Head of Design

Edelman; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Edelman Malaysia APAC DJE Studio is seeking a Head of Design to lead and mentor designers, shaping design directions and ensuring clarity, craft, speed, consistency and quality across regional briefs.

You will interpret ambiguous briefs, defend creative decisions, and collaborate with producers, client leads and leadership across APAC to elevate high‑complexity work while building scalable design standards and processes.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years design experience in agencies or studios.
• At least 2 years leading or supervising designers.
• Degree in Graphic Design or related field preferred.
• Advanced Adobe Creative Suite proficiency (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator).
• Experience with GenAI tools for creative workflows.
• Strong portfolio across branding, presentations and digital design.

Responsibilities

• Lead design response for medium- to high-complexity briefs across brand, campaign, social and digital content.
• Translate client challenges into clear, executable design solutions.
• Mentor designers, strengthen craft, and elevate studio output.
• Review and ensure layout, typography, and brand consistency.
• Set direction and provide feedback while meeting timelines.
• Collaborate with producers to scope, schedule, and deliver across markets.
• Stay ahead of design trends and AI-enabled workflows.
• Develop studio standards, templates, and QA practices.
• Model culture with trust, transparency and accountability.
• Oversee timesheets, documentation, onboarding and training.

Skills

Design leadership

Mentoring designers

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

GenAI workflows

Presentation & rationale

Visual systems

Education

Graphic Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator

PowerPoint

Figma

Premiere Pro

After Effects

Job description

Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum.

At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

Edelman is a global integrated communications agency.

We’re passionate, unconventional and driven by a desire to do the best work possible. We get results for our clients, and have the trophies to prove it.

DJE Studio is Edelman’s integrated global centre of excellence for content creation and production, built to help our expert client teams deliver high-quality content and design work with greater speed, consistency, and craft.

Across APAC, the Studio operates as a regional hub‑and‑spoke model, connecting specialised talent across design, motion, video, post‑production, digital, localisation, and AI‑enabled production to support both local market needs and multi‑market regional briefs.

We are in a relentless pursuit of excellence. Our team is dynamic and we’re constantly evolving but our aim remains unchanged: to make the best possible content.

APAC DJE Studio | Edelman Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

Who we’re looking for

We are looking for a Head of Design to join the APAC DJE Studio team in Malaysia. This is a senior craft and people management role for a strong, versatile lead who can unpack complex visual work, guide designers, and help build the standards, systems, and culture of a fast‑growing regional Studio hub.

You will lead and mentor designers while also staying close to the work: shaping design directions, solving high‑complexity communication problems, reviewing execution, and ensuring that every deliverable meets the Studio's expectations for clarity, craft, speed, consistency, and quality.

We need a hands‑on design leader who can interpret ambiguous briefs, ask sharper questions, defend creative decisions, improve the work of others, and collaborate fluidly with producers, creative teams, client leads, vendors, and Studio leadership across APAC.

RESPONSIBILITY

• Lead the design response for medium- to high‑complexity briefs across brand, campaign, social, editorial, presentation, digital content, infographics, and motion‑led work.
• Translate client and internal business challenges into clear, compelling, well‑crafted design solutions that are strategically sound and executable at scale.
• Guide, mentor, and develop designers by strengthening their craft, communication, problem‑solving, presentation, and day‑to‑day Studio behaviours.
• Review and elevate design outputs, ensuring strong layout, typography, composition, visual hierarchy, brand consistency, formatting accuracy, and production readiness.
• Set clear design direction, provide constructive feedback, and help teams generate multiple creative options without compromising timelines or quality.
• Work closely with Studio producers to scope, schedule, prioritise, resource, and deliver projects smoothly across markets and time zones.
• Stay ahead of design trends, tools, GenAI‑enabled workflows, production techniques, and emerging creative practices, and actively bring relevant learning into the team.
• Support the development of Studio standards, systems, templates, workflows, QA practices, and design methodologies that improve consistency, efficiency, and scalability.
• Model the Studio culture through respect, trust, transparency, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Ensure timely delivery and management of work commitments, including timesheets, project documentation, onboarding or re‑onboarding activities, internal process training, and mandatory certifications where required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 7-10 years of relevant design experience, preferably within an agency, production studio, creative studio, or high‑volume content environment.
• At least 2 years of experience leading, mentoring, or supervising designers, with evidence of helping others improve their craft and confidence.
• A degree or diploma in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Fine Arts, Advertising, Multimedia Design, or a related field is preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator; strong PowerPoint and Microsoft Office skills are required.
• Experience with Figma, Premiere Pro, After Effects, motion graphics, data visualisation, illustration, lettering, or editorial design is a strong advantage.
• Working familiarity with GenAI tools and AI‑enabled creative workflows, with good judgment on where they can improve speed, scale, ideation, or production quality.
• A diverse portfolio demonstrating strong execution and conceptual thinking across branding, presentations, infographics, digital or interactive content, advertising, social, and print design.
• Strong understanding of design fundamentals, including layout, typography, composition, visual systems, accessibility, information hierarchy, and brand governance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex briefs from interpretation through execution, review, refinement, and final delivery.
• Excellent presentation, verbal communication, and design rationale skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and guide teams constructively.
• High attention to detail, with a disciplined approach to quality control, file hygiene, formatting accuracy, confidentiality, and production standards.
• Fluent or professional‑level English communication is required; additional APAC market language capability is an advantage.

Please include an online portfolio link in order to be considered.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.