Associate Director Experience Design

twentysix; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 194,635 - 259,514; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working policy

25 days holiday with unpaid leave

Flexible health budget

Learning & development budget

Referral bonus program

Office breakfasts & lunches

OpenUp health contribution

Zurich office option

Social events & celebrations

Job summary

DEPT® is seeking an Associate Director Experience Design to lead pitches and oversee projects across the DACH and EMEA regions. You will ensure outstanding design quality, collaborate with Strategy, UX, Content and Technology teams, and mentor senior designers to deliver measurable growth for clients.

You bring 15+ years of brand and experience design in agency settings, plus fluent German and English, and you will enjoy a hybrid Zurich-based role with European travel as needed.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in brand design, UX/UI and large-scale design systems.
• Proven work history in dynamic agency environments with international clients.
• Strong communication and influence across senior stakeholders in German and English (C1).
• Experience leading pitches to win new business and guiding cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead pitches to win new business in DACH and EMEA.
• Oversee projects to develop user-centered experiences delivering growth.
• Ensure outstanding design quality and delivery by the pitch/project team.
• Collaborate with Strategy, UX, Content and Technology across international teams.

Skills

Lead design

Client pitches

UX/UI design

Stakeholder management

Team collaboration

German & English (C1)

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Tools

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Design systems

Job description

Associate Director Experience Design

Zurich, Hybrid

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Meta, eBay, and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

JOB PURPOSE

This role is part of our Experience & Engineering team in the DACH region. We combine technology and experience design to create emotive yet conversion-focused CX platforms, Apps, Online Shops and Design systems at scale and speed. Our specialty is digital experiences and communication that change perceptions and shape new behaviours to make a difference in the market.

As Associate Director, you will lead pitches to win new business in DACH and EMEA and oversee projects for key accounts to develop user-centered experiences that drive measurable growth. Your focus will be on ensuring outstanding design quality to win and retain clients.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Design excellence: As Lead Designer for pitches and key accounts, you’ll set the standard for award-winning design that ensures user, brand, and business requirements are not just met but exceeded.
• Delivery accountability: You are responsible for the design quality and the successful delivery of your pitch or project team. You not only set the direction and monitor quality, but also work closely with the core team to ensure overall success.
• Teamwork and collaboration: You will work closely with other departments, such as Strategy, UX, Content, and Technology, and be part of international teams across the EMEA region.
• Thought leadership: You will act as an internal and external voice, showcasing our pioneering work through speaking engagements and industry contributions to build our reputation as a growth innovation company.

WHAT YOU BRING:

• Craft focus: Over 15 years of experience in brand design, experience design (UX/UI), motion design and large-scale design systems.
• Professional Experience: Proven work history of working in dynamic agency environments, collaborating with international brands, and managing senior stakeholders.
• Portfolio: Outstanding track record across the entire design value chain. From developing compelling design visions to executing actionable UI and motion design tasks. Your portfolio showcases impressive results and measurable business growth. Industry awards aren't a must, but very welcome.
• Tech and AI savvy: Not only are you curious about digital trends, AI and new technologies, you are also committed to incorporating relevant innovations into your work.
• Communication and influence: The ability to translate design visions into compelling presentations that inspire and win over both high-level decision-makers and operational teams. Comprehensive professional language skills in German and English (C1 level) are required.

WE OFFER

• Flexible, hybrid working policy (2 days from the office, depending on location);
• 25 days holiday with the opportunity to take unpaid leave;
• Flexible health budget and Wellness & personal day.
• Learning & development budget.
• Referral bonus program.
• Occasional breakfast & lunch at the office, Smoothie Tuesday.
• Stay happy and healthy with a contribution to your health through the OpenUp platform.
• You can choose to work from the spacious and barrier-free location in Zurich; in Bern you can expect a small but nice and fully equipped office where you can hit the keys in peace.
• Social events, plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues through organised activities and celebrations.
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT® has been a Certified B Corp since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT® you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT® Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.