Founded in Lisbon in 2018, Vida Plena is a hospitality group that starts with the guest and works backwards — from how a room should feel, to the light, the materials, and the flow. Over 8 years and 15+ venues, we've kept that creative direction in-house, because the details are where the experience lives.
We're guest-obsessed and place-driven. We don't impose a concept on a space — we find locations with true potential and turn them into something that feels inevitable. Every detail lives in service of how people will feel.
We're now in a new chapter. After years of focused, quiet work, we're opening our most ambitious projects yet — hotels in Lisbon and the Portuguese countryside, each built around a strong F&B identity. Our Project team of 9 across design, project management, and guest experience is moving into a dedicated office and operating under its own entity. The person we hire today will help build what that becomes.
The Role
We're looking for a Lead Interior Designer to become the creative engine of our project team — the person who owns execution, leads our designers, and elevates our founder's vision with precision, taste, and relentless attention to detail.
You'll work directly under the creative direction of our founder, who stays close to every project and goes deep on details. Your job is to take that direction and run with it.
You'll manage our design team, lead multiple projects from concept to delivery, and play a founding role in building a department that will keep growing. This is not a maintenance position. It's a building one.
Your Key Responsibilities
– Lead the design process from concept through construction delivery across multiple hospitality projects simultaneously.
– Translate the founder's creative direction into detailed, executable design packages — mood boards, material palettes, technical drawings, and FF&E specifications.
– Manage and mentor the design team, setting the standard for quality, craft, and process.
– Coordinate with contractors, consultants, and project managers to ensure design intent is preserved through construction.
– Conduct regular site visits to oversee quality, resolve on-site issues, and protect the design.
– Champion the guest experience in every decision — spatial flow, material feel, atmosphere, details.
– Contribute to building the culture and working methods of a growing design department.
What We Expect From You
Background
– 8+ years of interior design experience, with full project delivery exposure.
– Minimum 3 years of hospitality projects (restaurants, hotels, F&B spaces).
– Proven experience managing or mentoring a design team or junior designers.
– Experience working in or with studios abroad is a strong advantage.
– Bachelor's or Master's degree in Interior Design or Architecture.
Technical Skills
– Strong proficiency in Revit (mandatory), AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite.
– Solid command of FF&E selection and detailed drawing, spatial planning, and material specification.
– Comfortable managing project documentation end to end.
Who You Are
– An exceptional eye — you notice details others miss and know what to do about them.
– Genuinely passionate about hospitality and how space makes people feel.
– A clear communicator, able to translate design decisions to contractors, and non-designers.
– Organized and autonomous — you manage multiple live projects without dropping anything.
– Collaborative by nature — you work with strong opinions but without ego.
Language
– Excellent English, written and spoken — mandatory.
– Portuguese is a plus but not required.
Why This Role
– You'll collaborate directly with a founder who cares about design as much as you do — and goes into the details. This isn't a brief-and-execute relationship; it's a real creative partnership.
– The projects are genuinely exciting: boutique hotels with bold F&B concepts, built to become destinations.
– You're joining at the start of something new — a dedicated design team, a new office space, a new chapter. You'll help shape the culture and process, not inherit someone else's.
– Lisbon base — a city where great hospitality design is increasingly on the world's radar.
– A fast-learning environment: 8 years and 15+ venues of accumulated knowledge, now applied to bigger, more complex projects.
What's in For you?
At Vida Plena, you're not just taking a position; you are joining a community that values joy, respect, and a collective pursuit of excellence. If you're prepared to bring your expertise, passion, and innovation to our team, we're excited to welcome you into our fold.
Vida Plena is a young hospitality group based in the vibrant city of Lisbon, Portugal, founded in 2018.
The heart of everything we do is trying to make our people and guests feel home with a daily dedication to what we think are the pillars of hospitality:
a warm and blissful experience, a diverse and inclusive crowd , good and fresh food and a caring team and service.
At Vida Plena, we believe in staying true to our founding principles, even in a world that's constantly changing. We don't follow fleeting trends or fads, but rather do things with passion and heart, always trusting our instincts and doing what feels right for our people and customers.
Respect, kindness, ambition, and modernity are at the core of our hiring values, and we make sure to have loads of fun throughout the journey! We are committed to spreading those values, along with good energy, positivity, and happiness, to our community, guests, employees, suppliers, and partners.
We take pride in creating an environment of respect and love, where people can enjoy the best things in life - good food, great company, and unforgettable memories.
Come join us for a drink, a delicious meal, and an amazing experience at one of our 13 locations across Lisbon, including Cafe Janis, Farés, Dallas (Pink Street, São Bento, Anjos & Carcavelos), Palma, Coppola, Javá, Leonetta, Fabric, Rosamar & Cosmo!
