[Hiring] Design Director @SketchDeck

Role Description

This role has four key focuses:

• Partner with Business Development & Project Managers to build and deliver creative pitches
• Lead overall design / brand / creative vision within your accounts
• Lead high-level creative projects
• Mentoring your team to support projects of all sizes and scopes

This role will work closely with the Project Managers to oversee the team's work and success. You’ll report directly to the VP, Creative Impact.

You’ll succeed in this role if you have:

• Great client skills
• Strong and efficient design processes
• Prioritization and project management skills
• An entrepreneurial instinct

If you enjoy working with clients to elevate their creativity and have experience supporting larger corporate accounts with fast-paced deadlines, this role will be a great fit for you.

SketchDeck is an entrepreneurial environment. You’ll be expected to jump into new work and help other teams. Priorities can shift quickly with clients’ condensed timelines.

Responsibilities

• CLIENT PROJECTS: (65%)
  • Partner with Project Managers on project scoping and estimates on higher creative projects
  • Support larger corporate accounts with fast-paced deadlines
  • Lead kick-off calls (internal/external), creative presentations and problem-solving meetings with clients, Project Managers and Designers
  • Feel comfortable brainstorming ideas live during client calls
  • Shift efficiently between accounts and tasks, reassessing priorities and communicating tradeoffs as needs change
  • Identify which projects could benefit from high-level strategic input vs. more production-focused projects
  • Communication/coordination of project needs, timelines, team skills and creative staff availability with Project Managers
  • Set up briefs, provide creative direction and inspiration to the design team on projects
  • Work with the Project Manager defining workflow and scope of work for the team
  • Lead communication from brainstorm to final production
  • Provide creative reviews and feedback to designers
  • Decide who should work on each project, building collaborative and strategy-led teams for creative projects
  • Drive design excellence, knowing when to push creative boundaries
• ACCOUNTS, BRAND STRATEGY AND NEW BUSINESS: (25%)
  • Lead the onboarding of new client accounts by reviewing brand materials
  • Build collaborative, creative partner relationships with our clients
  • Learn and understand our clients goals and how to best support them creatively
  • Master clients’ brand guidelines and preferences
  • Maintain and improve account-level design quality
  • Train designers on keeping brand pages, templates, Adobe CC libraries and brand assets updated
  • Push existing brands’ creative boundaries and find new opportunities to elevate brands
  • Train and mentor Designers and Brand Managers on brands
  • Be the authority on brand and design — setting a high standard for the rest of the design team
  • Provide creative design and management input on new accounts
  • Look for opportunities beyond the current workload within accounts to grow or expand services
  • Develop and present proposals and pitches to prospective clients
  • Support Business Development teams with creative concepts for new accounts and work
• SKETCHDECK TEAM DEVELOPMENT: (10%)
  • Elevate design by making tools accessible to our designers
  • Share responsibility for managing team talent and assist with recruiting as needed
  • Escalate issues and important opportunities to the Director of Design
  • Keep designers inspired and excited about our clients’ brands
  • Provide input and ideas to improve the design team structure, processes, and development
  • Lead SketchDeck internal projects (e.g., new portfolio work, designer assessments/levels, internal trainings)
  • Maintain effective communication across all teams and set clear goals to achieve

Qualifications

• 7+ years of creative and art direction experience, including at least 4 in a fast-paced agency environment
• Proven ability to lead strategic, cross-channel creative work—from concept to execution
• Strong communicator with the ability to shape and share a compelling creative vision
• Seasoned people leader with a track record of mentoring creative teams
• Expert-level skills in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) and Figma
• Collaborative by nature—thrive in team settings
• Demonstrated success working with large, enterprise-level clients

Requirements

• Individual compensation packages are based on experience, demonstrated performance, market factors, and other job-related considerations.
• Salary range: $95,000 to $110,000 plus $5,000 discretionary performance bonus
• 401(k) with company match
• Fully remote working environment
• Paid time off that grows with tenure
• Annual company retreat
• Computer hardware of your choice (up to $2,500)
• $500 towards your office setup expenses
• Opportunity to work with a talented team of designers, team members, and engineers

Inclusivity Statement

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to an environment where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work daily. If you’re excited about the role but don’t meet every qualification, we still encourage you to apply.

SketchDeck is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic.

If you require reasonable accommodation during the interview process or employment, please contact us at [email protected].