Workplace Design & Innovation Project Manager

WPD Innovation Project Manager

Summary

This is a full-time on-site role for a Project Manager with DeBrine Associates embedded with a confidential tech client Business Unit in the Cupertino / Sunnyvale area.

The Workplace Innovation Standards Team advances global workplace environments through the research, development, and standardization of innovative architectural materials, furniture systems, and spatial solutions. The Project Manager is central to this mission — bringing rigor, clarity, and momentum to a portfolio of R&D initiatives that shape the spaces where employees do their best work.

Description

The Project Manager will be embedded within the Workplace Innovation Standards (I S) Team and will report to the I S Lead. This role is responsible for tracking and driving a portfolio of workplace R&D initiatives from brief through implementation — maintaining precision across schedules, OpEx budgets, vendor commitments, and design review milestones in a fast-moving, high-expectation environment.

This is not a passive coordination role. The ideal candidate proactively identifies risk, drives decisions, holds partners to their commitments, and keeps the team focused on what matters. They are equally comfortable building a budget model, facilitating a design review, and pushing a vendor on a missed milestone.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain a portfolio of R&D initiative tracking within Wrike — utilizing preset Wrike Blueprints to drive workstreams in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures and Initiative Gates; maintain initiative status, milestone schedules, deliverable ownership, and cross-functional dependencies across all active workstreams.

•  Manage the OpEx budget for R&D initiatives, including vendor costs, consultant fees, mockup and prototype expenses, and material evaluation costs; maintain accurate forecasting and variance reporting.

• Develop and manage initiative schedules from brief development through design validation, vendor engagement, and final handover — ensuring the team is always moving toward the next milestone.

• Drive milestone completion and facilitate decision-making within design reviews; ensure cross-functional alignment, accountability, and timely sign-off from senior stakeholders.

•  Manage vendor and consultant relationships; hold external partners accountable to initiative milestones, deliverable quality, and contractual commitments.

• Develop thorough Scopes of Work for vendors and consultants; support preparation of legal and contractual documents required for external engagements.

• Lead and facilitate initiative status meetings with internal and external partners — driving clear agendas, action items, and follow-through.

• Partner with the I S Lead and cross-functional teams — including but not limited to Design, Construction, Facilities, Operations, and Procurement — to align initiative priorities, sequencing, and resource allocation.

• Track all deliverables supporting the standardization of space typologies and products — including material selections, furniture system specifications, and implementation guidelines across initiatives.

• Prepare and present initiative status, budget summaries, and milestone updates to senior leadership as needed; develop clear and compelling Keynote presentations to communicate progress and facilitate approvals.

•   Proactively identify risks across the initiative portfolio, escalate issues early, and develop mitigation strategies to keep programs on track.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Construction Management, or a related field

• 8 years of project management experience in architecture, construction, interior design, product development, or furniture/building systems development

•  Hands-on proficiency with Wrike or a comparable enterprise project management platform; Wrike experience strongly preferred

• Demonstrated experience managing OpEx budgets — including cost tracking, forecasting, and reporting

• Experience with furniture systems development and/or architectural materials — including specification, evaluation, and vendor coordination

• Strong vendor management skills with a proven ability to hold external partners to schedule, scope, and quality expectations

• Excellent organizational and communication skills; comfortable presenting to senior leadership and working across design, construction, and operations disciplines

•  Self-starter with a high tolerance for ambiguity; able to manage multiple concurrent initiatives independently

• Experience working in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and competing priorities


Preferred Qualifications

• Experienced in workplace, corporate interior, or real estate development programs

• Familiarity with space standardization frameworks — including tracking material, furniture, and fixture specifications across a global portfolio

• Experience facilitating design reviews and driving cross-functional decision-making processes

• Proficiency in Mac OS and Apple productivity software — Keynote, Numbers, and Pages

• Background in managing global or multi-site workplace initiatives

• Understanding of manufacturing processes, prototyping, and mockup development as part of an R&D workflow

• Familiarity with sustainable materials practices and certifications relevant to interior construction.

The salary range for this position is $175k to $200k annually, with a generous benefits

package. Compensation offered may vary based upon work location, experience,

qualifications, specialty training, and market and business considerations, among other factors.