Design Director

Urban Emu seeks a talented Washington, DC-based Design Director to join our growing team. You’ll help lead and manage projects from conception to delivery, including concept development, art direction, site/app design, email marketing, paid media, and organic social. In addition, reporting to our Creative Director, you’ll work with colleagues to develop visual solutions for integrated campaigns for current clients and new business proposals.

You must have a strong track record of creative excellence, helping lead the visual development of multi-channel campaigns combined with fresh and progressive thinking. Experience should include developing campaigns for health and wellness clients from the Federal government to the private sector. You will help lead branded 360 campaigns supporting projects ranging from UX/UI for websites and mobile apps to video, advertising, branding, and social content. You’ll create and translate design concepts and marketing needs into inspiring and compelling stories and campaigns—ensuring consistent brand expression across all B2C and B2B facing materials, marketing campaigns, digital content and omnichannel experiences.

Urban Emu has a flexible hybrid working environment, and employees can split their time between the DC and home offices.

Responsibilities Include

• Craft strategic visual solutions and storytelling that appeals to heads and hearts for 360 campaigns across all customer-facing materials, social channels, marketing campaigns, digital content and omnichannel experiences.
• Conduct discovery, research, competitive audits and persona development and use it to inform user-centric designs.
• Lead and deliver compelling visual communications using an innovative approach, attention to detail, and passion for design while ensuring alignment with budgets, timelines, creative briefs and client requirements.
• Contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment to effortlessly develop and manage multiple projects.
• Collaborating with a cross-functional team of account leads, creative directors, designers, copywriters, strategists, and project managers.
• Possesses strong communication skills to develop relationships between the creative team and its clients, leading client projects, calls and presentations.
• Play a pivotal role in stimulating creative discussions and fostering a culture of innovation within the team while leading and mentoring designers to help cultivate skill development and career growth.
• Take direction from Creative Directors to support client relationships and deliverables, working independently when needed.
• Identify and support new business opportunities, including developing spec creative, presentations and pitches.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Design (e.g., graphic, interaction, or visual communications) or a related field or equivalent practical experience
• At least 6-7 years of experience helping lead concept, layout and design
• Understanding of branding, marketing, and advertising principles
• Portfolio of work samples that include the development of successful campaigns, and omnichannel experiences, including advertising, brand identity and social storytelling
• Familiarity with design techniques such as storyboarding, user research and wireframes
• Client-facing presentation skills
• Possesses attention to detail, can work independently, and multi-task
• High proficiency with design tools (Sketch, Figma, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Canva, etc.)
• Basic understanding of HTML and CSS
• Experience in an agency or advertising industry is preferred.