10+ years of design leadership experience in client-facing environments like agencies or consultancies
Proven history of leading teams that create award-winning digital products
Experience managing senior designers and fostering career development
Fluency in the complete product development lifecycle from strategy to launch
Strong executive presence for presenting to C-suite stakeholders
Proven track record of building long-term client relationships
Experience overseeing business aspects of design, such as scope and resource management
Commitment to fostering inclusive teams with mentorship for underrepresented backgrounds
Responsibilities
Develop and advocate for a visionary design strategy at TELUS Digital
Define future competencies and practices for the design organization
Translate design vision into actionable hiring and evaluation practices
Stay connected to industry developments and user trends
Own design outcomes for Fortune 500 accounts, impacting client strategy
Serve as a trusted authority to influence C-suite product direction
Collaborate with consultants to position design effectively in engagements
Lead and mentor a large team of design professionals to create exceptional work
Benefits
Work from Near (Hybrid) arrangement in Columbus, OH, or Charlottesville, VA
Opportunity to influence design strategy across a diverse portfolio
Ability to lead and grow an extensive team of over 100 design professionals
Access to a collaborative and innovative studio culture
Engagement with a wide range of Fortune 500 clients for impactful work
Opportunities for thought leadership and community visibility
Investment in talent development and career growth initiatives
Full Job Description
Location
This role will be in a Work From Near (Hybrid) capacity based in our Columbus, OH, or Charlottesville, VA office.
The Opportunity
This is a rare seat at the table: a Senior Director, Design role where your impact is felt across clients, craft, and company, not just one team or one account. You'll shape the design strategy for a portfolio of Fortune 500 relationships, lead a talented organization across Design, Creative Services, and Content Design globally to define what world-class digital product design looks like at TELUS Digital.
This isn't a role where you're executing someone else's vision. You'll set the direction for how we work, how we grow, and how design earns its place in the most consequential conversations our clients are having.
Responsibilities
Design Vision & the Future of the Craft
Develop and champion a forward-looking vision for design at TELUS Digital, one that anticipates how AI, emerging tools, and shifting user expectations will reshape what designers do and how they do it
Define the future competencies of our design organization: the skills, mindsets, and ways of working that will keep our teams and clients ahead of the curve
Translate that vision into tangible practice: how we hire, how we develop talent, how we evaluate quality, and how we talk about design's value in the market
Stay genuinely curious and connected to the broader design and technology landscape, bringing outside perspectives in and helping the team make sense of rapid change
Client & Practice Leadership
Own design outcomes across a portfolio of Fortune 500 accounts, from executive relationships and QBRs to the quality of what ships
Serve as a trusted design authority at the C-suite level, influencing client strategy and product direction, not just delivery
Partner with strategic consultants and business development teams to shape how design is positioned and sold in new and existing engagements
Drive alignment in complex, high-stakes situations, bringing teams back on track and bringing clients along with clarity and confidence
Team Building & Culture
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of over 100 designers, content designers, creative services consultants, and design leaders, creating the conditions for exceptional work and meaningful careers
Recruit actively and elevate TELUS Digital's presence in the design community through thought leadership, networking, and external visibility
Build a studio culture that balances craft ambition with practical delivery, where feedback is honest, standards are high, and people want to do their best work
Business Impact
Deliver on revenue targets within your portfolio while identifying opportunities to deepen and expand client relationships
Bring a sharp commercial lens to resourcing, investment decisions, and account health, not just design quality
Contribute to the infrastructure of the practice: hiring, playbooks, training, and capability-building initiatives
Competencies
10+ years in design leadership, with significant experience in a client-facing environment such as an agency, consultancy, or embedded within complex enterprise engagements
A clear track record of leading design teams that produce best-in-class digital products. Work that sets the bar, wins recognition, and consistently raises the standard for what's possible in the space
Proven experience managing and developing senior designers and design leaders, including performance management and career growth
Fluency in the full product development lifecycle from strategy and concepting through engineering handoff and launch across multi-disciplinary teams
The executive presence to present to C-suite stakeholders and the coaching ability to develop that same skill in others
A track record of building trust with clients over time, not just delivering projects
Experience managing the business side of design engagements: scope, margin, resourcing, and stakeholder alignment
Commitment to building inclusive teams with demonstrated experience mentoring designers from underrepresented backgrounds
Comfortable leading distributed teams and navigating the realities of remote-first collaboration
