Design Director

We are looking for an experienced design leader to join, lead, and grow Her Campus Media’s Design Team. We are a multidisciplinary team of graphic designers, illustrators, web designers, and animators that collaborates across the company in a variety of functions including: serving as the in-house creatives behind Her Campus Media’s award-winning marketing campaigns on behalf of our world-class clients; partnering with our editorial & social teams to enhance our storytelling in stunning visual fashion; and collaborating with brand leadership to innovate how we visually engage with our audience and community. As head of the Design Team, you will help foster a culture of creativity, growth, inclusion, and excellence within the Design Team, helping guide and mentor all team members to develop as potent creatives and professionals. As a player-coach, you will also have the opportunity to personally design for and/or art direct on our largest, most exciting projects. This role sits on the company’s leadership team, works closely with other key department leaders, and reports directly to the Co-founder/Chief Product Officer/Creative Director.

Responsibilities and Duties:

As head of the Design Team

• Directly supervise and mentor mid-to-senior level designers
• Manage all team resourcing and project intake
• Motivate and challenge the team to constantly strive for excellence and innovation, embracing data-driven approaches
• Help foster continuous learning and improvement by leading team training and building constructive critique-positive culture

As a leadership team member

• Steward interdepartmental relationships to work toward shared performance goals, increase team transparency, and strengthen cross-departmental processes
• Own key design team KPIs and provide regular reports to leadership, identifying areas for improvement and innovation
• Develop and maintain company’s living brand system; continually optimize for relevance and audit for compliance

As an individual designer

• Serve as lead designer and/or art director for largest, most complex projects

Qualifications

We believe the following will set you up for success in this role. If you don’t have all of these qualifications, please still consider applying and tell us more about what makes you a great candidate for this role! We value unique perspectives, approaches and backgrounds.

• 5-7+ years experience in a graphic design and/or art director role at an advertising agency, media brand, or similar environment
• Leadership/management experience including managing a team, collaborating with other teams, and being accountable to leadership goals
• Diverse portfolio that demonstrates outstanding creativity, innovation, and technical skill in graphic design, with a focus on web/social applications
• Mastery over the practical application of fundamental design principles including color, typography, and composition; experience providing education in these areas
• Excellent communication skills with ability to articulate and pitch design concepts clearly and confidently
• Highly interested in the intersection of business and creative disciplines, comfortable operating in a client services environment
• Understanding of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and the team’s responsibility to create work that is inclusive and representative of our audience
• A full and fluent knowledge of current design tools and software (Illustrator, Photoshop, Canva); experience with Squarespace, Ceros, and motion/animation software a plus

Benefits & Perks

• Eligibility for performance bonuses
• Choice among six health insurance plans
• Dental and vision insurance
• 401k retirement savings plan with company matching
• Unlimited PTO and flexibility to work remotely
• Extremely generous company holiday policy, with eighteen (18) paid federal and office holidays including two (2) floating holidays each year
• Highly parent-friendly culture, including 12 full weeks of parental leave plus additional 4 weeks of part-time parental leave, all fully paid
• Summer Fridays
• FSA and HSA offered
• Life insurance
• Optional short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Free One Medical membership offering same-day primary care over video or in person
• Free Health Advocate services to help navigate the healthcare system
• Dog-friendly office (if in Boston)

Salary Range: $85,000-$110,000

Final salary offered to the candidate selected for the position will be based on factors including but not limited to the candidate’s skills, experience, and other factors.

Interview Process & Expectations

To apply, upload your resume and submit a cover letter via our job portal. Please include a link to your portfolio and/or samples of your work, which are vital components of your application.

Our timeline is to make a hire by March 1. You can expect a total of 3-4 individual or small group interviews, including with the Co-founder/Creative Director and members of the Design Team. For this role, we also require a short design exercise that is representative of the type of work our team tackles on a daily basis. This Work Product Test serves as a tool for both candidates and our team to assess whether the role is a good fit in terms of skills, approach, and interest.

Please refer to our Interview Prep Guide (hercampusmedia.com/careers/interview-prep) for a general overview of our hiring and interview process and what we look for in applications.

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas. All of your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Her Campus Media