Associate Director, Design
2 days ago
Madrid
We are hiring an Associate Director, Design – a visionary leader who will drive high‑quality design execution and manage a growing team of designers while ensuring creativity meets business objectives. This is a fully remote role operating in the EST Time Zone and all business is conducted 100% in English. Management Responsibilities Manage a team of designers, starting with 2‑4 direct reports and expanding as the team grows. Provide support in strategy, project management, design feedback, performance evaluation, and handling escalations. Conduct weekly 1:1s with direct reports to assess client health, offer feedback, and oversee career development. Ensure high‑quality work output from direct reports, focusing on visual craft, UX expertise, and meeting deadlines. Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including marketers, strategists, developers, and clients, to develop project plans, understand business objectives, and address client issues. Refine internal processes for client work in coordination with the Director of Creative. Provide training and feedback to enhance the skills of the design team. Senior Individual Contributor Responsibilities Lead 1‑2 UI/UX engagements as needed, focusing on creating branded e‑commerce websites. Emphasize branded UI, conversion‑focused UX, and clarity in design approaches. Present design work to clients, explaining design choices based on effective reasoning and UX principles. Manage design projects independently from discovery to hand‑off, adhering to timelines and collaborating with developers to ensure feasibility. Develop component systems and maintain design guidelines for consistency. You Should Apply if this Sounds Like You 3‑6+ years of senior‑level design experience, with at least 1 year of people management experience preferred. Must have experience in responsive web design. Digital portfolio showcasing web design and branding skills, including color theory, hierarchy, composition, and typography. Self‑motivated, proactive, and detail‑oriented with a strong sense of ownership. Experience collaborating with developers and documenting designs for development hand‑off. Comfortable with client‑facing responsibilities in English, including leading discovery calls and resolving client feedback. Capable of providing constructive internal feedback and guiding direct reports to improve their work. Ability to tackle ambiguous problems, understand business challenges, design solutions, and execute them effectively. Proficiency in Figma, including features like Auto Layout, Components, and Variants, is essential. Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) is required. Bonus: Experience in e‑commerce or hospitality website design, familiarity with HTML/CSS or frameworks like Tailwind. Benefits Unlimited PTO + Local holidays (Relevant to your hub): Rebooting is part of the work. Take the time you need to stay sharp. Remote‑First Culture: Many roles are fully remote. Employees based in or near our New York or Lisbon HQs are expected to work hybrid with weekly in‑office time. Hub locations include the Brazil and Spain. Parental Leave: Flexible parental leave to support new parents during this important transition. Growth: Our interdisciplinary model gives every Darkroomer exposure far beyond their core role. Grow your skills, expand your influence, and stay at the forefront of the industry. Equal Opportunity Statement Darkroom is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national orientation, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. #J-18808-Ljbffr