Design Director, Craft & Experience Leadership

DEPT®; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

24 vacation days

Unlimited vacation days

Learning Menu

Wellness benefits

NS Business Card

Job summary

DEPT® is seeking an Associate Design Director in the Netherlands (Amsterdam/Rotterdam) to shape craft direction, elevate design excellence, and steer the strategic visual design practice across complex projects.

You will mentor teams, influence senior stakeholders, and contribute to sales and thought leadership while enjoying a flexible hybrid policy and the option to work abroad for up to 13 weeks a year.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in visual/UI/UX design, including 3+ years at senior or leadership level.
• Serious craft expertise: a portfolio demonstrating strategic impact, systems thinking, and high-quality execution across complex digital ecosystems.
• A strategic thinker who influences product, design, and business decisions with clear vision and rationale.
• A recognised design voice: inspires teams, elevates craft standards, and contributes to the wider design community.
• Mentorship mindset: actively builds others up through coaching, structured feedback, and knowledge sharing.
• Continuously curious: eager to master emerging tools, AI workflows, motion, and design trends.
• Deep understanding of visual principles, accessibility, and modern interaction patterns.
• Mastery of Figma and design systems; motion skills (Jitter, AE, etc.) are a plus.
• Confident communicator able to articulate design direction with clarity and conviction.
• Working proficiency in English.

Responsibilities

• Own craft direction across complex projects and accounts, ensuring work is aligned, elevated and unmistakably DEPT®.
• Raise the bar by defining standards, sharpening processes, and enabling teams to deliver consistently exceptional work.
• Guide clients and internal teams with clear, high-level creative and product direction that goes beyond the brief.
• Drive innovation through experimentation and curiosity, creating work that sets benchmarks and wins awards.
• Shape the future of the design practice by evolving craft vision, building team capabilities, and fostering a culture of mentorship and continuous learning.
• Support pitches and growth opportunities with strong creative POVs that connect craft to business impact.
• Represent DEPT® externally through talks, posts and publications that amplify our creative reputation.

Skills

Visual/UI/UX design

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Mentorship

Communication

English proficiency

Tools

Figma

Design systems

After Effects

Jitter

Job description

DEPT® is seeking an Associate Design Director in the Netherlands (Amsterdam/Rotterdam) to shape craft direction, elevate design excellence, and steer the strategic visual design practice across complex projects.

You will mentor teams, influence senior stakeholders, and contribute to sales and thought leadership while enjoying a flexible hybrid policy and the option to work abroad for up to 13 weeks a year.