Sr Manager, Architectural Design

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our exciting team of employees. Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation & benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world. 

The Sr Manager, Commodities & Design Eye plays a pivotal leadership role within the Newbuild Design team. This role is responsible for overseeing the FF&E and Commodities for newbuilds, and revitalization projects as well as ensuring design excellence whilst upholding the brand vision.  

The Sr. Manager will be a cross-functional liaison, responsible for guiding internal teams and external partners through the design journey—from conceptual development to implementation—while balancing design vision with practical execution, feasibility and cost control. This individual is also the custodian of the overall design aesthetic, ensuring visual and material coherence across assets and ship classes, with a sharp focus on quality, innovation, and guest experience. 

 
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Leadership & Team Management 

• Lead and develop a high-performing team by fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. 

• Provide clear guidance and professional development through mentoring, performance evaluations, and career planning. 

• Represent departmental values and serve as a role model for cross-disciplinary cooperation. 
   

Design Excellence & Brand Vision 

• Champion the design intent and ensure its credibility and consistency across all phases and stakeholders, serving as the conduit for executive and brand direction. 

• Uphold brand and design guidelines, CAD standards, contract compliance, and drawing deliverables. 

• Review design proposals and construction documents for brand alignment, accuracy, feasibility, and execution-readiness. 

• Independently plan, manage, and oversee multi-million-dollar projects, balancing architectural creativity with operational efficiency and cost control. 

• Conduct practicality reviews to ensure that operational, accessibility, and safety concerns are fully integrated into the design process. 

• Supervise shop drawing reviews, mock-up assessments, factory inspections, and shipyard/contractor meetings during both newbuild and drydock periods. 

 
FF&E & Commodities Strategy & Coordination 

• Develop FF&E and design commodities strategy—curating, specifying, and validating loose furnishings, signage, carpets, and materials. 

• Partner with sourcing and procurement teams to ensure timely delivery, budget compliance, and alignment with design standards and guest expectations. 

• Monitor and analyze vendor performance and participate in factory and yard visits to ensure quality and delivery standards are met. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Act as a liaison between Product Development, Brand, Operations, and Newbuild teams to ensure seamless execution and project readiness. 

• Coordinate best practices among global architectural and interior design consultants, maintaining strong sponsor and partner relationships. 

• Lead workshops, design reviews, charettes and other executive reviews 
   

Financial Oversight 

• Manage budgets for projects ranging from $10M (revitalizations) to $500M (newbuilds), ensuring optimal balance between creative vision and financial accountability. 

• Maintain oversight of design and architectural fees, administrative budgets, and team travel and resource expenses. 

 
Other 

• Leverage statistical analysis and benchmarking to inform spatial decisions, comparing venues across fleets 

• Develop presentations and design reporting packages for executive leadership and project sponsors. 

• Stay ahead of industry trends, market innovation, and emerging design technologies to drive forward-thinking solutions. 

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.  Employees will be required to perform any other job-related duties assigned by their supervisor or management.   
 

 
KEY COMPETENCIES 

• Visionary design leadership balanced with practical execution 

• Cross-functional communication and stakeholder engagement 

• Strong grasp of design-to-build process in marine/hospitality environments 

• Creative problem-solving with business-minded decision-making 

• Cost management, scheduling, and budget discipline 

• Proactive, forward-thinking, and resilient in high-stakes settings 

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Experience: Minimum 15 years in design or architectural fields, with at least 8 years leading complex, large-scale, multimillion-dollar projects. 

• Team Leadership: Demonstrated success managing direct reports and fostering professional growth in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment. 

• Industry Expertise: Strong background in cruise, hospitality, or marine design required; cruise ship newbuild or revitalization experience preferred. 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design or Architecture required; Master’s preferred. 

• Technical Proficiency: AutoCAD, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, and SketchUp proficiency required; Microsoft Project and FF&E tools familiarity preferred. 

• Compliance Knowledge: Familiarity with IMO, ADA, USPH regulations and shipyard protocols essential. 

• Must be able to travel up to 25% internationally and domestically to shipyards, vendor sites, design offices, and onboard vessels. 

We know there's a lot to consider. As you go through the application process, our recruiters will be glad to provide guidance, and more relevant details to answer any additional questions. Thank you again for your interest in Royal Caribbean Group. We'll hope to see you onboard soon! 

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.  

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