Creative Director and Lead Designer

AeroVironment, Inc.; Simi Valley (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Join AV as a Creative Director and Lead Designer, where you will oversee the visual direction of brand campaigns. This role involves working closely with diverse stakeholders to deliver innovative design solutions in the defense and aerospace sectors. Candidates should bring significant experience in leadership, a robust portfolio, and the ability to navigate complex technical environments.

Benefits

Excellent benefits package

401K with company matching

Paid holiday shutdown

Qualifications

• 12+ years in design, 5-7 in creative leadership.
• Strong portfolio across brand systems and campaign work.
• Experience in highly technical domains.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall design vision and strategy across all platforms.
• Manage creative workflows with minimal oversight.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for effective campaigns.

Skills

Design Leadership

Visual Storytelling

Creative Direction

Collaboration

Tools

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

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Job Description

The Director, Creative & Lead Designer role requires a visionary and hands-on creative manager and lead designer who can set the visual tone for an integrated brand, lead high-concept campaign development, and collaborate closely with product marketing, business development, and technical stakeholders. This position demands a strategic, solutions-driven mindset, the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling, cohesive visual narratives, and strong executional oversight across multiple channels.

Worker Type

Regular

Summary

Job Description

The Director, Creative & Lead Designer role requires a visionary and hands-on creative manager and lead designer who can set the visual tone for an integrated brand, lead high-concept campaign development, and collaborate closely with product marketing, business development, and technical stakeholders. This position demands a strategic, solutions-driven mindset, the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling, cohesive visual narratives, and strong executional oversight across multiple channels.

The Director, Creative & Lead Designer will bring a customer- and mission-centric lens to every project and possess the curiosity and aptitude to become a subject matter expert in cutting-edge defense technology and national security innovations.

Position Responsibilities

• Define, articulate, and lead the overall design vision, strategy, and execution across all products and brand touchpoints.
• Champion a unified creative direction across all platforms—including brand evolution, visual storytelling, and multi-channel campaign development.
• Translate complex technical and business objectives into bold, high-impact creative assets for both commercial and federal audiences.
• Operate at the pace, scale, and quality expected of a modern, agency-caliber internal creative team, including real-time iteration and full campaign alignment.
• Partner cross-functionally with senior marketers and business leads—particularly in campaign strategy, product storytelling, and audience engagement.
• Structure and manage creative workflows to meet compressed timelines and multi-layered stakeholder review cycles, with minimal oversight and a customer-first attitude.
• Establish and uphold a best-in-class standard for creative and design excellence company-wide.
• Proactively generate innovative concepts with minimal direction, guided by strategic goals.
• Bring proven experience supporting brand development and product launches in the defense, aerospace, or adjacent high-tech sectors.
• Manage feedback loops and respond constructively to high-level executive input and iterative review cycles.
• Collaborate seamlessly with cross-functional teams including engineering, communications, product, and business development.
• Provide strong project oversight using digital tools (e.g., Monday, Asana, Jira) to ensure transparency, prioritization, and timely delivery.
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• 12+ years of experience in design with at least 5-7 years in a creative leadership role (agency, enterprise, or high-growth technology environment)
• A strong portfolio spanning brand systems, product design, campaign work, and strategic design initiatives
• Experience designing for highly technical, regulated, or mission-critical domains (e.g., defense, government, data platforms, or enterprise software)
• Ability to fluidly switch between visionary ideation and meticulous execution
• Familiarity with systems thinking, information architecture, and design thinking frameworks focused on usability and clarity
• High-level proficiency with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, prototyping environments, and collaborative design platforms
• Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and mentor multidisciplinary creative teams
  
  

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (Constant)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)
  
  

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.
  
  

The Salary Range For This Role Is

$148,891 - $211,365

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR

• 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.
  
  

Benefits: AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply. NO agencies please.

Who We Are

Based in California, AeroVironment (AVAV) is a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Founded in 1971 by celebrated physicist and engineer, Dr. Paul MacCready, we’ve been at the leading edge of technical innovation for more than 45 years. Be a part of the team that developed the world’s most widely used military drones and created the first submarine-launched reconnaissance drone, and has seven innovative vehicles that are part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection in Washington, DC.

Join us today in developing the next generation of small UAS and tactical missile systems that will deliver more actionable intelligence to our customers so they can proceed with certainty – and succeed.

What We Do

Building on a history of technological innovation, AeroVironment designs, develops, produces, and supports an advanced portfolio of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services use the company’s hand-launched UAS to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR

U.S. Citizenship required

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology

• Industries

  Defense and Space Manufacturing

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