Director, Commercial Interiors

Rudin seeks to hire a Director, Commercial Interiors to provide leadership, oversight, and strategic direction across a portfolio. This role provides strategic oversight across all phases of the project lifecycle from project initiation and design through procurement, construction, and closeout while still ensuring consistency in project management practices, financial controls, scheduling, and reporting. The Director oversees and mentors project management teams, drives accountability and performance, and serves as a key liaison between ownership, asset management, consultants, contractors, and internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

team leadership & OVERSIGHT

• Provide oversight across all assigned projects to ensure consistency in execution, reporting, and performance

• Lead and support internal PM teams (SPM, PM, APM), establishing clear ownership, accountability, and expectations

•  Implement and maintain standardized project management procedures across teams, including reporting, budgeting, scheduling, and documentation practices

• Act as a senior escalation point to resolve complex project, stakeholder, and coordination issues

•  Review project budgets, schedules, and assumptions at early stages to ensure accuracy and alignment with actual site conditions, including verification through site surveys where required

•  Mentor and guide PM teams to improve communication, decision-making, and overall performance

• Ensure project documentation and reporting are structured to support decision-making and alignment with asset management objectives

general

• Provide executive-level reporting focused on key risks, financial status, schedule milestones, and required decisions

• Establish procedures with leadership and identify matters requiring specific approval or direction

• Ensure alignment between project-level tracking and Rudin’s financial systems

Pre-planning

• Review project goals and objectives with leadership to ensure alignment with asset strategy

• Review tenant work letters to confirm alignment with delivery expectations

• Validate project budgets through site verification and existing conditions assessments, supplementing assumptions with field data wherever possible

• Recommend procurement strategy and assist in identifying and selecting qualified consultants

• Coordinate with Owner’s Counsel to support development and negotiation of consultant agreements

• Confirm all required agency approvals are identified and incorporated into project planning

Pre-construction design & planning

• Review status of all projects, including design, permitting, scope, budget, schedule, and contracts

• Ensure project costs are benchmarked against comparable projects and current market conditions

• Identify enabling or prerequisite work and define strategies for existing space decommissioning

design management

• Ensure design progression aligns with approved budgets and schedules at each phase

• Ensure PM teams are actively managing design deliverables, coordination, and milestones

• Guide PM team in challenging design assumptions and driving cost-effective, schedule-aligned alternatives while maintaining design intent

• Identify potential cost or schedule risks early in the design process and proactively address them

SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure schedules are actively managed and reflect realistic sequencing and critical path activities

• Evaluate alternate schedule scenarios and advise on impacts to cost and delivery

Procurement

• Advise on business terms and lead negotiation with contractors and vendors

• Establish and enforce change order control processes, ensuring timely and accurate documentation

• Identify and implement value engineering strategies where required

construction

• Ensure PM teams are maintaining regular site presence and actively monitoring construction progress, coordination, and field conditions 

• Maintain site presence as required, particularly during critical phases of construction or when issues require senior-level involvement

• Oversee and participate, as appropriate, in the review of trade contractor bid lists and bids received, providing recommendations on suitability and alignment with project objectives

• Oversee cost reporting, cash flow tracking, and financial performance

• Evaluate and advise on change orders, claims, and contractor requests to minimize cost exposure

• Support resolution of complex field, coordination, or stakeholder issues, stepping in where necessary to maintain project progress

closeout

• Ensure projects are closed out in a timely and consistent manner across the portfolio

• Ensure financial closeout is completed, including final cost reporting and reconciliation

• Capture lessons learned and implement improvements across future projects

Qualifications

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred

• 12–15 years of progressive project management experience in commercial real estate design and construction

• Minimum 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing project management teams

• Demonstrated experience managing complex commercial real estate projects in New York City, with familiarity with NYC DOB regulations and agency approval processes

• Strong command of contract administration (AIA and/or owner-form agreements), cost management, and construction scheduling

• Proficiency in project management and financial tracking platforms (e.g., Procore, Yardi, or equivalent)

• Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to engage effectively with senior leadership, ownership, tenants, and external stakeholders

Total Compensation

• This position is eligible for a discretionary bonus

• We also offer excellent benefits and perks to our employees, including full company-paid health and dental, 401k, pension, housing and parking discounts, and wellness programs

All offered benefits are subject to the terms/conditions of the benefit plans

*Salary may vary  based on work experience, market conditions, and qualifications/training.

Rudin is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. Rudin makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.