Job Title: Vice President of Design
Job Type: Full-time
Salary Type: $190,000 – $270,000 (commensurate with experience)
Location: Los Angeles, CA / San Franscisco, CA / New York, NY
Work Location: Hybrid
Overview
We’re working with a globally recognised, experience-led creative agency seeking a VP of Design to lead and elevate its design function across experiential, spatial, and integrated brand work.
This is a senior creative leadership role responsible for setting the vision, standards, and operational excellence of the design department. Reporting into executive creative leadership, you’ll oversee multidisciplinary teams spanning environmental, 3D, graphic, and interactive design, ensuring every project delivers exceptional craft, strategic clarity, and cultural relevance.
You’ll balance big-picture creative ambition with hands-on executional expertise, guiding complex projects from early concept through on-site delivery while shaping the future of the agency’s design offering.
What You’ll Do
- Lead the overall vision, quality, and execution of the agency’s design output across experiential and integrated disciplines.
- Set and evolve short- and long-term design strategy aligned with broader creative and business goals.
- Inspire and deliver best-in-class experiential, spatial, and environmental design work.
- Oversee conceptual and visual direction for high-profile client projects, ensuring exceptional craft and clarity.
- Act as a senior design lead in client relationships, selling in ambitious creative ideas and building trust.
- Guide teams through all phases of design, from early sketches and mood boards to final renderings, drawings, and on-site delivery.
- Partner closely with strategy, creative, production, technology, and account teams to integrate design thinking throughout projects.
- Champion innovation while balancing creative ambition with feasibility, budgets, and timelines.
- Ensure design execution meets the highest standards through quality control, materials review, and fabrication oversight.
- Contribute to new business efforts through pitch development, presentations, and concept leadership.
- Help refine workflows, tools, standards, and resourcing models to strengthen operational efficiency.
What You’ll Bring
- 10+ years of experience in experiential, environmental, architectural, or multidisciplinary design roles.
- 4+ years leading design teams or running a design function within an agency or creative studio.
- A strong portfolio demonstrating experiential design, spatial storytelling, and integrated brand experiences.
- Deep expertise in environmental and 3D design, with strong understanding of fabrication and execution.
- Proven experience managing and mentoring large creative teams (10+ designers).
- Confident leadership style with the ability to inspire, guide, and develop talent.
- Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate complex client needs into clear design direction.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, comfortable engaging senior clients and internal stakeholders.
- Experience working in fast-paced, collaborative, agency environments.
- Willingness to work a hybrid schedule and travel as required.
We are passionate about promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality, and are committed to working with clients who share our outlook. We offer equal opportunities to all candidates regardless of background, identity, sexuality, and disability. We strive to create inclusive cultures where diversity is seen as real value for the company. Our mission is for everyone to feel empowered to be their true authentic selves at work.
