Design Director
Remote
—
US-based / Flexible ET hours
Set the creative and strategic standard for Variate by leading high-impact design programs, mentoring elite designers, and ensuring every experience delivers measurable business results.
Extraordinary brands are built by extraordinary leaders.
Variate is hiring a Design Director to lead and elevate our design team. You will shape the vision for high-impact experiences, guide a talented group of designers, and ensure every project delivers measurable outcomes that strengthen our clients’ brands and businesses.
This is a remote, US-based role based near Bethesda, MD, with collaboration during Eastern Time working hours. You will partner directly with our leadership team to drive creative excellence and client success.
What You Will Do
Lead the vision: Oversee design direction for major programs from discovery to delivery. Ensure every decision advances business goals and customer outcomes.
Inspire and mentor: Manage 2–6 designers, cultivate their growth, and help each reach the next level of mastery. Hold weekly 1:1s focused on personal development and craft progression.
Own the relationship: Serve as the primary creative and strategic partner for 1–2 active client programs. Maintain an exceptional, white-glove standard of client care and partnership.
Shape the work: Review, refine, and direct design output to ensure clarity, consistency, and measurable impact.
Collaborate cross-functionally: Partner with strategists, researchers, and developers to connect vision to execution.
Set the bar: Foster a culture of speed, precision, and proof-driven design where creativity and accountability coexist.
Advance intelligent design: Lead the use of AI across the design process. Build custom GPTs, workflows, and tools that enhance creativity, speed, and precision.
Shape the future of the craft: Train designers to use AI responsibly and effectively, setting standards for how these tools amplify—not replace—human creativity.
Drive innovation: Evaluate new technologies and establish best practices that keep Variate at the forefront of design innovation.
What You Bring
Proven excellence: 8+ years in UX, product, or interaction design, including 3+ years in a design leadership role.
Systems thinking: Deep experience in interaction design, design systems, and scalable workflows using tools like Figma.
Strategic depth: Strong understanding of user research, content strategy, and how design drives business growth.
Leadership clarity: A proven ability to inspire, coach, and elevate other designers while maintaining accountability for results.
Client partnership: Experience collaborating directly with executive stakeholders and managing complex client relationships.
Operational mindset: Skilled at balancing creative ambition with deadlines, resources, and measurable outcomes.
AI expertise: Proven experience integrating AI into design systems and workflows, including building or training GPT-based tools.
Thought leadership: A clear, well-informed perspective on the role of AI in the future of design and how it should shape the craft, the process, and client value.
What Sets You Apart
You have directed design for recognized global brands or top-tier agencies.
You have built or scaled a design organization that improved both performance and culture.
You are equally passionate about mentoring designers and achieving world-class results for clients.
You care deeply about personal growth and want to create an environment where designers thrive.
You have strong opinions about how work should be done and the freedom to voice them matters to you.
You have created or deployed AI-driven workflows or tools that improved efficiency, consistency, or creative output for design teams.
You have an informed opinion on how AI will redefine design leadership, and you use that insight to teach and inspire others.
Who Should Not Apply
This role is not for everyone. Do not apply if:
You cannot demonstrate every prerequisite listed above.
You require daily creative direction or struggle to manage others effectively.
You are uncomfortable balancing leadership, strategy, and delivery.
You avoid feedback or lack the ability to give it constructively.
You have never led a measurable design outcome or owned a client relationship.
You are still building foundational experience. This role is for those ready to lead and grow others.
Why Variate
Variate designs customer experiences that remove hesitation and create confident decisions. We have delivered more than 200 digital design projects for brands such as Marriott, Carnival, Stanley Black & Decker, and Macy’s.
We care deeply about people. Our culture combines high standards with real empathy, creating an environment where designers grow faster, perform stronger, and feel seen for their mastery.
This is an opportunity to work with a deeply experienced team that partners directly with visionary leaders across startups, growth-stage innovators, and Fortune 500 brands. Our clients choose Variate for precision, pace, and partnership. We operate as an extension of their teams—trusted, embedded, and focused on outcomes that matter.
If you are ready to lead a team that defines what excellence looks like in CX design, we want to meet you.
Preference will be given to candidates living within 60 minutes of Bethesda, Maryland.
Compensation
Full-time: $180,000–$210,000 or $90-110hr, depending on experience
We created a cheat sheet to help your portfolio stand out.
NO RECRUITERS!