Project Lead
San Francisco
Full-time

You will work with our San Francisco team to oversee and manage a major wayfinding design program.

We are a multi-disciplinary team of strategists and designers with a global reputation for improving the experience of cities, transit systems, airports, and destinations. With a growing client base in San Francisco and Los Angeles, this is a new role with scope to lead and contribute to many high-profile and innovative projects.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced and diligent candidate, with proven project management skills and a good understanding of complex design programs.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced, dedicated, and self-motivated Project Lead with 8+ years of industry experience to join our growing team in San Francisco.

In particular, we would like to meet candidates who have experience in the development, management, and/or delivery of complex, user-centered design projects. Experience of working in aviation, or similarly complex environments is advantageous.

With the necessary support from the team, you will transition to become our day-to-day lead on SFO’s Wayfinding Design Program under the direction of our Management Team in the U.S. & UK. You will work with a growing team of designers based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and the UK. Your design experience and skills will ensure clear communication with the client team and help direct effective working processes, resulting in exemplary design outputs.

A willingness to travel is desirable as projects are based in California and across the U.S.


Key responsibilities

Provide a main point of contact for the client team

Develop and build client relationships

Liaise with sub-consultants and collaborators

Report to and collaborate with UK and U.S. Management Team

Monitor project status, risks, schedule, and reporting processes

Manage program budgets and deadlines

Evolve effective working processes

Conduct and/or support client meetings and workshops

Champion systems thinking, system design principles, and design quality

Evolve new projects and areas of service

Delegate to and oversee Designers on the project

Present project updates to internal teams and project collaborators


Project responsibilities

Provide strategic direction and guidance to the project team

Lead on key aspects of the project: from research, ideation, and conceptualization, to detailed design, planning, and implementation

Initiate and conduct necessary client meetings and workshops

Initiate and conduct necessary site surveys and on-site analysis

Oversee the development and visualization of design concepts

Oversee and support system design and planning activities

Support narrative development for presentations, documentation, and other project outputs

Support user research, testing, and prototyping activities

Provide quality assurance and approvals for draft and final outputs

Present project updates to clients and project collaborators, including engineers, architects, designers and fabricators


What we are looking for

A creative and pragmatic thinker, capable of generating ideas, conducting research, developing propositions, and interacting effectively with the wider team

Degree level qualification/s in Design, Urban Planning, Change Management, Project Management, or other related field

A thorough understanding of Systems Design

A clear communicator with strong spoken and written communication skills

An organized planner with an understanding of the design process who can anticipate, recognize, and capture project progress and disseminate relevant information to different audiences

A self-motivated team-player who can work efficiently remotely or in a studio

5+ years professional experience

Highly proficient with Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft365


What we can offer you

A competitive salary with opportunities for progression

20 days annual leave, plus public holidays

Private health cover

401(k) plan

Flexible working culture

A dynamic and collaborative environment, where curiosity and originality are encouraged and rewarded

Access to ongoing professional development

Casual smart dress is business as usual

Apple laptop


Management responsibilities

Conduct weekly project management meetings with the client team

Update project management tools such as schedules, resource allocation, and forecasts

Report weekly to Senior Management Team

Support San Francisco team development and annual review process

Track project hours and collate time sheets for invoicing

Prepare and issue monthly invoices


City ID is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to ensuring all employees and qualified applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. If you are interested but unsure if you have what we are looking for please contact us.


To apply

Please email a Cover Letter, Resumé, reference details, current and/or expectations of starting salary/package, and your portfolio to info@cityid.com with ‘Project Lead, San Francisco, (your name) as the subject.

Salary will be tailored to reflect your level of experience. Please note, for this role we can only consider candidates who are authorized to work in the U.S.