Director, Design & Development

Nbcuniversal3; California (MO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision insurance

401(k)

Paid leave

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discounts

Job summary

NBCUniversal seeks a Director, Design & Development to lead a diversified fashion creative team and drive a contemporary consumer-driven vision across Universal Studios, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation, TV and E-commerce licensing and Parks.

You will guide creative strategy, manage end-to-end product design, collaborate with licensors and retailers, and mentor a 5–20 person team while traveling as needed to support business initiatives.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in creative design, product development, and leadership.
• 5+ years of experience leading creative teams of 5–20.
• Experience in fashion, consumer products, entertainment, or licensing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the creative vision across multiple categories, ensuring brand consistency and elevated design execution.
• Develop innovative concepts, visual storytelling, and brand-right creative solutions that resonate with target consumers and strengthen brand equity.
• Act as the creative bridge between licensors, licensees, retail partners, and internal teams to maximize brand value through design.
• Ensure alignment between creative vision, brand strategy, and commercial objectives across all product categories.
• Influence cross-functional stakeholders to align creative strategies with business priorities.
• Maintain exceptional standards of design quality, craftsmanship, and execution across all outputs.
• Drive informed creative solutions by leveraging global and local market trends and consumer insights.

Job description

The Director, Design & Development, is responsible for leading a diverse fashion creative team and driving a creative vision rooted in the contemporary consumer, while supporting and owning category growth objectives. This role provides creative and strategic leadership across a broad portfolio, overseeing all Fashion & Living responsibilities spanning Universal Studios, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation, TV and E-commerce businesses for licensing and Parks. In addition, the role fosters a professional and inspiring creative environment that encourages smart, innovative design solutions at every level.

Responsibilities

Creative Leadership & Vision

• Lead and oversee the creative vision across multiple categories, ensuring brand consistency, innovation, and elevated design execution.
• Develop innovative concepts, visual storytelling, and brand-right creative solutions that resonate with target consumers and strengthen brand equity.
• Act as the creative bridge between licensors, licensees, retail partners, and internal teams to maximize brand value through design.
• Ensure alignment between creative vision, brand strategy, and commercial objectives across all product categories.
• Influence cross-functional stakeholders across Category Management, Retail Development, Licensing, and Parks to align creative strategies with business priorities.
• Maintain exceptional standards of design quality, craftsmanship, and execution across all creative outputs.
• Drive informed creative solutions by leveraging global and local market trends, consumer insights, and emerging cultural influences.

Product Development & Design Execution

• Partner with Retail Buying teams, licensees, and Category Leadership to develop strategically aligned and commercially viable product assortments.
• Lead and manage all creative aspects of fashion and product design, ensuring trend-forward development and timely execution.
• Actively participate in concept development, sketching, illustration, and visual asset creation.
• Interpret and evolve style guides while creating original graphic assets, design applications, and innovative expressions of IP.
• Translate trends in materials, silhouettes, fashion aesthetics, and consumer behavior into compelling licensed products.
• Create impactful presentations and creative assets for regional and internal stakeholders, licensors, licensees, and retail partners.
• Demonstrate strong expertise in composition, typography, color theory, and fashion design principles including manufacturing and printing processes, assortment planning, graphic and pattern development, branding and trim development.

Licensing & Brand Stewardship

• Manage end-to-end licensor approvals, ensuring all products meet brand standards, contractual obligations, and creative expectations.
• Interpret and elevate licensor feedback, refining product design while maintaining authenticity and brand integrity.
• Partner closely with intellectual property holders to create differentiated and market-leading product experiences.
• Balance creative excellence with commercial viability to deliver elevated products that perform in the marketplace.

Business Ownership & Financial Management

• Partner with Category and Retail Leadership to drive quarterly and annual business performance and sales results.
• Own and communicate creative budget management aligned with key business priorities and initiatives.
• Track and manage budgets related to product development assets, creative resources, and design execution.
• Align creative investments with strategic business goals and growth opportunities.

Team Leadership, Performance & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Fashion Design team, fostering innovation, accountability, and creative excellence.
• Drive annual performance management by establishing clear team and individual goals and maintaining a consistent cadence of quarterly 1:1 development conversation.
• Create and support meaningful career pathways and succession plans.
• Lead creative reviews and critiques with professionalism, actionable feedback, and high standards.
• Set the tone through strong ownership, collaboration, attention to detail, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned to meet the evolving needs of the team and business.
• Ability to travel as required to support business and operational needs.

Benefits

• medical
• dental
• vision insurance
• 401(k)
• paid leave
• tuition reimbursement
• a variety of other discounts and perks

Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website.

Salary range

$150,000 - $180,000 (bonus and long-term incentive eligible)

10+ years of experience in creative design, product development, and creative leadership within fashion, consumer products, entertainment, or licensing environments.

5+ years of experience leading and managing creative teams of 5-20 employees, fos