Design Manager, Development Department

Are you looking for a fresh, exciting & challenging career? Heartland Dental has a cutting-edge Design Manger position whose primary function is to help plan, deliver & optimize a nationwide retail construction rollout strategy. 

Heartland Dental proudly supports 1700 dental offices and more than 20,000 team members across the country. We are hard-working, fun-loving and fast-growing – looking for our next perfect fit!

Design Managers act as primary contacts and are responsible for all design and engineering aspects of our Special Projects Team (Remodels and Expansions). They lead Architectural and Engineering design partners through the design development process to produce high-quality design and construction documents that align with Heartland’s design standards while controlling cost and maintaining critical path schedules. In this role, you will report to the Sr. Construction Manager, Special Projects while directly managing a team of external designers and vendors. This position works closely with Heartland Dental’s internal Construction, Real Estate, Operations, and Facilities teams. The ideal candidate will be located in the St. Louis MO area. 

Below is an overview of the duties and responsibilities associated with this position:

• Collaborate with Real Estate and Construction functions to accomplish common Development Goals.
• Manage all facets of design (budget, schedule, A/E firm selection, VE opportunities, drawing coordination, etc.) for individual projects, including: test fits, construction documents &
• Prepare & present project status reports with team on all applicable projects designs at regularly scheduled project status
• Utilize cross-functional feedback and develop relationships with other Heartland teams to elevate design quality and delivery conditions.
• Oversee permitting process for a regional portfolio while leveraging past jurisdictional experience to expedite permitting timelines.
• Demonstrates capability to read, understand & apply standard to moderately complex documents affecting real estate projects, including, but not limited to: agreements/contract, leases, work letters, project charters, surveys &
• Perform detailed review of all construction documents in individual’s supervision in accordance with Heartland Design Standards and produce actionable red-line for A/E firm.
• Manage site analysis and/or space turnover to the construction team.
• Develop & manage a team of A/E firms, FFE vendors, and site analysis vendors including review & approval of associated contracts and invoicing.
• Contribute to regularly scheduled standards management, value engineering, and quality improvement exercises.
• Demonstrates ability to identify project risks, develop risk mitigation & contingency plans, & implement action plans to reduce or eliminate project risks and communicate the same to the construction team.
• Manage RFI workflow for each A/E firm to ensure timely responses for our construction team.
• Inspect select constructions-in-progress for adherence to construction documents and specifications in support of construction team

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS/BEng/BArch) from a college or university in a technical area of study and 2-4 years of related experience/training.
• Extensive knowledge of building construction, building design & project management methodologies.
• Project Management related software experiences (e.g., Procore, Plangrid, Lucernex, Tango, etc.).
• AutoCAD/Revit literacy strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel overnight infrequently.
• Ability to understand basic engineering concepts and notations for mechanical, plumbing, and electrical system drawings.
• Ability to present and articulate said concepts and notations, with confidence, to a variety of audiences.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Solid values with a strong work ethic & a great sense of humor!
• Highly organized & detail-oriented with impeccable follow up and follow through
• Experience in Retail Construction or Design Management
• World-class communicator with solid collaboration skills
• Works well under pressure with an innate ability to prioritize early & often
• Positive mindset in & out of the office
• Success & results-driven entrepreneurial spirit
• Flexible in an ever-evolving & growing environment

We put our people first at Heartland Dental, and that shows in our generous benefits package.

Company retains the sole discretion to change the duties of the position at any time.

We provide all employees and applicants for employment the protections of federal, state, and local laws affording equal opportunity in employment.