Design Director

AbelCine, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 170,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

Disability benefits

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

FSA for healthcare/dependent care

Supplemental health insurance

Commuter benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Equipment borrowing program

Professional development

Job summary

AbelCine, Inc. is seeking a Design Director to lead the creative direction for a key client, shaping visual storytelling across digital, video, events, and brand campaigns.

The role requires strong art direction, motion design, and brand development experience, with hands-on guidance and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. This full-time on-site position is based in Midtown, New York, with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Visual Communications, Film, Motion Design, Advertising, Marketing, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience in design, art direction, or multimedia creative roles in creative agencies or in-house teams.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellence across branding, motion graphics, digital campaigns, executive communications, events, and social content and integrated creative work.
• Expertise in concept development, storyboarding, production, post-production, and cross-platform content delivery.
• Deep understanding of typography, composition, color theory, visual hierarchy, branding, and user engagement.
• Experience translating complex business or technical concepts into compelling visual communications.
• Demonstrated success leading creative teams and managing external vendors.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects), Figma, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative vision for projects spanning branding, motion graphics, digital campaigns, executive communications, events, and social content.
• Develop innovative creative concepts that align with objectives and elevate the client’s visual identity.
• Translate complex business concepts into clear, engaging narratives.
• Ensure consistency across all deliverables and uphold design quality.
• Guide concept development, storyboarding, visual systems, animation, and final production.
• Provide hands-on creative support for presentations and high-profile projects when needed.
• Establish scalable design templates, motion standards, and best practices.
• Partner with Creative, Marketing, Production, Events, and Content teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Present concepts and design rationale to senior leadership.
• Lead reviews, workshops, and project presentations.
• Coordinate with project managers to keep projects on schedule and within scope.

Skills

Art direction

Motion design

Brand development

Leadership

Presentation skills

Adobe CC

Figma

PowerPoint

Storyboarding

Production

Education

Bachelor's degree in Design/related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Premiere Pro

After Effects

Illustrator

Job description

AbelCine is a leading provider of products, services, and solutions supporting the production, broadcast, and new media industries. Through our Production Services division, we provide highly skilled professionals to some of the world's most respected organizations, partnering with clients to deliver exceptional creative and operational support. We are seeking a Design Director to join our team as a full-time employed consultant supporting one of our key clients. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape creative work for a globally recognized organization, leading the development of visually compelling multimedia content across digital, video, events, executive communications, and brand campaigns.

Position Summary

The Design Director will provide creative leadership across a wide range of projects, ensuring all work is visually sophisticated, strategically aligned, and consistent with the client's brand standards. This individual will collaborate closely with designers, producers, editors, motion designers, marketing teams, content strategists, and external agencies to develop engaging creative solutions that communicate complex business concepts through compelling visual storytelling.
The ideal candidate is an experienced creative leader with a strong background in art direction, motion design, video, and brand development. They are equally comfortable developing big-picture creative concepts and providing hands-on guidance throughout execution

Key Responsibilities

Creative Leadership & Art Direction

• Lead the creative vision for projects spanning branding, motion graphics, digital campaigns, executive communications, events, and social content.
• Develop innovative creative concepts that align with business objectives and elevate the client's visual identity.
• Translate complex business and financial concepts into clear, engaging, and visually compelling narratives.
• Ensure consistency across all creative deliverables while maintaining the highest standards of design quality.

Multimedia Design & Production

• Guide concept development, storyboarding, visual systems, animation, and final production.
• Provide hands-on creative support for presentations, key visuals, and high-profile projects when needed.
• Establish scalable design templates, motion standards, and creative best practices.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Partner closely with Creative, Marketing, Production, Events, and Content teams to develop integrated creative solutions.
• Present creative concepts and design rationale to senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Lead creative reviews, workshops, and project presentations.
• Coordinate with project managers and creative operations to ensure projects remain on schedule and within scope.

Team Leadership

• Mentor designers, motion artists, freelancers, and external creative partners.
• Provide thoughtful direction and constructive feedback throughout the design process.
• Foster a collaborative, creative studio culture focused on continuous improvement.
• Help develop workflows that improve efficiency, consistency, and quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Visual Communications, Film, Motion Design, Advertising, Marketing, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 8+ years of experience in design, art direction, or multimedia creative roles in creative agencies or in-house teams
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellenceacross design projects spanning branding, motion graphics, digital campaigns, executive communications, events, and social contentand integrated creative work
• Expertise in concept development, storyboarding, production, post-production, and cross-platform content delivery
• Deep understanding of typography, composition, color theory, visual hierarchy, branding, and user engagement
• Experience translating complex business or technical concepts into compelling visual communications
• Demonstrated success leading creative teams and managing external vendors
• Excellent presentation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects), Figma, and PowerPoint
• Familiarity with video formats for social media, paid media, events, and executive communications
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Engagement Details

• Engagement: Full-Time Employment
• Classification: Exempt
• Schedule: Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5PM.
• Location: On-Site - Midtown,New York, NY
• Compensation: $170,000 - $185,000+ Comprehensive Benefits Package

Perks & Benefits

• Highly subsidized medical, dental, and vision plans (individual, dependent, and family coverage)
• Short-term & long-term disability benefits
• 401(k) with employer match (up to 2% of annual pay)
• Paid time off, including caregiving and personal leave options
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for healthcare & dependent care
• Supplemental health insurance coverage
• Commuter benefits & gym membership discounts
• Employee Assistance Program & life insurance
• Equipment borrowing program + discounts on gear purchases
• Access to professional development resources

At AbelCine, we believe in fostering a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative work environment. We are committed to equal-opportunity hiring and value a team that brings a range of perspectives, skills, and experiences to our company.