- Melbourne
- Hybrid
- $130,000 – $140,000 + super
Some designers execute the brief. Others see what the brief could become.
We’re looking for a Senior Design Director to join a growing boutique design studio working with premium, design-led brands.
This is a genuine creative leadership role for someone who lives and breathes design, gets excited by ideas and knows how to turn strategy into distinctive, considered and memorable creative work.
You’ll be the senior creative voice in the studio, working closely with the Founder and wider design team to shape ideas, develop creative direction and push briefs somewhere unexpected.
And while the role is senior, it’s still hands-on. You’ll be involved in the work, not just reviewing it from the sidelines.
What you’ll be doing
You’ll work across a varied mix of branding, campaigns, digital, social, content and communications, with the opportunity to influence the creative from the initial brief through to execution.
You’ll
- Lead creative thinking and develop strong creative directions in response to client briefs.
- Translate brand and business strategy into distinctive creative ideas.
- Push ideas beyond the obvious and bring fresh thinking and new perspectives.
- Set creative direction across brand identity, campaigns, digital, social and content.
- Stay hands-on with concepts and key creative work.
- Lead brainstorming and creative development sessions.
- Present creative concepts and confidently articulate the thinking behind them.
- Provide art direction across photography, video and content.
- Mentor and develop the design team, providing clear creative direction without taking ownership of their work away from them.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen existing client relationships through creative thinking.
- Contribute to pitches, new business and the ongoing development of the studio.
Creative thinking matters
This role isn’t just about producing beautiful design. It’s about thinking about the work.
You’ll be expected to take a brief, find the interesting idea within it and explore how that idea can be brought to life visually and verbally.
You don’t need to be a copywriter, but you should be comfortable developing headline ideas, campaign lines or short-form copy where it forms part of the creative concept. Particularly when working on promotional campaigns, we’re looking for someone who can help shape both the headline and the design direction.
The commercial side
The work is important, but so is understanding the business behind it.
You’ll need strong commercial acumen and an understanding of what it takes to run a creative team profitably. That means balancing creative ambition with budgets, resources, timelines and the commercial needs of the studio and its clients.
You’ll be comfortable thinking about how creative time is allocated, how projects are resourced and where efficiencies can be found without compromising the quality of the work.
What we’re looking for
You might be a Senior Design Director, Design Director, Associate Creative Director or an experienced Senior Designer ready to take on greater creative leadership.
Your title matters less than how you think and the quality of the work you produce.
You’ll Bring
- A background in a design studio, brand studio or similarly design-led environment.
- Experience working with premium, design-led brands.
- A portfolio that demonstrates ideas and creative thinking, not just execution.
- Strong experience across brand identity, campaigns and broader design, including digital, social and content.
- Excellent visual judgement across typography, composition, imagery and storytelling.
- The ability to move from strategy and big ideas through to the detail of execution.
- Confidence developing creative concepts and design directions.
- An ability to contribute headline and campaign line ideas as part of the creative process.
- Experience directing photography, video or content.
- Strong presentation and client communication skills.
- Experience mentoring and developing designers.
- Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of creative team profitability.
- A collaborative, low-ego approach and the confidence to challenge ideas constructively.
- Curiosity about design, culture, technology and the wider creative industry.
The kind of person who will thrive here
Someone who has strong opinions, but is generous with their thinking.
Someone who knows when an idea has potential and when it needs to go further.
Someone who can move between the big creative picture and the smallest design detail.
Someone who cares deeply about the quality of the work, but also understands that great creative needs to work for the client and the business.
No ego. Just great work.
What’s on offer
- $130,000 – $140,000 + super
- Hybrid working in Melbourne
- Genuine creative leadership and influence
- Ownership across the creative process
- The opportunity to work with premium property, construction, lifestyle and design-led brands
- A hands-on role where ideas and creative thinking are valued
- The opportunity to mentor and develop a design team
- Close collaboration with the Founder
- The opportunity to help shape the growth and creative direction of the studio
Interested?
If you’re a senior creative who wants to have genuine influence over the work, the team and the direction of a growing design studio, I’d love to hear from you, please click apply now.
Client Description
Senior Design Director
Location: Melbourne
Work arrangement: Hybrid
Salary: $130,000 – $140,000 + super
Reports to: Founder
Position purpose
The Senior Design Director is responsible for providing senior creative and design leadership across the studio, from strategic thinking and concept development through to execution.
The role is responsible for maintaining a high standard of creative output, developing strong creative ideas and design direction, providing leadership and mentorship to the design team.
Working closely with the Founder, clients and wider studio team, the Senior Design Director will contribute to the development of brand, campaign, digital, social and communications work, ensuring creative outcomes are strategically relevant, visually considered and commercially viable.
The role also has responsibility for effective management of creative resources, ensuring the design function operates efficiently and profitably.
Key accountabilities
Creative leadership
- Provide senior creative leadership and establish a high standard for creative and design output.
- Translate brand and business strategies into creative strategies and design directions.
- Lead creative development from initial brief and ideation through to concept and execution.
- Develop original creative concepts and ideas that respond to the brief and challenge conventional thinking.
- Establish clear creative direction across branding, campaigns, digital, social, content and communications.
- Review and refine creative work to ensure consistency, quality and relevance.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen and extend the creative response to client briefs.
Design and creative direction
- Provide creative and design direction across a range of client projects and deliverables.
- Maintain involvement in the development and execution of key creative work.
- Provide direction across visual identity, campaigns, digital experiences, social content and communications.
- Develop visual concepts, storyboards and creative approaches where required.
- Provide art direction for photography, video and content.
- Ensure a high level of craft and attention to detail across creative output.
- Ensure creative thinking is effectively translated across different channels and formats.
Concept and headline development
- Contribute to the development of creative concepts for campaigns and projects.
- Develop creative directions that integrate verbal and visual ideas.
- Contribute headline, tagline and campaign line concepts where appropriate.
- Work collaboratively with account and other studio teams to develop and communicate creative concepts.
- Clearly articulate the rationale and strategic thinking behind creative work.
Team leadership and development
- Provide creative leadership, direction and mentorship to the design team.
- Support the development of designers across creative thinking, design craft and professional capability.
- Provide clear and constructive feedback and direction.
- Lead creative brainstorming and collaborative ideation sessions.
- Establish processes that allow appropriate exploration and development of creative ideas.
- Foster a collaborative and high-performing creative environment.
- Allocate and oversee creative work in line with team capability, project requirements and timelines.
Client relationships
- Present creative concepts and design solutions to clients.
- Clearly communicate creative rationale, strategic thinking and design decisions.
- Develop strong working relationships with clients and understand their business and commercial objectives.
- Respond appropriately to client feedback while maintaining the integrity of the creative direction.
- Work with the Founder and wider studio team to identify opportunities to add value to client relationships.
- Contribute to new business presentations and pitches where required.
Commercial management
- Contribute to the profitable operation of the creative function.
- Manage creative resources in line with project scope, budgets and timelines.
- Monitor the allocation and utilisation of creative team resources.
- Balance creative quality and ambition with commercial requirements.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency without compromising creative standards.
- Consider the commercial impact of creative decisions and project requirements.
- Contribute to the identification and development of additional opportunities within existing client relationships.
Studio development
- Contribute to the ongoing development of the studio’s creative offering and reputation.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen the studio’s creative capability and portfolio.
- Contribute to case studies, studio content, events and industry activity.
- Maintain awareness of developments across design, culture, technology and the wider creative industry.
- Introduce relevant tools, references, approaches and emerging technologies where they can improve creative outcomes or studio capability.
Experience
Required experience and capabilities
- Significant experience in a senior design or creative role within a design studio, brand studio or similarly design-led environment.
- Experience delivering work for premium and design-led brands.
- Experience across brand identity, campaigns and broader design disciplines including digital, social and content.
- Experience providing creative direction from strategy and concept through to execution.
- Experience mentoring and providing creative leadership to designers.
- Experience presenting creative concepts and strategic thinking to clients.
- Experience directing photography, video or content projects.
Creative and design capability
- Strong creative and conceptual thinking.
- High level of visual and design judgement.
- Strong understanding of typography, composition, imagery and visual storytelling.
- Ability to develop creative concepts that can be applied across multiple channels.
- Ability to contribute headline and campaign line ideas as part of the creative development process.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
- Ability to balance big-picture creative thinking with hands-on design execution.
Leadership and commercial capability
- Demonstrated ability to provide clear creative direction and develop design talent.
- Strong communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, timelines and resources.
- Strong commercial acumen and understanding of creative team profitability.
- Understanding of project budgets, resource allocation and team utilisation.
- Ability to balance creative ambition with commercial requirements.
- Ability to identify opportunities to improve client value and studio growth.
Personal attributes
- Collaborative and low-ego approach.
- Strong creative judgement and confidence in decision-making.
- Curious and engaged with design, culture, technology and the wider creative industry.
- Proactive approach and strong sense of ownership.
- Comfortable challenging ideas constructively and responding positively to feedback.
- High level of professionalism and accountability.
- Commitment to creative excellence and commercially effective outcomes.
Measures of success
- Consistent delivery of high-quality, strategically relevant creative work.
- Strong creative direction and development across the design team.
- Effective management and utilisation of creative resources.
- Projects delivered within agreed scope, timelines and commercial parameters.
- Positive and trusted client relationships.
- Growth in the quality and scope of the studio’s creative work.
- Identification of new creative and commercial opportunities.
- Continued development of the studio’s creative capability and reputation.