ZYNK DESIGN LIMITED
Design Project Manager
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Zynk is a specialist commercial interior architecture and design practice creating exceptional spaces across the health, fitness, wellness, hospitality, and leisure sectors. We work with leading operators, developers, and brands to create environments that combine strong design, commercial thinking, and operational performance. As Zynk continues to grow, we are looking for an experienced Design & Project Manager to strengthen the way we manage and deliver our projects.
The Role
The Design & Project Manager will sit at the centre of Zynk's project delivery process, acting as the key link between the client, directors, and design team.
The role is primarily about coordination, communication, programme management, and delivery rather than being the lead designer.
You will ensure that projects are properly planned, information is available when required, the design team understands what needs to be delivered, and clients receive a professional and consistent service.
The successful candidate will be highly organised, commercially aware, and confident dealing with clients and creative teams.
You will be responsible for keeping projects moving, identifying problems before they become issues, and ensuring the design team can concentrate on producing great design.
Key Responsibilities
Project Management
- Take day-to-day responsibility for coordinating a portfolio of Zynk projects.
- Establish project programmes and key milestones.
- Maintain project trackers and delivery schedules.
- Monitor progress against agreed programmes.
- Coordinate design deliverables across the project team.
- Identify potential delays, risks, and resource issues at an early stage.
- Ensure actions from meetings are recorded, allocated, and followed through.
- Coordinate information required from clients, consultants, and suppliers.
- Maintain clear project records.
- Ensure projects progress through Zynk's agreed stages and processes.
Design Team Coordination
- Act as the day-to-day coordination point for the design team.
- Brief designers clearly on project requirements, deadlines, and priorities.
- Monitor workload and resource requirements across projects.
- Coordinate drawing, specification, CGI, and presentation deadlines.
- Ensure designers have the information they need to complete their work.
- Identify clashes between deadlines and team resources.
- Work with the Design Director and Directors to allocate resources appropriately.
- Help establish realistic deadlines and ensure they are achieved.
- Encourage a structured and accountable approach to project delivery.
Client Management
- Maintain regular communication with clients throughout projects.
- Organise and coordinate client meetings.
- Prepare meeting agendas and ensure appropriate Zynk team members attend.
- Record meeting actions and ensure they are followed through.
- Manage day-to-day client queries and requests.
- Ensure clients understand project progress, upcoming milestones, and information requirements.
- Identify potential client issues and escalate them to the relevant Director where necessary.
- Build strong, professional relationships with key clients.
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Project Programme
- Develop and maintain project programmes.
- Track key design deliverables and information release dates.
- Coordinate internal deadlines with client and consultant requirements.
- Monitor project progress against programme.
- Highlight slippage and agree corrective actions.
- Ensure project teams understand upcoming priorities.
- Provide Directors with regular updates on project status.
Commercial Awareness
- Working alongside the Directors, you will help ensure projects are delivered commercially as well as creatively.
- Responsibilities will include:
- Monitoring project scope against agreed fees.
- Identifying potential scope creep.
- Highlighting additional work requests.
- Ensuring additional services are identified and referred to Directors for approval.
- Monitoring project hours/resources against agreed budgets where appropriate.
- Assisting Directors with project forecasting.
- Supporting fee proposals and variations when required.
- Ensuring agreed deliverables are clearly understood by the design team.
- The role will not have responsibility for fee approval or commercial sign-off, but will be expected to identify commercial issues early.
Project Meetings
- Coordinate internal project meetings.
- Prepare agendas.
- Ensure the correct team members attend.
- Record decisions and actions.
- Maintain action trackers.
- Chase outstanding actions.
- Ensure decisions are communicated to the wider project team.
- Provide Directors with concise project updates.
Quality & Process
- Help maintain Zynk's project management procedures.
- Ensure consistent project documentation.
- Improve project workflows and processes.
- Help develop templates, checklists, and project management systems.
- Identify opportunities to make the design team's working practices more efficient.
- Support continuous improvement across the studio.
Project Handover
- Ensure projects are properly closed out.
- Confirm outstanding deliverables are completed.
- Coordinate final client information.
- Ensure project files and documentation are properly organised.
- Capture lessons learned for future projects.
- Support the creation of project case studies and marketing information where appropriate.
What This Role Is NOT
The Design & Project Manager will not replace the Design Director or Lead Designer.
They will not be responsible for:
- Setting the creative direction.
- Producing the primary design concepts.
- Replacing the Lead Designer.
- Taking responsibility for construction or contractor management.
- Making final creative decisions.
Their role is to make the design team more effective and the client experience more professional.
Candidate Profile
We are looking for someone who has experience working within an interior design, architecture, workplace, hospitality, leisure, fitness, or related design environment.
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The ideal candidate will have:
- 5+ years' relevant professional experience.
- Strong project management and organisational skills.
- Experience coordinating creative/design teams.
- Experience dealing directly with clients.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Experience managing project programmes and deadlines.
- Good understanding of the design process.
- Commercial awareness.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Confidence working with senior designers and Directors.
- A proactive approach to problem-solving.
- The ability to remain calm when projects become busy.
- Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
- Experience with project management software.
- Experience with commercial health, fitness, wellness, or leisure projects would be particularly advantageous.
Personal Attributes
The successful candidate will be:
- Organised – able to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
- Proactive – identifies problems before they become problems.
- Confident – comfortable communicating with clients, designers, and Directors.
- Commercially aware – understands that good project management protects both the client relationship and Zynk's profitability.
- Diplomatic – able to challenge deadlines and expectations without damaging relationships.
- Detail focused – understands that small missed actions can create major project problems.
- Accountable – takes ownership and follows things through.
- Positive – brings structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
- Design aware – understands and respects the creative process.
Key Performance Indicators
Success in the role will be measured against:
- Projects delivered in accordance with agreed programmes.
- Reduction in missed deadlines.
- Reduction in outstanding project actions.
- Improved client communication.
- Improved design-team utilisation.
- Early identification of project risks.
- Improved control of project scope.
- Improved project profitability.
- Consistency of project management across Zynk.
- Positive client feedback.
Salary & Benefits
Salary: £40,000–£45,000 depending on experience.
Benefits to include:
- 20 days annual holiday plus 8 UK national holidays.
- Pension.
- Company benefits package.
- Hybrid/flexible working where appropriate.
- Career development opportunities.
- Opportunity to work on high-profile international health, fitness, wellness, and leisure projects.
The Opportunity
This is an important role within Zynk.
We are looking for someone who can bring structure, accountability, and excellent communication to our project delivery process without compromising the creativity that makes Zynk successful.
The successful candidate will become an important part of the senior operational team and will have a direct influence on how Zynk delivers projects as the business continues to grow.
Send your CV to enquire@zynkdesign.com
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