Design Director Systems & Concept

Markage; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Markage is seeking a Design Director Systems & Concept for our Canadian team in an on-site role. You will lead concept development and design systems across complex experiences, connecting big ideas with scalable systems across digital, physical, and communications touchpoints.

Based in Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto, you will collaborate with senior designers, strategists, and technologists to guide multiple disciplines toward a single coherent outcome.

Qualifications

• Substantial senior design experience with a strong leadership portfolio.
• Experience setting creative direction and guiding multidisciplinary designers through delivery.
• Strong presentation, critique, and client-facing communication skills.
• Ability to balance creative ambition with project constraints.

Responsibilities

• Set creative direction for multidisciplinary design concepts and systems.
• Translate strategy into coherent design principles across media and environments.
• Develop scalable design frameworks, languages, components, and rules.
• Guide senior designers and specialists across media disciplines.
• Lead concept reviews and decide among competing directions.
• Present design systems and rationale to senior client stakeholders.
• Ensure coherence and quality across touchpoints and implementations.

Skills

Senior design experience

Creative direction

Presentation skills

Client-facing communication

Systems thinking

Education

DEX-MAD Certification

Job description

Markage is looking for a Design Director Systems & Concept to join our Canadian team in an on-site role based in Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto.

This role focuses on leading concept development and design systems across complex multidisciplinary experiences. You will connect big-picture creative ideas with practical systems that can scale across environments, digital touchpoints, communications, and physical applications. The role requires conceptual strength, system thinking, and the ability to guide several design disciplines toward one coherent outcome.

You will work with senior designers, strategists, industrial and digital designers, producers, technologists, client directors, and senior clients. Clear communication, reliable follow-through, and careful work are expected.

AI-assisted tools may be used for research synthesis, concept development, system documentation, presentation preparation, and design review. All AI-assisted work must be reviewed for accuracy, relevance, confidentiality, and fit before it is shared or used.

One in-house opening. This role may be based in Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto. These are alternative work locations for the same position, not separate vacancies.

Essential duties:

• Set creative direction for multidisciplinary design concepts and systems.
• Translate strategic ideas into coherent visual, spatial, digital, or experience-design principles.
• Develop frameworks, design languages, components, and rules that can scale across applications.
• Guide senior designers and specialists working across different media and disciplines.
• Lead concept reviews and make decisions when multiple design directions compete.
• Present design systems and creative rationale to senior client stakeholders.
• Review implementation across touchpoints to maintain coherence, usability, and quality.
• Work with production and technology teams to ensure concepts are practical and implementable.Support scoping, resourcing, sequencing, and quality planning for complex design programs.
• Document core principles and decisions so teams can apply the system consistently.

Essential requirements:

• Substantial senior design experience with a portfolio showing leadership of major work.
• Experience setting creative direction and guiding multidisciplinary designers through delivery.
• Strong presentation, critique, decision-making, and client-facing communication skills.
• Ability to balance creative ambition with scope, timing, production, and business constraints.
• Holds a valid Dex Management Area Director Certification (DEX-MAD) in the Arts, Media & Creative Production domain.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience leading multidisciplinary brand, experience, or design-system programs.
• Strong systems-thinking capability across physical and digital applications.
• Experience working with strategy, technology, production, and spatial or industrial design teams.