About the RoleAt SharkNinja, we don't just launch campaigns; we build the future of consumer design. We are looking for an
Associate Creative Director (ACD), Design to help define what the Ninja brand looks like next. Operating out of our state-of-the-art Creative Design Hub in Manhattan's Flatiron District, this is a heavy "player-coach" role built for a conceptual, systems-first design leader.
You won't just inherit static briefs-you will work upstream with product development, consumer insights, and brand marketing to shape raw innovation into compelling visual narratives. From defining product identities from 0 to 1 to engineering scalable visual ecosystems, you will ensure our breakthrough products dominate across every consumer touchpoint.
What You'll Do
- Shape Product Identities From 0 to 1: Work upstream with insights and product engineering to define the positioning, naming, visual identity, and design language for groundbreaking new product lines.
- Build Scalable Visual Ecosystems: Think in systems, not single assets. Build cohesive design platforms that scale seamlessly across Packaging, DTC, Amazon, Retail, Social, OTT/Video, and Experiential marketing.
- Direct High-Impact Production: Lead and execute visual strategy across multi-media channels; act as the lead art director on photo and video shoots to ensure execution matches strategic intent.
- Champion an AI-Native Workflow: Experiment boldly with Figma, AI generation tools, and emerging platforms to dramatically accelerate concepting, exploration, and rapid iteration.
- Mentor & Elevate Talent: Direct, inspire, and develop a high-performing team of junior to mid-level designers, fostering a culture of high craft, ownership, and collaborative excellence.
- Pitch and Partner Cross-Functionally: Translate complex strategic goals into highly visual presentations, successfully selling bold creative concepts to executive-level leadership.
Qualifications- 8+ Years of Experience: Proven track record within a fast-paced creative agency or an innovative, fast-moving in-house creative department (direct experience in consumer product marketing is a major plus).
- A Stellar, Multi-Channel Portfolio: Showcases elite conceptual thinking, a high bar for visual taste, and a deep understanding of packaging, digital commerce (DTC, Amazon), platform-native social content, and motion design.
- A Systems Thinker: You look at a product and immediately visualize how it thrives as a holistic brand universe, rather than an isolated ad campaign.
- Fluency in Modern Workflows: Advanced mastery of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite. You actively integrate AI tools into your daily ideation and production processes.
- Thrives in High-Velocity Environments: You are highly adaptable, prolific with ideas, and energized by rapid prototyping and tight deadlines. You are not "precious" about early concepts-you prioritize finding the breakthrough story that works.
What Does Success Look Like?- In 30 Days: You have fully immersed yourself in our NYC Creative Design Hub, established deep relationships with your writing, product, and brand partners, and mastered the current visual brand guidelines for the Ninja portfolio.
- In 90 Days: You are actively working upstream on upcoming product launches, successfully taking a raw technical brief and spinning it into 3+ distinct, high-impact visual identity concepts. Your direct reports feel supported, clear, and energized by your creative direction.
- In 1 Year: You have successfully brought major new Ninja products to market with distinct, 5-star consumer-rated packaging, retail, and digital footprints. Your design frameworks have shortened the distance between prototype and performance-driven campaign execution, pushing our NYC studio's output to an "Outrageously Extraordinary" level.
Salary and Other Compensation: The annual salary range for this position is displayed below. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts (HSA) with company contribution, 401(k) retirement plan with matching, employee stock purchase program, life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, generous paid time off, company holidays, parental leave, identity theft protection, pet insurance, pre-paid legal insurance, back-up child and eldercare days, product discounts, referral bonus program, and more.
Pay Range
$115,400-$150,000 USD
