Director, Creative Themed Design

Universal Orlando•Orlando, FL

About The Position

At Universal Creative, we design, develop and deliver the most compelling entertainment experiences imaginable to drive growth for Universal Destinations & Experiences worldwide. Our innovative attractions, immersive theme parks and world-class resorts fuse art and technology to create new standards in the themed entertainment industry. Our Team Members are the driving force behind Universal Creative. With their diverse skills and forward-thinking ideas, our team pushes us beyond the boundaries of what’s possible to achieve the extraordinary. Together, we’re creating a Universe of fun, always ensuring the next thing we do is better than the last thing we did. JOB SUMMARY : Responsible for the creative, experiential, and technical leadership of Universal’s immersive hospitality platform, directing the design and development of integrated guest experiences and environments, entertainment venues, food and beverage destinations, retail experiences, guest rooms and premium accommodations, exterior leisure spaces, and all shared guest-facing areas. This role leads overall planning, layout development, and the integration of themed entertainment design within a complex environment, ensuring Universal Creative’s design excellence aligns with applicable regulatory requirements, structural and infrastructure parameters, operational needs, and global guest expectations. The Director serves as Universal Creative’s principal creative and design authority for projects, guiding multidisciplinary teams and external development, engineering, and specialty partners from strategy through concept and execution. This role ensures the fully integrated guest experience aligns with Universal’s brand standards, innovation objectives, Intellectual Property (IP) strategy, and long-term business vision.

Requirements

Deep understanding of themed entertainment design, guest experience development, immersive environments, and narrative-led spatial design.
Strong working knowledge of large-scale, immersive hospitality and guest environment design, complex global regulatory and life-safety frameworks, accessibility standards, and the integration of advanced infrastructure systems with immersive experiential environments.
Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate and develop comprehensive design documentation, large-scale master planning strategies, interior architecture packages, technical drawings, and complex environmental and operational parameters within highly regulated, infrastructure-intensive environments.
Exceptional communication skills with proven ability to present to executive leadership, partners, executives, and external stakeholders.
Ability to interpret technical information, evaluate complex variables, and guide teams toward actionable solutions.
Strong business acumen with ability to balance creative intent, guest experience, schedule, and budget under a global project framework.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret spread sheets.
Ability to read, comment on, develop, and iterate master and landscape plans and drawings at multiple scales.
Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Consistent attendance is a job requirement.
Bachelor’s degree required in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Structural, Systems, or Large-Scale Infrastructure Engineering, Industrial Design, or related field.
15+ years of experience in themed entertainment design, hospitality design, or large-scale, immersive guest environment development.
Demonstrated experience delivering highly complex, infrastructure-intensive projects through all phases — from early concept and feasibility through detailed design, fabrication, integration, and commissioning — within complex, infrastructure-intensive build environments.
Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams and overseeing external design, engineering, and specialty fabrication partners at a Senior Leadership level.
International project experience and deep familiarity with global design standards, regulatory frameworks, and complex construction practices required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred in Architecture, Integrated Environmental Design, Engineering, or Business/Strategy.
Professional licensure in Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, or equivalent credential preferred.
Experience developing or executing long-term strategies for hospitality or destination platforms is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Creative & Technical Leadership of Integrated Guest Environments Leads creative development, comprehensive spatial planning, and integrated design execution across the guest environment, embedding Universal’s storytelling, immersive environments, and entertainment-forward design methodologies throughout all guest touchpoints.
Ensures the overall master plan aligns with guest experience strategy, enterprise objectives, life-safety requirements, global regulatory frameworks, and complex structural and infrastructure engineering requirements.
Directs design delivery across all phases: Strategy, Ideation, Feasibility, Concept Development, Detailed Design, Procurement, Fabrication, and Installation, overseeing technical documentation, material specifications, vendor engagement, prototype development, production reviews, and final commissioning within a large-scale, complex, infrastructure-intensive build environment.
Partners with Creative Direction to guide integration of Universal and partner Intellectual Property (IP), as well as emerging experiential concepts, balancing creative ambition with operational performance, technical realities, and cost/schedule governance.
Cross-Disciplinary Creative Collaboration & Integration Leads deep collaboration and alignment across Universal Creative’s internal disciplines, including Creative Direction, Creative Management, Art Direction, Show Set & Production Design, Attraction Design, Design Engineering, and Portfolio Leadership, ensuring a unified creative vision and cohesive guest experience across the integrated guest environment.
Maintains strict confidentiality and adheres to all nondisclosure requirements, while actively advising partners on NDA obligations and ensuring their compliance with established confidentiality standards.
Serves as the central integrator of creative intent across disciplines, aligning storytelling, spatial design, ride and show concepts, environmental theming, and experiential programming into a seamless, fully integrated environment.
Establishes clear creative frameworks, design principles, and review processes that enable multiple disciplines to collaborate efficiently while preserving design excellence, operational functionality, and brand consistency.
Oversee the engagement, scope definition, and performance of external design partners and consultants: including structural and systems consultants, interior architecture firms, experience designers, specialty fabrication partners, and technical advisors, ensuring alignment with Universal Creative standards and the approved platform vision.
Directs interdisciplinary design reviews and executive working sessions, facilitating strategic alignment, resolving complex integration challenges, and incorporating feedback from enterprise leadership and key stakeholders.
Ensures external consultant deliverables are fully synchronized with internal creative development efforts, maintaining continuity of vision, quality, and technical integration across all phases of development and delivery.
Represents hospitality platform design leadership within Universal Creative, advocating for platform-specific requirements while aligning with broader portfolio strategy, governance structures, and long-term enterprise objectives.
Leadership of Creative Culture Leads and models a collaborative, respectful, and inclusive creative culture within the immersive hospitality Design Team, fostering trust, accountability, and creative excellence.
Establishes shared creative values and ways of working that encourage open dialogue, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and constructive critique.
Actively contributes to the culture and cohesion of the Concept Architecture team, aligning this emerging platform’s initiatives with broader Creative Studio design efforts.
Serves as a cultural leader across the Studio and Universal Creative, supporting mentorship, knowledge-sharing, and continuous learning.
Encourages innovation and thoughtful risk-taking while maintaining alignment with brand, strategy, and project realities.
Enterprise Hospitality Product Development Strategy & Portfolio Leadership Leads the long-term creative development strategy for Universal’s immersive entertainment and hospitality portfolio, envisioning, defining, and guiding the creation of a cohesive series of platforms – each aligned to an overarching brand and product strategy while allowing for differentiation by experience tier, market deployment strategy, and targeted guest segments.
Serves as Universal Creative’s primary creative authority and strategic partner through construction and delivery, ensuring alignment on long-term portfolio vision, design standards, and experiential DNA across multiple platforms.
Establishes and evolves portfolio-wide design principles, creative guidelines, and experience frameworks that ensure consistency, scalability, and brand integrity across successive development cycles.
Collaborate with Executive Leadership to align platform design strategy with business objectives, market positioning, Intellectual Property (IP) strategy, lifecycle planning, and future expansion considerations.
Guides creative development timelines and design executive decision-making across parallel large-scale build programs, balancing innovation, repeatability, and operational performance while preserving creative excellence.
Ensures that design strategy anticipates future portfolio growth, operational evolution, guest expectations, and emerging industry trends within the premium, experiential hospitality sector, positioning the platform as a category- leading immersive hospitality brand.
Strategic Partnerships, Licensor & Internal Integration Acts as a senior creative liaison between Universal Creative, partners, New Ventures, and the broader platform organization, ensuring seamless alignment between creative intent, operational realities, and business strategy.
Works closely with the operating partner to integrate brand standards, service models, entertainment programming, hospitality concepts, and day-to-day operational frameworks into the integrated platform from early concept through execution.
Collaborates with New Ventures and corporate strategy teams to translate market insights, competitive benchmarking, and long-term growth objectives into actionable platform product design strategies.
Works cross-functionally with Universal platform leadership, operations, marketing, technology, and guest experience teams to ensure the guest environment design solutions support long-term operational sustainability, adaptability, and guest satisfaction.
Represents Universal Creative in executive-level discussions related to platform vision, scope definition, option analysis, and strategic decision-making across successive development cycles.
Ensures creative continuity and quality control across all platform initiatives, maintaining Universal’s brand promise while enabling successful partnership execution.
Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UO policy, procedures, training and team member involvement activities.
Performs other duties as assigned.