Managing Consultant, Art Director

ERM; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 79,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Paid time off

Parental leave

401(k)

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Job summary

ERM Marketing & Communications Agency is seeking an Art Director to lead design across campaigns, branding, and digital experiences. This client-facing role may work remotely in US time zones or hybrid, with a preference for in-person work near Knoxville.

You will mentor designers, guide creative concepts, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-impact work from concept to execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or equivalent experience.
• 4–6+ years of professional graphic design experience.
• 2+ years of leadership experience; agency experience preferred.
• Strong portfolio across digital, print, interactive and branding work.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop graphic designers and manage client work.
• Own projects from concept through final delivery with strategic alignment.
• Collaborate with writers, strategists, and digital designers to deliver campaigns.
• Present design work and provide strategic insight on client calls.

Skills

Graphic design

Leadership

Client relations

Branding

Typography

Education

Bachelor's degree in graphic design

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

InDesign

Job description

Turn bold ideas into meaningful creative work that helps leading organizations communicate a more sustainable future.

ERM is seeking a highly talented and detail-oriented Art Director with an impressive portfolio to join our growing global design team. This client-facing role may work remotely within the Eastern or Central time zones or in a hybrid model, with a preference for three days in person near our Knoxville office. As Art Director, you will lead creative work spanning stakeholder engagement campaigns, brand storytelling, digital experiences, sustainability reporting, and pitch and agency deck design/layout, creating high-impact work from initial concept through final execution.

Why This Role Matters?

ERM Marketing & Communications Agency exists to give organizations building a sustainable future a market advantage. This role offers the opportunity to blend world-class creative work with work that truly matters, alongside people who are as genuine as they are talented.

You will help Fortune 500 companies communicate some of their most important environmental and social initiatives while partnering with multidisciplinary teams across a global organization.

What Your Impact Is:

As Art Director, you will work under the direction of the Creative Director and collaborate with other Art Directors, graphic designers, project managers, and consultants to lead design on client engagements from creative concept through execution.

You will lead, mentor, and develop graphic designers; provide clear expectations and feedback; build trusted client relationships; and bring strategic creative thinking to digital, print, interactive, branding, and communications work.

What You'll Bring:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or equivalent experience.
• 4-6+ years of professional graphic design experience.
• 2+ years of leadership experience.
• A seasoned design professional; agency experience preferred.
• Strength in people leadership.
• Exceptional portfolio showcasing digital, print, interactive, and branding work.
• Superior understanding of design principles, typography, and page layout.
• Extreme attention to detail and proven commitment to quality control.
• Interest in working with a variety of creative professionals, including writers, strategists, and digital designers.
• Strength in client communications and leading design-focused discussions.
• Self-motivated, with personal initiative, a flexible attitude, and the ability to multitask and work with shifting deadlines.
• Collaborative and generous with colleagues and invested in the team’s success as much as your own.
• Open to input, feedback, and collaboration with colleagues, fellow creatives, and clients.
• Able to work extended hours when necessary.
• Conscientious with high attention to detail.
• Versed in digital strategies and best practices while continuously looking for unexpected new ways to engage users.
• Eager to expand and grow your skill set and experience as a creative professional.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including diplomacy, tact, and assertiveness, as well as the ability to manage up and communicate effectively.
• Ability to handle conflict and manage difficult conversations internally and externally.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team and perform under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Integrates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) into leadership culture.

Preferred

• Marketing, communications, and advertising experience.
• Ability to communicate complex information to a broad audience of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience estimating design budgets.
• Familiarity with AI design tools.
• Data and infographic design experience.
• Experience with major social and digital engagement platforms.
• Accessibility experience for websites and PDFs.
• Experience with multi-page editorial layout design, including annual/sustainability reports, books and magazines.
• Proficiency with Mac OS, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Microsoft Office.
• Solid understanding of UX/UI design for digital experiences.
• Knowledge of CSS and HTML.
• Retouching capabilities.
• Experience with Slack, Teams, and Monday.com project management software.
• Experience managing outside vendors, including design, photography, video, developers and printing.
• Video and animation production.
• Illustration.
• 3D rendering.
• Working knowledge of Workiva and InDesign integration.
• Sustainability experience.
• Consulting experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and develop our graphic designers, creating an environment where people can do meaningful work and grow their capabilities and careers.
• Provide clear expectations and feedback for projects and career development.
• Consult with client teams and directly with clients on creative, engaging ways to leverage communications in the digital space.
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and scale ideas under tight timelines.
• Balance workload across multiple projects in flight while understanding priorities and project parameters.
• Own projects from early concept through final delivery, ensuring work is strategically aligned and flawlessly executed.
• Work with leadership to develop sales opportunities specific to design, prepare estimates, and contribute to proposals.
• Lead by example through hands-on design, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
• Build strong and trusted relationships internally and externally.
• Research and report on design trends to the design team and broader company.
• Assist in recruiting and onboarding efforts.
• Present design work, answer questions, and provide strategic insight on client calls.
• Aid the agency in setting and managing client design project schedules.
• Oversee existing design rules and processes with the design team.

Salary and Benefits

For the Managing Consultant, Art Director position, the anticipated annual base pay is $79,000 - $93,100 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick and floating holidays), parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k), and other applicable benefits to eligible employees.

Who We Are:

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our "boots to boardroom" approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.