Design Lead

Who we are:

Stake is the MENA region’s most exciting real estate fintech company, combining real estate expertise and innovative financial technology to deliver products that empower everyone to own and build wealth through Real Estate. Launched in 2021 we have grown rapidly, leveraging decades of experience in technology, financial services and global real estate, to launch the MENA region’s first mobile app for fractional real estate investing.

This is just the beginning and we’re currently searching for highly talented individuals to join and help lead our expansion into international markets and new business lines

Our Current Product Line

Stake currently offers 5 investment opportunities in our app and website, 2 of which undergo what we call a “fix”. The first is branded as a Fix and Flip investment, with the purpose of identifying, funding, acquiring, and upgrading undervalued properties in need of a facelift, for the purpose of selling at a premium and achieving profits for investors in a shorter timespan. The second is branded as a Fix and Lease investment, with essentially the same strategy as the Fix and Flip investments with two main differences: a more cost-effective and streamlined upgrade, with the purpose of achieve a higher rental return instead of selling it.

The Fixes Team

Our Fixes team is responsible for designing, managing, and overseeing the execution of both Fix and Flip (FnF) and Fix and Lease (FnL) properties. Our scope of work begins when our acquisitions team identifies promising opportunities in need of an upgrade. We further identify the potential scope of work and conduct a high-level budgeting exercise to ensure the opportunity is feasible. After deciding to move forward with the opportunity, the Fixes team mobilises to produce the 3D visuals which will be posted on the app and based on which the Sales team will drive funding. The Fixes team then moves forward with producing the necessary drawings and supporting schedules for tendering stage, and after awarding the relevant project management consultants and contractors, oversees the design and execution guardianship until project completion and final snagging are complete for handover.

The Role

We are looking for a designer with a solid background and experience in residential architecture, both in exteriors and interior designs. The ideal candidate can showcase a track record of the design process from mood boards, sketches and drawings, to materials and FF&E sourcing. The ideal candidate will have accrued experience across all design stages from preconceptual ideation, storytelling, and narrative building, to producing detail design packages addressing generic and project-specific construction drawings. The candidate will be handling the design process and delivery of multiple residential projects essentially through visuals, sketches, moodboards, marketing booklets, and detail drawings.

What you’ll do:

• Your main task will be, in coordination and whilst reporting to the Head of our Fixes team, leading the charge in ideating, developing, overseeing, finalizing, and eventually streamlining the design production of our fixes pipeline. These include both FnF and FnL.
• You will be working closely with the Head of Fixes to streamline the process in a way that all output will reflect a combination of any sets of materials and furniture based on the models library, Sanitaryware, Lighting, and FF&E sourcing, textures, material palettes and finishes, decorative items, and accessories you will be putting together along the way.
• With the Head of Fixes, you will build a Leases branding vision to create a differentiation strategy to which the Leases assets will adhere. This branding vision will reflect a collection of design approaches each in terms of mood, inspiration, material palette, furniture, and decoration, depending on the Leases asset’s location across Dubai.
• You will be responsible of finalizing on-site material selection based on samples provided by contractors, and act as a design guardian and Stake representative to ensure an honest execution of site works that accurately reflect our marketed product.
• You will closely and continuously coordinate with our Project Lead in vetting and tendering contractors and their subcontractors for optimal quality assurance and quality control of the project’s execution and delivery, especially during the critical finishes stage.

What we’re looking for:

Shortlisted candidates will meet most of the following criteria:

• A bachelor's degree in architecture, interior design, or a related field;
• 4-7 years of experience in residential design (interiors and exteriors including concept-level landscaping), including narrative building and story telling, design ideation, 3D modelling, drafting, visuals post-production, and marketing production;
• An excellent mastery in design generation from preconceptual high-level optioneering to conceptual finalization through moodboards, visuals, marketing booklets, and facts sheets;
• A strong understanding of the design process, history of art and architecture, styles and approaches, with an intimate familiarity in palette harmonization and material tactility, (including facades and landscapes);
• A trained eye for identifying, sourcing, and conceptualizing high-quality photography as part of the marketing booklet process in regards to highlighting each Flip’s Unique Selling Points.
• A practical experience in sourcing material finishes, decorative items, fixtures, sanitaryware, technical lighting, and feature lighting, with a solid knowledge of UAE vendors and suppliers;
• A versatile knowledge of the usual industry software: AutoCAD will be mainly used for drafting marketing plans and detail design drawings; Revit is welcome, although rarely used. Proficiency in modelling software is flexible: preferred software include Sketchup, 3DSMax, and Rhino, with the preferred plug-ins being V-Ray and Corona. A grasp of Grasshopper, or any modelling scripts and bump maps for pattern, texture, and softscape scattering/generation, will be highly advantageous. Adobe Suite (specifically Photoshop for post-production, InDesign for presentations and marketing booklets preparation).

Why you should join Stake:

• Hybrid work environment
• Work directly with senior leadership in one of the region’s fastest growing start-ups; you will get exposure to all functions at Stake and have the chance to learn from the very best in the space!
• Generous equity compensation; this aims to bring a high degree of ownership into your work. As Stake grows, you grow with it!
• Budget for learning and development; we want Stakers to constantly strive for personal and professional growth
• Best in class end of service savings scheme; through DIFC-sponsored DEWS programme
• Off-sites and regular team events

Stake has a high performance culture where the bar is always rising. We bring on brilliant, ambitious and curious people who see the value in Stake and want to grow with us.