Associate Design Director

Firewood Marketing, Inc.; Hilversum; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Monks is seeking an Associate Design Director to lead UI craftsmanship and design systems for a global sports brand. You’ll champion creative vision, move from hands-on platform design to campaign ideas, and present to senior clients with compelling storytelling.

You will mentor UI/UX designers, shape design direction for large-scale digital solutions, and leverage AI to accelerate ideation and prototyping. A strong portfolio and client-facing skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in digital design, UI design systems, or creative leadership.
• Strong portfolio with platform-led and campaign-driven work.
• Mastery of UI craft and typography, grids, motion, with Figma fluency.
• Proven track record designing performance-led marketing sites and digital products.
• Strong client-facing presentation skills.
• Hands-on AI fluency across design processes.
• Strong passion for sports and youth culture.
• Nice to have: code literacy (HTML/CSS) and 3D/WebGL.

Responsibilities

• Shape the overall design vision for large-scale digital solutions, spanning brand platforms, content ecosystems, products, tools, and campaign sites.
• Design at the highest level by remaining hands-on in Figma to build screens, complex design systems, UI components, and motion guidelines.
• Translate brand strategy and business objectives into functional user journeys, clear design rationale, and interactive prototypes.
• Leverage AI fluently across the design process for rapid ideation, visual generation, motion, prototyping, and workflow efficiency.
• Direct design and creative teams through the execution phase, ensuring visual excellence and cohesive craftsmanship from kickoff to launch.
• Present design work and strategic creative concepts to senior client stakeholders, substantiating decisions with compelling storytelling and functional proof.
• Mentor UI/UX designers and junior creatives by providing constructive direction, actionable feedback, and room for professional growth.
• Build lasting client relationships by listening to business challenges and advocating for design-led solutions that resonate with sports and youth culture.

Skills

7+ years exp

UI craft

Design systems

Figma expert

Campaign concepts

Client facing

Hands-on AI

Sports passion

Tools

Figma

Job description

Please note that we will never request payment or bank account information at any stage of the recruitment process. As we continue to grow our teams, we urge you to be cautious of fraudulent job postings or recruitment activities that misuse our company name and information. Please protect your personal information during any recruitment process. While Monks may contact potential candidates via LinkedIn, all applications must be submitted through our official website (monks.com/careers ).

About the Role

As an Associate Design Director, you’ll serve as a lead design voice for an iconic global sports brand, acting as a master of UI craftsmanship and digital design systems with the strategic confidence to present and champion creative vision directly to clients. You will move seamlessly from hands‑on platform and ecosystem design to shaping campaign‑led creative ideas where practical design thinking carries the weight. We are looking for someone who is passionate about seeking new opportunities to create impactful work.

Responsibilities:

Shape the overall design vision for large-scale digital solutions, spanning brand platforms, content ecosystems, products, tools, and campaign sites.

Design at the highest level by remaining hands‑on in Figma to build screens, complex design systems, UI components, and motion guidelines.

Translate brand strategy and business objectives into functional user journeys, clear design rationale, and interactive prototypes.

Leverage AI fluently across the design process for rapid ideation, visual generation, motion, prototyping, and workflow efficiency.

Direct design and creative teams through the execution phase, ensuring visual excellence and cohesive craftsmanship from kickoff to launch.

Present design work and strategic creative concepts to senior client stakeholders, substantiating decisions with compelling storytelling and functional proof.

Mentor UI/UX designers and junior creatives by providing constructive direction, actionable feedback, and room for professional growth.

Build lasting client relationships by listening to business challenges and advocating for design‑led solutions that resonate with sports and youth culture.

About You

The essentials:

7+ years of experience in digital design, UI design systems, or creative leadership within an agency, studio, or in‑house team.

A strong portfolio showcasing a blend of platform‑led web/product UI design and campaign‑led creative concept work.

Mastery of UI craft and digital design fundamentals (typography, grid systems, layout, motion, hierarchy) with expert‑level fluency in Figma.

Proven track record designing performance‑led marketing sites, brand platforms, configurators, or digital products that have launched in‑market.

Strong client‑facing presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design logic, defend creative vision, and win the room.

Hands‑on AI fluency across image generation, prototyping, and design workflow tools.

A strong passion for sports and youth culture.

Not a must, but a plus:

Code literacy (HTML/CSS familiarity or deep comfort with engineering handoff).

Motion direction, 3D, or WebGL experience.

Experience leading design projects that integrate AI as a user‑facing product feature.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.

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About Monks

Monks is the global, digital-first, data‑driven, unitary operating brand of S4 Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialized expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global Marketing and Technology Services to redefine how brands interact with the world. Through Monks.Flow, its flagship AI ecosystem for marketing orchestration, Monks transforms marketing into a growth engine, collapsing timelines and connecting brands to culture in real time. By deploying bespoke intelligent agents across disciplines and delivering culturally relevant, high‑impact creative and digital solutions, Monks solves key critical business challenges across the entire brand enterprise to help brands sustain long‑term impact.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services, ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-25) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). Named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show’s inaugural AI Pioneer Organization, Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group’s 2025 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in both the Organizational and AI Product categories. As a trusted partner to cutting‑edge innovators in tech, Monks earned titles such as Optimizely Experimentation Partner of the Year (2025), runner‑up for the Adobe Firefly Partner Award (2024), and Workato’s AI Visionary Customer Impact Award (2024). Additionally, Monks achieved a record‑breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us.

Monks does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.