Design Director

Monks; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

PTO and holidays

401k with company contribution

Parental leave

Work-life balance

Career growth in disruptor space

Diversity & inclusion groups

DEI commitment and sustainable growth

Job summary

Monks is seeking an experienced Design Director to provide creative leadership for an embedded team supporting a major technology client. This in-person role requires working onsite at the client’s Menlo Park office, collaborating with stakeholders to maintain craft and ensure cohesive output across shifts and locations.

You will mentor designers and motion creatives, guide brand systems, and push innovation with AI-enabled production; a strong track record in design systems and editorial

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in design, art direction or creative direction.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary design teams.
• Deep familiarity with brand systems, component libraries and templates.
• Strong digital/web design experience with accessibility considerations.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Interest in AI and production innovation.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day creative leadership for the embedded design and motion team.
• Maintain continuity and a consistent creative standard across locations, shifts and workstreams.
• Translate brand guidelines and design systems into clear, actionable direction.
• Ensure work is cohesive and tailored to audience and channel.
• Review and guide digital, editorial, presentation, graphic and motion deliverables.
• Mentor designers and motion creatives, offering practical guidance.

Skills

8+ years experience

Team leadership

Brand systems

Design systems

Web design

Typography

Motion design

Cross-functional collaboration

English fluency

Presentation skills

AI interest

Job description

Please note that we will never request payment or bank account information at any stage of the recruitment process. As we continue to grow our teams, we urge you to be cautious of fraudulent job postings or recruitment activities that misuse our company name and information. Please protect your personal information during any recruitment process. While Monks may contact potential candidates via LinkedIn, all applications must be submitted through our official website ( monks.com/careers ).

About the Role

Monks is seeking an experienced Design Director to provide creative leadership for an embedded team supporting one of our largest technology clients. Working in person alongside client stakeholders, this role will maintain creative continuity, uphold a high standard of craft and ensure work remains cohesive across teams, shifts and deliverables.

The ideal candidate has deep experience working within robust design systems and knows how to apply established standards without making the work feel mechanical. You will guide designers and motion creatives, resolve design questions quickly and help the team deliver polished editorial and marketing content at speed.

An interest in AI, emerging technology and new approaches to creative production is essential.

Work Location & Schedule

This role requires working onsite at our client's office in Menlo Park, CA, 4–5 days per week.

In This Role, You Will

• Provide day-to-day creative leadership for the embedded design and motion team.
• Maintain continuity and a consistent creative standard across locations, shifts and workstreams.
• Translate established brand guidelines and design systems into clear, actionable direction.
• Ensure work is visually cohesive, accurate and appropriately tailored to its audience and channel.
• Review and guide digital, web, editorial, presentation, graphic and motion deliverables.
• Partner closely with the Executive Producer to balance creative quality with timing, capacity and business priorities.
• Work directly with client stakeholders to clarify creative direction, resolve feedback and keep work moving.
• Provide clear, consolidated feedback that enables teams to execute efficiently.
• Identify when existing components or templates can be used and when a new design solution is required.
• Support the evolution of templates, component libraries and documentation as program needs develop.
• Collaborate with technical writers to ensure design supports the clarity and integrity of complex subject matter.
• Mentor designers and motion creatives, providing practical guidance and helping them operate with greater independence.
• Partner with AI and creative technology specialists to explore responsible ways to improve workflows, consistency and production efficiency.
• Maintain discretion when working with confidential and highly sensitive information.

Experience You Bring

• 8+ years of experience in design, art direction or creative direction within an agency, technology company or in-house creative organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary design teams and maintaining quality across high-volume or rapid-turn work.
• Deep familiarity with established brand systems, component libraries, templates and scalable design frameworks.
• Strong digital and web design experience, including responsive layouts and accessibility considerations.
• Ability to assess work quickly, provide decisive direction and distinguish critical issues from subjective preferences.
• Strong understanding of typography, hierarchy, composition, visual storytelling and motion principles.
• Experience collaborating with production, editorial, product, legal and technical stakeholders.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Excellent presentation, communication and feedback skills.
• Interest in AI, emerging technology and production innovation.

Working Model

This is an in-person, client-facing role embedded with the client team. The Design Director will guide a distributed creative team operating across multiple global locations and shifts, with availability during core client working hours and flexibility around urgent priorities.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company's then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

What We Offer

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance - more about our coverage here !
• Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays
• 401k with company contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being
• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network
• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!
• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here !)

This role is subject to our Return to Office (RTO) policy. If you reside within a commutable distance of one of our office locations, you will be expected to work from the office a set number of days per week. The specific details, including the number of required office days, will be in accordance with the company's then-current RTO policy, which is subject to change from time to time.

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job-related factors, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Salary Range: $135,000—$145,000 USD

About Monks

Monks is the global, digital-first, data-driven, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc, where our culture centers on how we show up for the work and for one another. That begins with the commitment to strive for mastery—taking deep pride in our craft and creating work that sets the bar. In everyday execution, we drive momentum by choosing bold action rather than waiting for certainty. Above all, our teams are stronger together, bringing diverse perspectives into a unified team that communicates with clarity, trust, and mutual respect.
This commitment to craft and innovation translates directly into widespread industry acclaim: Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services and a leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Global Digital Marketing Agencies. It ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-25) and remains the only partner featured in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). Named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023) and The One Show’s inaugural AI Pioneer Organization (2025), Monks was also awarded Business Intelligence Group’s 2026 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Award in the Human-Machine Interaction Team category. Additionally, Monks.Flow earned AI-based Marketing Solution of the Year at the 2026 AI Breakthrough Awards and a 2026 Global Generative AI Award in the Agentic Marketing Innovation category. Finally, Monks achieved a record-breaking number of FWAs and continues to hold the most of any partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us.

Monks does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.