Design Director

M+C Saatchi UK; New York (NY); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

401k retirement plan

Generous paid time off

Job summary

A leading advertising agency in New York seeks a Design Director to elevate visual craft across diverse campaigns. The ideal candidate will lead and mentor a creative team, ensuring innovative design solutions that align with brand strategy. This role requires extensive design experience and expert-level skills in Adobe Creative Suite. A competitive salary ranging from $130,000 to $150,000 is offered, along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of design and art direction experience, with at least 5 years in an advertising agency environment.
• Proven track record of leading and executing design across integrated campaigns.
• Exceptional portfolio showcasing work across branding, digital, social, experiential, and traditional advertising.

Responsibilities

• Set the design vision and establish creative benchmarks for campaigns across all platforms.
• Lead the development of visual systems, brand identities, style guides, and campaign toolkits.
• Translate brand strategy into innovative, compelling design solutions.

Skills

Design Leadership

Visual Crafting

Mentorship

Collaboration

Creative Strategy

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Sketch

Job description

Join to apply for the Design Director role at M+C Saatchi UK

We are seeking a Design Director with strong agency experience to lead and elevate the visual craft across brand campaigns, digital platforms, and integrated marketing initiatives. The ideal candidate is a seasoned designer and art director who can concept, direct, and execute world-class design solutions while mentoring a team of designers.

As a Design Director, you will work across multiple accounts, ensuring that every project embodies strategic thinking, brand consistency, and aesthetic excellence. You’ll collaborate with copywriters, strategists, and producers to deliver bold, culturally relevant, and design-driven ideas that move audiences and strengthen brands.

Responsibilities

• Set the design vision and establish creative benchmarks for campaigns across all platforms (digital, social, experiential, print, broadcast, OOH).
• Lead the development of visual systems, brand identities, style guides, and campaign toolkits.
• Translate brand strategy into innovative, compelling design solutions.

Execution & Craft

• Concept and design layouts, presentations, and campaign assets.
• Oversee and refine the work of design teams, ensuring craft, consistency, and attention to detail.
• Partner with production and external vendors (photographers, illustrators, animators) to ensure the highest-quality execution.
• Partner with copywriters and creative directors to develop integrated campaign ideas.
• Work with account and strategy teams to ensure design aligns with insights and client objectives.
• Collaborate with UX/UI teams to bring digital experiences to life.

Client Partnership

• Confidently present design concepts and articulate the creative rationale behind visual solutions.
• Build strong client relationships by balancing bold creativity with strategic understanding of brand needs.

Team Development

• Mentor junior and mid-level designers, providing clear feedback and helping them grow their craft.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive, and inspiring design culture within the agency.

About You

You’ll bring with you:

• 7–10 years of design and art direction experience, with at least 5 years in an advertising agency environment.
• Proven track record of leading and executing design across integrated campaigns.
• Exceptional portfolio showcasing work across branding, digital, social, experiential, and traditional advertising.
• Expert-level skills in Adobe Creative Suite and familiarity with Figma, Sketch, or similar design tools.
• Strong typography, layout, and visual storytelling skills.
• Understanding of motion design, UX/UI, and emerging digital platforms is a plus.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with clients and internal teams.
• Experience mentoring and managing creative teams.

You’re good at:

• Visionary Storyteller: Convey a mindset that sees campaigns as comprehensive narratives across channels, articulating a clear, inspiring creative vision that junior creatives can follow and execute against.
• Constructive Provocateur: Show the attitude to fearlessly challenge conventional thinking (clients, account teams, or even agency leadership) in pursuit of the best creative solution, while maintaining professional respect.
• Talent Amplifier: Highlight a management style focused on mentorship, protection, and developing creative talent, inspiring teams to reach beyond their perceived capabilities and fostering a diverse, ego-free creative culture.
• Audience Empath: Express a deep curiosity about human behavior and culture, demonstrating the ability to translate complex strategic insights into simple, emotionally resonant, and impactful creative concepts.

What You’ll Get

We offer a competitive salary, a comprehensive employer subsidized benefits package which includes group medical, dental and vision coverage, Health Savings Account, 401k retirement plan with annual company match, employee wellness, commuter benefits and cellular phone allowance, generous paid time off and employee volunteer day to encourage social responsibility giving time to the non-profit, community service or charity of your choice. Salary is dependent on experience but ranges from: $130,000– $150,000. All candidates must have the ability to work in the US; we are unable to sponsor any work visas for this role.

Equal Opportunity Employer

M+C Saatchi SSK as part of M+C Saatchi Group has pledged its commitment to create a company that values difference, with an inclusive culture. As part of this M+C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not and shall not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on merit, without regard for any personal characteristics.

Reasonable Adjustments

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please make us aware as part of your application.

Confidentiality

All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).