Director of Projects, Design - (Hybrid/Atlanta)

The Director of Projects leads the execution of the Luxury & Lifestyle design project portfolio, providing strategic and disciplined project leadership throughout the development lifecycle. The role ensures projects advance with clarity and alignment across brand vision, design intent, owner objectives, schedule, budget, and quality.

Serving as a key connection between ownership, design teams, consultants, development partners, operations, and brand leadership, the Director builds alignment around critical decisions and maintains momentum from early project visioning through design development, construction, installation, and opening. Through strong owner-facing engagement, executive presence, sound judgment, and rigorous project leadership, the Director translates design ambition into successful delivery while protecting the integrity of the Luxury & Lifestyle guest experience.

Your day to day

Portfolio & Project Leadership

• Lead the execution and oversight of a portfolio of Luxury & Lifestyle hotels through design positioning, renovation, repositioning, and conversion projects.

• Guide projects from initial vision and concept development through design documentation, procurement, construction, installation, and opening.

• Establish clear priorities, milestones, decision points, and accountability across each project.

• Identify project risks early and drive timely resolution of issues affecting design quality, schedule, budget, or delivery.

• Maintain visibility across the portfolio, escalating critical decisions and risks to leadership when appropriate.

Design Delivery & Brand Stewardship

• Ensure the original design ambition and brand experience remain intact as projects move from concept into execution.

• Partner closely with the Director of Creative Studio to translate creative direction into clear project priorities and actionable decisions.

• Lead milestone reviews across concept, schematic design, design development, mock-ups, samples, procurement, and opening readiness, consistent with the Luxury & Lifestyle project review framework.

• Evaluate design solutions holistically, balancing brand expression, guest experience, operational requirements, constructability, cost, and schedule.

• Resolve design challenges without losing the defining ideas that give each property its character and sense of place.

Owner & Stakeholder Leadership

• Serve as a senior, trusted design and project partner to hotel owners, developers, ownership representatives, consultants, and project teams.

• Lead complex conversations with confidence, diplomacy, and clarity, particularly when competing priorities require decisive direction.

• Build alignment among Ownership, Brand, Design, Development, Operations, Procurement, and external consultants.

• Frame decisions in the context of design intent, guest experience, owner investment, project risk, and long-term asset quality.

• Create clear paths forward when stakeholder priorities diverge.

Project Governance & Decision-Making

• Establish disciplined project governance, including review milestones, decision tracking, risk identification, and escalation.

• Monitor project progress against agreed schedules, budgets, scope, and quality objectives.

• Drive timely decisions and maintain accountability across internal and external project teams.

• Anticipate potential conflicts or delivery risks and develop strategies to address them before they compromise project outcomes.

• Provide leadership with concise portfolio reporting and visibility into critical project decisions, risks, and priorities.

Design Development, Procurement & Construction

• Coordinate with architecture, interior design, lighting, landscape, F&B, spa and wellness, signage, art, styling, procurement, and OS&E partners as appropriate to the project.

• Guide the review of FF&E, architectural finishes, lighting, art, signage, specialty millwork, samples, prototypes, mock-ups, and other critical guest-facing elements.

• Partner with project teams to evaluate substitutions and value-management decisions while protecting essential design and experience priorities.

• Participate in site reviews and opening-readiness assessments to ensure the delivered environment reflects the approved design vision and intended guest experience.

Team & Organizational Leadership

• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, design excellence, and solutions-oriented project leadership.

• Mentor team members in project management, owner engagement, communication, decision-making, and design execution.

• Strengthen project-management tools and working practices that create greater consistency and visibility across the Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio.

• Strengthen enterprise-wide learning and cross-pollination by sharing creative insights, emerging practices, and lessons learned across brands, regions, and disciplines.

What we need from you

• 12-15 years experience in luxury or lifestyle hospitality design, development, architecture, or project-delivery programs.

• Demonstrated understanding of the full hotel development lifecycle, from programming and concept design through documentation, procurement, construction, installation, and opening.

• Demostrated success working directly with hotel owners, developers, senior executives, designers, architects, consultants, and operators.

• Strong knowledge of hospitality interiors, architecture, FF&E, procurement, and construction processes.

• Strong executive communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.

• Ability to lead multiple complex projects simultaneously while maintaining strategic perspective and attention to critical details.

• Highly collaborative leadership style, combined with the confidence to challenge, influence, and make difficult recommendations.

• Passion for hospitality, design excellence, guest experience, and the creation of distinctive, culturally relevant destinations.

Travel – 40-60%

Location – Atlanta, GA: Our hybrid work structure is an expectation of three (3) days a week in office. This expectation may be adjusted to evolve with the changing needs of the business.

The salary range for this role is $135,000.00 to $140,000.00 . This role is also eligible for bonus pay (as applicable). We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401K, and other benefits to employees.

#LI-YM1

At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we work together to deliver True Hospitality for Good on a global scale. With corporate offices and over 6,000 hotel destinations worldwide, a career at IHG is the perfect way to broaden your horizons. You’ll experience our unique culture and brilliant colleagues who will support and inspire you. With a host of corporate opportunities to choose from, wherever you are on your career journey, and whatever you want to achieve there’s Room for You at IHG.

Over recent years, we’ve transformed our company. We have bold ambitions to drive performance and maintain our relentless focus on growth in order to be the hotel company of choice that guests & owners love.

We are a hospitality business at our core and value connections and being together helps us foster a unique sense of belonging that also supports productivity. That’s why here at IHG, we give our colleagues flexibility and balance – working in a hybrid way, blending office and remote working collectively. We recognise that every role is different, that’s why leaders work with teams to determine how and when they collaborate.

We provide a wide range of benefits designed to help you live your best work life. These include impressive room discounts across our many properties, recharge days and volunteering days throughout the year. Through our myWellbeing framework, we are committed to supporting wellbeing in your health, lifestyle, and workplace. We offer a unique and inclusive culture, where there is always Room for You to belong, grow and make a difference.

Our mission is to welcome everyone and create inclusive teams where we celebrate difference and encourage colleagues to bring their whole selves to work. IHG Hotels & Resorts provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by applicable laws. We promote a culture of trust, support, and acceptance. Always welcoming different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Don't quite meet every single requirement, but still believe you'd be a great fit for the job? We'll never know unless you hit the 'Apply' button. Start your journey with us today.

Important information :

• The salary range listed is the lowest to highest pay scale we, in good faith, believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the pay range will be based on several factors, including relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, and business or organizational needs.

• No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until it is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, or other form of compensation allocable to a particular employee remain in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

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At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We firmly believe that all our colleagues deserve to be treated equally and have the same opportunities to develop and grow their skills within our business and provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and colleagues without regard to an individual's, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or familial status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.