Design Director

Hush; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

HUSH is seeking a Design Director to lead and elevate client work across multiple projects. You will guide creative direction, mentor a growing team, and ensure excellence from concept to delivery.

You will collaborate with Creative Partners and strategists, shaping visual language and design systems, while maintaining strong client relationships and championing innovative solutions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years design experience in fast-paced agency or brand context.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in design or related field.
• Proven leadership and management skills.
• Strong organizational, presentation and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor design staff across multiple projects.
• Collaborate with Creative Directors and Strategists to align on vision.
• Oversee concept development, design execution and delivery to clients.
• Present ideas clearly to clients and coach team members.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Presentation skills

Design thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Role: Design Director

Level: Senior

Supervisor: Creative Partner / Creative Director

Who we are:

We are a team of Proactive, Respectful, Communicative, Candid and Curious leaders seeking new team members who share our values. We are world-class experience designers, technologists, strategic thinkers and creators assembled to develop global design projects for adventurous, industry-changing companies and leading organizations.

Who you are:

You help the team deliver the highest level of creativity. You lead by making, challenging them, engaging in critique and dialogue, curating the best ideas, and co-creating work. You support them with a strategic mind that can wrangle complex challenges. You’ve got a track record of performance, a personal drive to do it right, and better. You have a demonstrated and enduring interest in creativity, technology and design.

Role Overview:

As a Design Director (DD) you work on an average of 3+ jobs in various stages of development and/or pitch (depending on the size and scale of the projects.) You are communicative, engaging in regular conversations, critiques, workshops and ideation sessions with the internal team. You have professionalism and ease in your external communications with clients and partners. You have also sharpened your leadership skills after years of working with complex teams and personalities. Naturally, your portfolio of work rocks and shows a particular design expertise, as well as some diversity across mediums and interests.

Focus: 80% on billable projects; 20% internal, R&D, inspiration, process, mentorship

Evaluation:

Semi-annual meetings to review progress across core responsibilities, professional and personal goals.

Team Leadership:

• Establish and uphold the design intent over the lifetime of a project
• Contribute to and optimize the work of staff and freelance designers of various levels
• Collaborate and co-create design ideas with production and technology teams
• Onboard and educate new talent to the HUSH design ecosystem
• Assess project scope and opportunities; help build teams to meet project needs
• Support and direct partner/vendor relationships critical to a project’s success

Concept and Design:

• Work collaboratively with Creative Directors and Strategists to align on project vision
• Collect and distill research into valuable references, moods and visual territories
• Sketch, design and visualize initial ideas to help concept with other team members
• Build initial decks and frameworks for presentations to which the team will contribute
• Schedule and run creative stand ups, workshops, critiques and inspiration sessions
• Work with production and technology teams to determine concept viability
• Ensure the highest level of execution across all aspects of design, from concept to later-phase design detailing, and delivery

Client Facing:

• Support projects teams and company leadership by presenting ideas clearly
• Coach other team members to improve their client presentation skills
• Listen to feedback, ask smart questions, and develop a rapport and a voice
• Problem solve solutions to (sometimes) difficult feedback

Requirements:

• 8+ years design experience in high-paced design agency or brand
• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience in design or related studies
• Proven leadership and management skills
• Proven organizational, presentation and communication skills
• T-shaped knowledge across a broad suite of design applications, with a speciality skill

HUSH is an equal opportunity employer. We enthusiastically support diversity in the workforce.