Summary

The Director of Design at RP3 Agency is a visionary leader responsible for shaping and elevating the visual identity of our agency and our clients. This role involves leading and mentoring a team of talented designers, driving the creative process from concept to execution, and ensuring that all visual outputs meet the highest standards of excellence. The ideal candidate is a conceptual strategic thinker with a deep understanding of design principles, brand development, and creative direction, capable of translating client goals into impactful visual solutions. The ideal candidate is versatile in both offline and digital environments and is a proponent of AI. The Director of Design is eager to create and lead award winning work.

Who You Are

Creative: Putting together two things to create a third thing no one’s ever seen before

Productive: Acting on ideas to make things happen and get stuff done

Collaborative: Focused on the greater good versus personal gain

Adaptable: Ready and able to embrace change

Strategic Goals:

Help grow our agency: RP3 Agency’s goal is to grow at least 20% each year and increase our portfolio of “higher profile” brands. The Director of Design will be a key leader in attaining this goal and will participate in an evaluation of the agency’s positioning, messaging, and identity. 

Lead a culture of creativity throughout the entire agency: Help lead the creative team, supervising and developing all designers. Attract and retain talent within the department. Together with other creative and agency leadership, educate the agency on your creative vision and inspire the agency employees to follow it. 

Develop and deliver a high-quality creative product: Collaborate with internal team members and our clients to create award-winning creative work that meets strategic goals. Work with PR to get recognized for that work.

Job Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Management: Lead and inspire a team of designers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment. Mentor and develop design talent, providing guidance and constructive feedback to elevate their skills and creativity. 
• Creative Direction & Art Direction: Take the lead in the creative direction and art direction for ad campaigns across various media, including digital, print, broadcast, and social. Ensure that all campaign visuals are on-brand, innovative, and effectively communicate the desired message. Leads design for offline and digital environments. Knowledge of web design is crucial. 
• Visual Identity Development: Oversee the creation and evolution of visual identities for a diverse portfolio of clients, ensuring consistency and alignment with brand strategies.
• Campaign Conceptualization: Collaborate with copywriters, strategists, and other creatives to develop compelling concepts for ad campaigns. Drive the ideation process, ensuring that creative ideas are both groundbreaking and aligned with client objectives.
• Design Excellence: Maintain and elevate the overall design aesthetic of the agency, ensuring that all work produced is of the highest quality and reflective of the agency's standards. Can produce and submit award winning work.
• Client Collaboration: Partner with clients to understand their brand needs and translate them into compelling visual solutions. Present and articulate design concepts to clients, effectively communicating the rationale behind design decisions.
• Project Management: Manage multiple design projects simultaneously, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget. Oversee the allocation of design resources to meet project demands.
• Innovation & Trends: Stay current with design trends, tools, and technologies, integrating new ideas and techniques into the agency's work. Encourage the team to experiment and push the boundaries of design. Be a proponent of AI for the design process where appropriate.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with other departments, including strategy, account management, and production, to ensure a cohesive approach to client projects.

Director Competencies

• Creative Design Vision
• Strategic Thinking
• Conflict Management
• Developing Others
• Entrepreneurship

Core Competencies

• Accountability
• Problem Solving
• Communication 
• Detail Orientation
• Teamwork
• Creativity

Technical Competencies

• Conceptual Ideation
• Creative Execution — Design Focus
• Offline and digital environments

Supervisor Responsibilities 

The Director of Design will help lead and manage the creative team with other Creative leadership.

Position/Hours Worked

This is a full-time position. This position regularly requires long hours and occasional weekend work.

Additional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or a related field; a Master’s degree is a plus.
• 8+ years of experience in a design leadership role, preferably within an agency setting.
• Proven track record of developing successful visual identities and leading creative projects from concept to completion. Award-winning work.
• Extensive experience in creative direction and art direction for ad campaigns, with a strong portfolio showcasing a range of campaign work across various mediums.
• Expertise in design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and other relevant tools.
• Experience with Web design, Figma, Principle, Framer, prototyping, Lottie animations
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with a demonstrated ability to inspire and mentor creative talent.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts to clients and internal teams.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Passion for design, creativity, and innovation, with a keen eye for detail and a commitment to excellence.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.