Principal Designer

About the role

We’re looking for a Principal Designer to raise the bar for craft and innovation across all of our design disciplines: brand design, motion design, UI design, and visual communications. This is a hands-on design role at the most senior individual-contributor level. You’ll shape world-class brand and digital experiences and act as a driving creative force on our most strategic work, both internal and external. The role demands mastery of the entire design process: from aligning creative decisions with business goals to delivering elite craftsmanship in every final asset.

As a senior-level individual contributor, you’ll operate with a high degree of autonomy—leading major initiatives, serving as a trusted peer and mentor who lifts the quality of work across the entire creative practice, and setting the standard for design excellence. You’ll report to the Senior Director, Design, and partner closely with the Managing Director, Design as well as other leaders across the business and our multidisciplinary teams of designers, strategists, and developers.

Responsibilities

• Create world-class designs across brand identity, conceptual UI, and dynamic media that deliver exceptional client and user experiences.
• Closely integrate creative decisions with client business objectives, brand strategy, and technical feasibility.
• Lead and execute the design process on complex initiatives from initial concept through final delivery in partnership with Strategy, Account, and Technology teams.
• Directly present and articulate design strategy, creative rationale, and trade-offs to executive-level client stakeholders with confidence.
• Facilitate client feedback constructively, defending design choices with strategic rationale while adapting to evolving business needs.
• Operate independently to produce flawless, highly polished design solutions with minimal oversight.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and practice lead, mentoring senior and lead-level designers to elevate craftsmanship, visual execution, and design rigor across the practice.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of design experience within a high-performing in-house team, agency, or consultancy.
• An exceptional portfolio demonstrating supreme talent in visual design, brand identity systems, digital products, motion, and visual communications.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex business challenges into intuitive, beautiful, and strategically sound design systems.
• Exceptional mastery of fundamental visual design principles, including typography, grid systems, color theory, layout, and interactive design.
• Advanced proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud; experience or strong interest in emerging creative technologies and tools such as Figma Make & Weave, Webflow, and other AI tools.
• Solid grasp of digital product design, web standards, and modern front-end frameworks (coding is not required).
• Superior verbal and visual storytelling skills with a track record of building trust with executive stakeholders.
• A self-starter mindset with high personal standards, an appetite for continuous learning, and a passion for inspiring excellence in others.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage including Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Health and a health savings account with employer-funded contributions.
• Dental and Vision insurance.
• Life/AD&D insurance and Short/Long Term Disability insurance provided at no cost, with optional additional voluntary coverage.
• 401(k) plan with pre- or post-tax contributions and employer-matched funds.
• Transportation benefits for pre-tax contributions to pay for parking and public transit.
• 4 weeks of paid time off plus company-paid holidays, with additional accrual after 3-year and 10-year anniversaries.
• Paid Parental and Primary Caregiver Leave for new births, adoptions, or foster placements.
• Employee Perks Program offering member-only discounts and corporate rates on various services and products.

Pay

Base salary range of $156,000–$234,000. Additional earnings may be available through incentive programs like annual bonuses and profit sharing.