Associate Design Director

Stand Together; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

6% 401(k) match

Flexible time off

Comprehensive health and dental plans

Wellness and mental health support

Job summary

Stand Together in Arlington, Virginia is seeking an Associate Design Director to enhance the creative integrity of the brand. In this key role, you will support the Creative Director by leading various projects and mentoring the creative team. We are looking for someone passionate about impactful visual storytelling and experienced in various platforms. Ideal candidates should have over 7 years of relevant experience and the ability to connect complex ideas with audiences. Competitive benefits and a dynamic work environment await you.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in a conceptual creative role.
• Strong portfolio across various mediums.
• Experience in navigating complex stakeholder environments.

Responsibilities

• Support Creative Director in strategic projects.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders for project excellence.
• Guide junior creatives in refining concepts.

Skills

Strong presentation/pitching skills

Superior writing skills

Strong communication skills

Solutions-first mindset

Job description

Overview

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society.

We’re looking for a highly skilled, detail-oriented Associate Design Director to elevate the quality, consistency, and impact of our creative work across the Stand Together brand and its network of partners. This role is ideal for a design leader who combines exceptional visual craft with a passion for mentoring others. You will play a critical role in shaping and refining creative work—bringing a sharp design eye, strong executional ability, and the ability to guide teams towards best-in-class outcomes. Working closely with the Creative Director, you will focus on raising the bar of design across all touchpoints, ensuring that every piece of work is strategically sound, visually compelling, and executed at the highest level. This role offers a unique opportunity to make a culturally significant impact while strengthening the capabilities of our creative team.

What You Will Do

• Support the Creative Director as a hands-on leader for each project, collaborating with cross-functional leaders to ensure work is strategic and best-in-class.
• Partner with art directors, designers, and video producers to deliver creative concepts and executions that go beyond informing or entertaining—our goal is cultural resonance. We''re not selling a product; we''re creating paradigm shifts.
• Support creative efforts throughout the lifecycle of campaigns and partnerships, providing guidance and oversight to ensure excellence.
• Strategize platform-specific executions, ensuring concepts thrive across digital, social, video, print, and events.
• Provide hands-on guidance to junior and mid-level creatives, helping them refine concepts and sharpen execution.
• Write persuasive, engaging, and on-brand copy across a variety of channels (digital, social, video, experiential, print).
• Translate complex ideas into simple, powerful messages that resonate with audiences.
• Lead brainstorming sessions, pitch concepts, and present ideas with confidence to both internal teams and clients.
• Infuse our philosophy and principles into stories and creative expressions that deeply connect with audiences.

What You Will Bring

• 7+ years of experience in a conceptual creative role at an agency, publisher, media company, in-house at a brand, or similar organization.
• A strong portfolio including video, OOH, print, digital, social, and longform work samples.
• Strong presentation/pitching skills to generate support from internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Superior writing skills, with an ability to crystallize complex ideas clearly and concisely.
• Strong communication skills to nurture senior cross-departmental relationships.
• A solutions-first mindset.
• Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect.

Standout Candidates Will Bring

• Branding and its various expressions.
• Navigating a matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience with behavior change campaigns.

What We Offer

• Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace.
• A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,300 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutions to complex social challenges.
• Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non-hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents.
• Competitive compensation: Our approach rewards the value you create through competitive salaries and bonus opportunities, allowing you to share in the success you help drive.

Our Values: Working for an organization within the Stand Together philanthropic community is different from many other places. The culture is deeply rooted in Principle Based Management (PBM), a framework guided by the principles that drive human progress, such as dignity, openness, and bottom-up empowerment. PBM empowers employees to be entrepreneurial, to innovate, and to continually drive transformation.

We believe diversity fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success. That is why we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, and respect.