Principal Designer

Dotdash Meredith; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401K with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

People Inc. is seeking a Principal Designer to guide high-visibility design initiatives, shaping brand identity and investor-facing materials. You will collaborate directly with the CCO and CDO, framing problems, setting direction, and delivering influential work across events, sites, and experiences.

You will lead designers and external partners, balancing hands-on work with strategic vision, and you will mentor teams while exploring new tools to improve quality and speed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred in design, visual communication, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of professional design experience with high-visibility work.
• Ability to lead complex projects and present to senior executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-visibility design work from concept through final execution.
• Set creative direction and maintain high craft standards with senior leadership.
• Mentor designers and external partners; introduce new tools and approaches.

Skills

Leadership

Creative direction

Executive presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred in design

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Figma

Claude / Codex / Google AI Studio

Job description

Job Title

Principal Designer

Job Description

About The Position:

People Inc. is looking for a Principal Designer to take on some of the company’s most varied, visible, and important work.

You’ll work directly with the Chief Communications Officer and Chief Design Officer on the work that most visibly represents People Inc.: our events, our brand identity, our sites, what we put in front of investors, and the spaces we work in. Much of it has no precedent, so not every project starts with a defined brief. You’ll frame the problem, set the creative direction, and decide what the work should become.

From there, you’ll lead designers and outside partners project by project while staying hands‑on. This is a role for someone highly experienced and influential who still loves making the work.

In-office Expectations: This position is hybrid in‑office, with the ability to work remotely for up to 2 days per week.

About The Team:

_______________________________________________________________________________

The Design Group at People Inc. brings together multiple teams supporting Revenue Design, Brand & Editorial Design, Product & UX Design, Design Systems, Creative Operations, Transactional Creative, and Events.

This role will work across corporate, brand, communications, and experiential design, partnering closely with senior leadership and designers across the organization.

About The Positions Contributions:

Weight %

Accountabilities, Actions and Expected Measurable Results

Corporate, Brand & Communications Design 70%

• Lead high‑visibility work from problem definition through final execution, including:
  • People Inc. Villa at Cannes, People Talks, Dinner with People, and Brand Showcases
  • People Inc. and People Incorporated sites, corporate and brand identity, and presentation systems
  • Investor Relations materials, including earnings decks, campaigns, and employee communications
  • Office and experiential design, video walls, sizzle reels, and other motion‑led experiences
• Work directly with senior leadership and cross‑functional partners to establish creative direction, present work, make decisions, and maintain a high standard of craft.

Creative Direction, Mentorship & Design Development 30%

• Define loosely defined problems and develop clear creative approaches before execution.
• Direct designers, agencies, and creative partners project by project; provide feedback, run creative reviews, and mentor designers and emerging leaders.
• Introduce new tools and approaches, including AI, when they improve the quality or efficiency of the work.
• Remain accountable for the quality of the result without requiring an ongoing people‑management structure.

The Role’s Minimum Qualifications and Job Requirements:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree preferred in design, graphic design, visual communication, or related field, and/or equivalent experience.

Experience:

• 10+ years of professional design experience
• A strong portfolio demonstrating refined taste and sound creative judgement across multiple disciplines and formats
• A track record of turning loosely defined problems into clear creative direction and finished work
• A history of delivering high‑impact design work to a high creative standard
• Experience working directly with senior executives and public‑facing leaders, with the confidence to present, explain, and evolve work with them
• The ability to lead complex projects and direct designers, agencies, and creative partners
• Broad expertise across brand, corporate communications, print, digital, presentation, experiential, environmental, and campaign design

Specific Knowledge, Skills, Certifications and Abilities:

• A clear point of view about design and the ability to argue for it
• The ability to move fluidly between concept, direction, and hands‑on design
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma
• Experience using AI and emerging design tools, including Claude, Codex, Google AI Studio, and others, in ways that improve the quality or speed of the work and workflow
• Working knowledge of motion and video workflows, and the ability to help direct it.
• The ability to work independently and bring the right people into the work
• A collaborative, direct, and low‑ego approach, with the confidence to challenge an idea when there’s a better one

It is the policy of People Inc. to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Company will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.Accommodation requests can be made by emailing [e-mail].

The Company participates in the federal E‑Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E‑Verify program, please click here: https://www.e-verify.gov/employees

Pay Range

Salary: New York: $130,000 - $150,000

The pay range above represents the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position and may change in the future. Actual pay may vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to work location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of People Inc’s total compensation package for employees. Other compensation may include annual bonuses, and short‑and‑long term incentives.In addition,People Inc. provides to employees (and their eligible family members) a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, unlimited paid time off (PTO), adoption or surrogate assistance, donation matching, tuition reimbursement, basic life insurance, basic accidental death & dismemberment, supplemental life insurance, supplemental accident insurance, commuter benefits, short term and long term disability, health savings and flexible spending accounts, family care benefits, a generous 401K savings plan with a company match program, 10‑12 paid holidays annually, and generous paid parental leave (birthing and non‑birthing parents), all of which may vary depending on the specific nature of your employment with People Inc. and your work location. We also offer voluntary benefits such as pet insurance, accident, critical and hospital indemnity health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance.

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