Associate Design Director

About the role

Proactively leads and owns all design aspects of a project
Directs Senior and Junior Designers across multiple clients and projects to craft strategic and award-winning work.
Owns clients, setting and implementing overall design strategy and direction.
Delivers multiple strong design solutions per project
Collaborate across the agency—production, government affairs, client partnership, and more—to ensure system-level design thinking to achieved
Mentor, coach, and develop junior designers—helping them sharpen their thinking, craft, and confidence
Be a trusted creative lead in client relationships, helping solve bigger business problems (not just making decks pretty)
Stay deeply plugged into culture, emerging trends, and new tools—including AI—and bring that energy into the work
Champion creative excellence, collaboration, and accountability at every stage of the process.

Responsibilities

• Proactively leads and owns all design aspects of a project
• Directs Senior and Junior Designers across multiple clients and projects to craft strategic and award-winning work
• Owns clients, setting and implementing overall design strategy and direction
• Delivers multiple strong design solutions per project
• Collaborate across the agency—production, government affairs, client partnership, and more—to ensure system-level design thinking to achieved
• Mentor, coach, and develop junior designers—helping them sharpen their thinking, craft, and confidence
• Be a trusted creative lead in client relationships, helping solve bigger business problems (not just making decks pretty)
• Stay deeply plugged into culture, emerging trends, and new tools—including AI—and bring that energy into the work
• Champion creative excellence, collaboration, and accountability at every stage of the process

Requirements

• 7+ years of agency experience with a standout portfolio that shows both craft and leadership
• Must be an expert in the discipline and have a great design vocabulary and ability to present design thinking
• Proven ability to lead, think systematically, and elevate the work of others
• Excellent skills in typography, layout, color, and branding
• Illustration skills are not a must-have, but highly regarded
• Sweats the details in everything from pathfinding logos to kerning, yet doesn’t lose sight of the big, system-wide picture
• Experience mentoring junior designers and building a collaborative, high-performing creative culture
• Strategic thinker and designer who understands the “why” behind the work, not just the “what”
• Comfortable owning projects, managing multiple workstreams, and guiding teams under pressure
• Comfort in the Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
• Fluent or fast-learning in AI tools and how they enhance creative thinking and production
• A proactive problem-solver who pushes beyond briefs to uncover bigger opportunities
• A leader whose mindset and actions align with our values: fearless, integrity, advocacy, impact, ingenuity, and foresight

Qualifications

Comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being
Recharge and unwind with a generous time-off policy
Stay connected with a mobile stipend
Secure your financial future with a 401k and company match
Make a difference through community involvement with time and financial matching
Set goals and track progress through annual performance reviews
Learning and development

Skills

• Expertise in the discipline
• Strong design vocabulary and presentation skills
• Systematic leadership and team-building abilities
• Exceptional typography, layout, color, and branding skills
• Illustration skills (optional but highly valued)
• Attention to detail and broad vision
• Mentoring and coaching experience
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Adobe Creative Suite proficiency
• AI tool fluency or willingness to learn quickly
• Ability to push beyond briefs and find bigger opportunities

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being

Pay

TBD

Schedule

Hybrid or Remote