Associate Director, Visual Design

DEPT®; Illinois; On-site; USD 122,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage

401(k) plan, plus matching

PTO

Paid Company Holidays

Parental Leave

Job summary

DEPT® in Illinois is seeking an Associate Director for Visual Design to define the aesthetic vision across brand, product, and strategy. This role involves collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, overseeing design systems, and driving strategic projects.

With a focus on innovation and excellence, the candidate must have over 5 years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree in Design or related field. DEPT® offers extensive benefits including healthcare and a matching 401(k) plan.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in visual and interactive design for global brands.
• At least 4 years in a leadership position.
• Strong knowledge in user-centered experience design and brand development.

Responsibilities

• Set the visual strategy for the creative department.
• Oversee global design systems ensuring scalability and accessibility.
• Drive complex digital projects from kick-off to completion.

Skills

Visual and interactive design

Leadership

Public speaking

Strategic problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Design, Visual Arts, or related field

Tools

Figma

Hubspot

Google Suite

Slack

Job description

The role

The Associate Director, Visual Design, is a cornerstone of our creative leadership, tasked with defining the aesthetic North Star for our organization. This is not just a role for a master craftsperson, but for a strategic visionary who can translate business objectives into world‑class visual ecosystems. You will sit at the intersection of brand, product, and strategy, ensuring that our visual identity is cohesive, future‑proof, and disruptive.

What you’ll do

• Closely collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of talented people.
• Set the overarching visual strategy and design principles that guide the entire creative department across all touchpoints (digital, brand, and product).
• Oversee the evolution of our global design systems, ensuring they are scalable, accessible, and reflect the highest level of visual sophistication.
• Act as a primary creative partner to C‑suite executives and key client stakeholders, using design as a lever to solve complex business challenges.
• Partner with cross‑functional leaders to ensure technical feasibility and strategic alignment from ideation to launch.
• Serve as an evangelist for design excellence both internally and externally, staying ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies (AI, spatial design, etc.) to keep the agency/company at the cutting edge.
• Refine design workflows and philosophies to improve the quality of output while maintaining organizational agility and profitability.
• Bring a fresh, insightful point of view that inspires both the internal team and the client, putting the team and client first.
• Generate strategic insights and moodboards to facilitate creative innovation.
• Drive complex digital projects from kick‑off to completion, ensuring the team’s deliverables exceed client expectations and stay within budget and deadlines.
• Establish project direction, craft guidelines, and assist with production as needed.
• Identify key client decision‑makers and leverage excellent interpersonal skills to grow and maintain these relationships, collaborating across all internal departments and external stakeholders to achieve desired results.
• Actively contribute to the design discipline through mentoring, conversation, and proposing ideas to elevate company operations and improve processes.

What you bring

• 5+ years of experience in visual and interactive design for global brands, with at least 4 years in a dedicated leadership position.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Design, Visual Arts, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Mastery of Figma (including components, variants, and auto layout) and familiarity with essential collaboration tools (e.g., Hubspot, Google Suite, Slack).
• Strong knowledge and experience in visual design, user‑centered experience design, interaction design, and brand development. Experience developing and maintaining a robust design system.
• Demonstrated ability to provide strategic vision and creative inspiration to large, diverse teams.
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex information to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Highly detail‑oriented, proactive, comfortable navigating complex organizations, and focused on strategic problem‑solving and process efficiency.

What we offer

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401(k) plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

Salary

US Remote Range
$122,000—$170,000 USD (Based on 40‑hour workweek, leveling and location factors)

EEO & Company

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We are committed to an inclusive and barrier‑free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. We also participate in E‑Verify. DEPT® is a B Corp‑certified company passionate about purpose‑driven work.