Creative Director

Her Campus Media is the #1 media portfolio for college students and Gen Z. Our brands — Her Campus, Spoon University, College Fashionista, InfluenceHer Collective, and Generation Hired — reach an audience of over 10 million readers and 550K social followers, and count more than 50,000 influencers and student ambassadors at 1,600 colleges in our global network. Whether through content, resources, events, or other experiences, our mission is to support, celebrate, inspire, amplify, and equip Gen Z to realize their dreams as individuals and for society. We also power full-service, integrated marketing programs for the world’s top brands, who partner with us to create authentic, meaningful connections with our audience.

Her Campus Media is made up of passionate, entrepreneurial, ambitious doers who are fired up about cultivating the next generation of leaders and changemakers. We are a small but mighty team of individuals, most of whom identify as women, committed to continuing to build a dynamic and inclusive organization where we want to work. Visit our Careers page to learn more about our culture and what makes us tick at hercampusmedia.com/careers!

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 Creative Director, 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. You will art direct your team’s work as well as lead design for our biggest projects, including tentpole events and most visible client campaigns. This role sits on the company’s leadership team, works closely with other key department leaders, and reports directly to the Co-founder/Chief Creative Officer.

• As head of the Design Team
  • Art direct across the design team, providing direction & feedback to ensure successful delivery
  • Supervise and mentor mid-to-senior level designers
  • Manage 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
  • Serve as creative lead in client services functions, including strategy & concept ideation, client communication, and aspects of event production
  • 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 for largest, most complex projects

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. 

• 7+ years experience in graphic design, including art/design direction experience 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, including examples of digital, experiential, and packaging work
• Prior practical experience supporting event build-outs, including design renderings, on-site activation, and collaborating with production partners
• Substantial experience in and genuine enjoyment of serving in a client services role
• 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
• 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 (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Canva); experience with Squarespace, Ceros, and motion/animation software a plus

Benefits & Perks

• Eligibility for performance bonuses
• Choice among six medical health insurance plans
• Dental and vision insurance
• 401k retirement savings plan with company matching
• Unlimited PTO and flexibility to work remotely
• Generous company holiday policy, with 20+ paid federal and office holidays in 2024 
• Two (2) additional floating holidays each year
• Parent-supportive culture, including paid parental leave and flexibility post-parental leave to support your transition
• Summer Fridays
• FSA and HSA offered
• Life insurance
• 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 your medical benefits
• Free Membership to TalkSpace, virtual mental health therapy

Salary Range: $100,000-120,000

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, click the “I’m interested” button to upload your resume and submit a cover letter (optional). Please include a link to your portfolio and/or samples of your work, which are vital components of your application for Creative Director.

Our timeline is to make a hire by February 1. You can expect a total of 3-4 individual or small group interviews, including with the Co-founder 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