Design Director

We’re looking for an experienced Design Director to join our team, leading our design discipline with a compelling vision for best-in-class work, and fostering the culture that makes it possible. In this role, you’ll lead and manage our team of UX and visual designers, helping them grow and thrive. You’ll be responsible for upholding and advancing our standard for exceptional work, both as a hands-on leader of key projects and by overseeing work driven by design leads within your team. The right candidate for this role will be an accomplished and trusted creative leader, with a track record of building amazing teams and shaping world-class digital platforms, products, and interactive experiences. 

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage our multidisciplinary team of designers, including both UX and visual designers, giving them clear direction, candid feedback, regular coaching, and thoughtful support to help them grow and thrive.

• Oversee design quality across projects, upholding and advancing our standard for exceptional work. Ensure all of our work is perfectly human-centered, inspiringly creative, and flawlessly crafted.

• For projects in which you are the hands-on creative lead:

  • Own responsibility for the creative approach, plan, and final product. Direct the creatives assigned to the project and their day-to-day workstreams. 

  • Collaborate with leads in strategy, technology, production, and client partnership to drive overall project success — ensuring exceptional work quality, great client outcomes, and on-time / on-budget delivery.

  • Present and sell-in the work, from vision to execution. Build client trust through expertise, collaboration, and chemistry.

  • Contribute hands-on design, as the work requires.

• Assist in the creation of new business proposals and presentations, illuminating our creative vision and approach for the work. Pitch and present the work with clarity, confidence, and energy.

• Hire and manage right-fit freelancers or full-time design resources to meet project or agency growth needs.

• Along with fellow creative leaders, including our CEO/ECD, creative director, and principal designer, guide the direction of the creative department and shape overall team success.

• Drive continuous improvement of our design process, tools, and best practices — especially those that incorporate AI, as it continually reshapes how work gets done. Stay on top of emerging trends and innovation opportunities.

• Be a champion of our values, a role model for creative excellence, and a positive force within the company.

  
  

Our design discipline is part of our overall creative team and houses a remarkable group of talent, including but not limited to team and project leaders such as our creative director, principal designer, and two associate design directors. Our collective company is about 25 people, with talent spanning strategy, creative, technology, production, and client engagement — all sharing the same vision to create the world’s best digital experiences. Our clients know us as a committed partner who creates category-defining work. Our team knows it’s possible because of the incredible culture we’ve built.

Requirements

• 10 years of agency or in-house experience, at least 4 in a creative leadership role

• An inspiring digital portfolio

• Must be eligible to work in the United States

Benefits

A wealth of company benefits include health, dental, matching 401k, parental leave, paid learning and development opportunities, and more. We offer flexible paid time off and uncapped sick time. In addition, we close for 18 paid holidays, including two full weeks in which we fully close operations—one at midsummer, and one at the winter holidays. 

Location

We’d love to have you join us in our headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where most of our team is based, and so we’ll give preference to candidates who are open to working here, but we’re also open to a remote role for the right candidate. If remote, expect to join us in Norfolk about once a quarter, in addition to any necessary client travel. Our local team works a hybrid schedule with three days in the office, as well as the option to work remotely up to two months a year.

For a candidate open to relocation, we’ll cover relocation expenses and can also offer temporary housing. If you’re not already familiar, the Norfolk-Virginia Beach region is an amazing community on the coast that marries beach lifestyle with city culture. There’s thriving scenes in food, creative arts, small businesses, and startups — and it’s a wonderful place to raise a family. We’re part of a community of like-minded creators and innovators, including those in our headquarters space in Assembly (www.assemblynfk.com), a unique campus we helped spearhead. We also regularly put our talents toward building the city in which we want to live and work.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Grow is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and actively works to foster a culture of belonging. We are committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, religion, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status,  parental status or any other legally protected characteristic.