infrastructure of decades supporting a culture of free-thinking excellence.

We expect every WS employee to feel welcomed and valued irrespective of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, and life experiences. Or for any other reason.