Freelance Associate Director, Visual Design

DEPT

• $104K — $130K *
US-Anywhere
+ 3 other locationsRemote
Media
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in visual and interactive design for global brands, at least 4 years in a leadership role.
  • Bachelor's Degree in Design, Visual Arts, or related field, or equivalent experience.
  • Mastery of Figma and familiarity with collaboration tools such as Hubspot and Google Suite.
  • Strong expertise in visual design, user-centered design, and brand development with experience in maintaining design systems.
  • Proven ability to inspire and provide strategic vision to large teams.
  • Excellent public speaking and presentation skills for articulating complex concepts.

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams.
  • Set visual strategy and design principles for the entire creative department.
  • Oversee the evolution of global design systems to ensure scalability and sophistication.
  • Act as a creative partner to C-suite executives and key client stakeholders.
  • Partner with leaders to ensure strategic alignment from ideation to launch.
  • Serve as a design evangelist, keeping up with industry trends and tech advancements.
  • Refine design workflows to improve quality while maintaining agility and profitability.

Benefits

  • Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
  • 401k plan with matching
  • Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • Paid Company Holidays
  • Parental Leave
Full Job Description
THE ROLE:

The Associate Director, Visual Design, is a cornerstone of our creative leadership, tasked with defining the aesthetic North Star for our organization. This is not just a role for a master craftsperson, but for a strategic visionary who can translate business objectives into world-class visual ecosystems. You won't just meet benchmarks; you will redefine them.

You will sit at the intersection of brand, product, and strategy, ensuring that our visual identity is cohesive, future-proof, and disruptive. You are expected to be a "force multiplier", elevating the output of every designer you touch through rigorous critique, high-level systems thinking, and an unwavering commitment to craft.

As part of the creative leadership team, you will play a crucial role in executing the overarching creative and design strategy, ensuring the team's activities align with and significantly contribute to the organization's strategic short and long-term success.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:
  • Closely collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of talented people.
  • Set the overarching visual strategy and design principles that guide the entire creative department across all touchpoints (digital, brand, and product).
  • Oversee the evolution of our global design systems, ensuring they are scalable, accessible, and reflect the highest level of visual sophistication.
  • Act as a primary creative partner to C-suite executives and key client stakeholders, using design as a lever to solve complex business challenges.
  • Partner with cross-functional leaders to ensure technical feasibility and strategic alignment from ideation to launch.
  • Serve as an evangelist for design excellence both internally and externally, staying ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies (AI, spatial design, etc.) to keep the agency/company at the cutting edge.
  • Refine design workflows and philosophies to improve the quality of output while maintaining organizational agility and profitability.
  • Bring a fresh, insightful point of view that inspires both the internal team and the client, putting the team and client first.
  • Generate strategic insights and moodboards to facilitate creative innovation.
  • Drive complex digital projects from kick-off to completion, ensuring the team's deliverables exceed client expectations and stay within budget and deadlines.
  • Establish project direction, craft guidelines, and assist with production as needed.
  • Identify key client decision-makers and leverage excellent interpersonal skills to grow and maintain these relationships, collaborating across all internal departments and external stakeholders to achieve desired results.
  • Actively contribute to the design discipline through mentoring, conversation, and proposing ideas to elevate company operations and improve processes.

WHAT YOU BRING:
  • 5+ years of experience in visual and interactive design for global brands, with at least 4 years in a dedicated leadership position.
  • Bachelor's Degree in Design, Visual Arts, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
  • Mastery of Figma (including components, variants, and auto layout) and familiarity with essential collaboration tools (e.g., Hubspot, Google Suite, Slack).
  • Strong knowledge and experience in visual design, user-centered experience design, interaction design, and brand development. Experience developing and maintaining a robust design system.
  • Demonstrated ability to provide strategic vision and creative inspiration to large, diverse teams.
  • Excellent public speaking and presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex information to clients and internal stakeholders.
  • Highly detail-oriented, proactive, comfortable navigating complex organizations, and focused on strategic problem-solving and process efficiency.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

The anticipated hourly range for this position is $100 - $125. This is based on a 40-hour workweek, location, and leveling.

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our benefits package:
  • Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
  • 401k plan, plus matching
  • PTO
  • Paid Company Holidays
  • Parental Leave

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