Art Director, Packaging

thrivemarket; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrive Market is seeking an Art Director of Packaging to lead branding and packaging design across owned brands. You will oversee a design team, guide production from concept to print, and ensure alignment with brand goals and market trends.

The role requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, with leadership responsibilities and ongoing opportunities to shape packaging strategy.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in packaging design and art direction, with a strong brand development background.
• Minimum 2 years of direct people management experience and team leadership.
• Experience with consumer packaged goods (CPG), food, or wellness brands is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive quality and consistency of Thrive Market Owned Brands packaging.
• Manage a team of packaging designers and production artists.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with photo, content, and merchandising marketing teams.

Skills

Packaging design

Art direction

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Production oversight

Proofing/print

Photography direction

Job description

ABOUT THRIVE MARKET

Thrive Market was founded in 2014 with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone. As an online, membership-based market, we deliver the highest quality healthy, and sustainable products at member-only prices, while matching every paid membership with a free one for someone in need. Every day, we leverage innovative technology and member-first thinking to help our over 1,700,000+ members find better products, support better brands, and build a better world in the process. We are also a Certified B Corporation, a Public Benefit Corporation, and a Climate Neutral Certified company.

Join us as we bring healthy and sustainable living to millions of Americans in the years to come.

THE ROLE

The Art Director of Packaging leads the creative strategy, quality, and consistency of Thrive Market's Owned Brands packaging. This role manages a team of designers and production artists, collaborates cross-functionally to align packaging with brand goals, and oversees the production process from concept to print. Additionally, the Art Director drives innovation, optimizes design workflows, and ensures packaging meets industry trends and consumer expectations.

The ideal candidate is organized, process-oriented, has extreme attention to detail, and thrives in a fast-paced working environment.

Core Responsibilities

• Creative Vision and Art Direction: Drive quality and consistency across all Thrive Market Owned Brands, providing daily creative feedback to the design team and aligning with stakeholders in bi-weekly meetings. Ensure all packaging designs adhere to brand standards and contribute to a cohesive brand identity.
• Team Management and Development: Oversee a team of packaging designers, delegating projects effectively and setting team members up for success. Conduct mid-year and annual performance reviews, manage career pathing, and establish clear OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to support growth and skill development.
• Mentorship and Skill Building: Mentor designers, helping them optimize their processes, develop creative efficiencies, and achieve high standards in their work. Inspire team members through constructive feedback and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with teams in photo, content, and merchandising marketing to define creative objectives, packaging style, and strategic approaches. Interpret and follow Creative Briefs closely to ensure packaging aligns with broader brand and product objectives.
• Editorial and Content Alignment: Collaborate with the Content team to define the editorial direction for packaging, ensuring that brand storytelling aligns seamlessly across all packaging touchpoints.
• Brand Style Guides: Build, manage, and update brand style guides, including packaging standards (such as substrates, design elements, and typography) to maintain a strong visual identity across all Thrive Market brands.
• Production Oversight: Manage the production process from design to printing, identifying and flagging any design inconsistencies and ensuring quality through all production stages. Collaborate with production teams on mechanicals and printing best practices.
• Proofing and Press Checks: Review proofs and lead press checks (on-site or remote), approving or rejecting against brand standards and printer specifications.
• New Product Development: Provide creative support for product development, particularly for new categories like home goods, textiles, and specialty products, ensuring alignment with the overall brand aesthetic.
• Market and Competitive Research: Conduct ongoing competitive research to stay informed about industry trends and consumer preferences, bringing innovative ideas to enhance Thrive Market's presence in the packaging space.
• Process Optimization: Develop and implement operational efficiencies to streamline the packaging design process, reducing unnecessary revisions and improving productivity.
• Presentation and Leadership Communication: Create presentation materials, including packaging mockups and competitive landscape analysis, for leadership review, ensuring clear communication of strategic decisions and design rationale.
• Photography and Retouching Oversight: Guide the on-pack photography process, providing direction and retouching feedback to ensure consistency and quality across all product images.
• Innovation in Packaging: Identify new opportunities to elevate the Thrive Market brand within the packaging industry by staying current on best practices in design, printing, and branding.

Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years in packaging design and art direction, with a strong background in brand development, preferably within the CPG, food, or wellness industries.
• Leadership Skills: Proven experience managing a creative team, including mentorship, performance reviews, and project delegation, with a minimum of 2 years of direct people management experience.
• Technic