Freelance Associate Director, Visual Design

Dept; United States; Remote; USD 286,541,000 - 358,176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare, Dental, Vision coverage

401k plan with matching

PTO

Paid company holidays

Parental Leave

Job summary

DEPT is seeking an Associate Director, Visual Design to define our aesthetic North Star and elevate visual ecosystems company-wide. You will lead a strategic design vision across brand, product, and digital experiences, mentoring teams and partnering with executives to solve complex business challenges.

As part of creative leadership, you will drive scalable design systems, ensure accessibility, and push for innovative solutions using AI and emerging technologies, while maintaining profitability

Qualifications

• 5+ years in visual and interactive design for global brands, with leadership experience.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in design.
• Strong mastery of Figma and collaboration tools; proven design system experience.

Responsibilities

• Define the visual North Star and cohesive design systems across brand, product, and digital touchpoints.
• Lead and mentor designers to elevate output through critique and systems thinking.
• Partner with C-suite and stakeholders to translate business goals into design strategy.
• Set design principles and ensure alignment with budget, timelines, and feasibility.
• Evolve design workflows to improve quality while maintaining agility and profitability.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging tech to keep the agency at the cutting edge.
• Deliver strategic moodboards and insights to drive creative innovation.
• Represent design in cross-functional leadership discussions and client presentations.

Skills

Visual design leadership

Brand development

Figma mastery

User-centered design

Public speaking

Design systems

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Design

Tools

Hubspot

Google Suite

Slack

Job description

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

THE ROLE:

The Associate Director, Visual Design, is a cornerstone of our creative leadership, tasked with defining the aesthetic North Star for our organization. This is not just a role for a master craftsperson, but for a strategic visionary who can translate business objectives into world-class visual ecosystems. You won't just meet benchmarks; you will redefine them.

You will sit at the intersection of brand, product, and strategy, ensuring that our visual identity is cohesive, future-proof, and disruptive. You are expected to be a "force multiplier", elevating the output of every designer you touch through rigorous critique, high-level systems thinking, and an unwavering commitment to craft.

As part of the creative leadership team, you will play a crucial role in executing the overarching creative and design strategy, ensuring the team's activities align with and significantly contribute to the organization's strategic short and long-term success.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Closely collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of talented people.
• Set the overarching visual strategy and design principles that guide the entire creative department across all touchpoints (digital, brand, and product).
• Oversee the evolution of our global design systems, ensuring they are scalable, accessible, and reflect the highest level of visual sophistication.
• Act as a primary creative partner to C-suite executives and key client stakeholders, using design as a lever to solve complex business challenges.
• Partner with cross-functional leaders to ensure technical feasibility and strategic alignment from ideation to launch.
• Serve as an evangelist for design excellence both internally and externally, staying ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies (AI, spatial design, etc.) to keep the agency/company at the cutting edge.
• Refine design workflows and philosophies to improve the quality of output while maintaining organizational agility and profitability.
• Bring a fresh, insightful point of view that inspires both the internal team and the client, putting the team and client first.
• Generate strategic insights and moodboards to facilitate creative innovation.
• Drive complex digital projects from kick-off to completion, ensuring the team's deliverables exceed client expectations and stay within budget and deadlines.
• Establish project direction, craft guidelines, and assist with production as needed.
• Identify key client decision-makers and leverage excellent interpersonal skills to grow and maintain these relationships, collaborating across all internal departments and external stakeholders to achieve desired results.
• Actively contribute to the design discipline through mentoring, conversation, and proposing ideas to elevate company operations and improve processes.

WHAT YOU BRING:

• 5+ years of experience in visual and interactive design for global brands, with at least 4 years in a dedicated leadership position.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Design, Visual Arts, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Mastery of Figma (including components, variants, and auto layout) and familiarity with essential collaboration tools (e.g., Hubspot, Google Suite, Slack).
• Strong knowledge and experience in visual design, user-centered experience design, interaction design, and brand development. Experience developing and maintaining a robust design system.
• Demonstrated ability to provide strategic vision and creative inspiration to large, diverse teams.
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex information to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Highly detail-oriented, proactive, comfortable navigating complex organizations, and focused on strategic problem-solving and process efficiency.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

The anticipated hourly range for this position is $100 - $125. This is based on a 40-hour workweek, location, and leveling.

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our benefits package:

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU:

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step.

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work. Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place.

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

Learn more about DEPT®

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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