Design Director

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director

Company: AICPA

Location: Durham, NC, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Creative & Design Leadership / Marketing Operations

Date Posted: June 05, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the Association's design team, establishing a comprehensive creative vision, setting high standards, and defining an operating model that enables design execution at scale.

• Drive the development of cohesive storytelling and integrated brand expression across all visual touchpoints by partnering closely with Brand, Multimedia, and Writing leadership.

• Foster a high-performing design team culture, overseeing both in-house and freelance designers, and ensuring alignment with the Association's Management Charter.

• Champion continuous improvement in design processes and technology to optimize the content lifecycle, accelerate speed to market, and enhance overall efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Sr. Manager level, indicating significant leadership responsibility beyond individual contribution. The focus on "design at scale," "operating model," and "continuous improvement" suggests a need for strong operational acumen in managing creative workflows and resources, aligning it closely with Marketing Operations principles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Establish and champion the Association's overarching design vision, strategy, and rigorous standards to ensure consistent, high-quality, and efficient visual representation across all company assets.

• Define and optimize cost-effective design execution workflows, clearly delineate roles, select appropriate tools, and implement quality standards to support internal teams and manage external resources (freelancers).

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of Graphic Designers and Senior Graphic Designers, cultivating a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture in alignment with the Association's Management Charter.

• Provide senior-level creative direction and strategic oversight, ensuring all design output meticulously aligns with brand architecture, usability and accessibility standards, target audience needs, and overarching campaign strategies.

• Collaborate strategically with Writing, Multimedia, and Brand leadership to develop integrated creative strategies, ensuring cohesive storytelling and unified brand expression across diverse campaigns and communication channels.

• Act as a brand champion, promoting design thinking and best practices among internal Experience collaborators and external partners, clearly communicating the value of design in achieving business objectives.

• Identify and implement process improvements and leverage technology to streamline the content lifecycle, from ideation to final delivery, thereby accelerating speed to market.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "workflows," "roles," "tools," "quality standards," and "continuous improvement" to guide "smooth project flow along the content lifecycle and speed to market" strongly indicates a need for operations-focused responsibilities within a creative leadership role. This requires managing the operational aspects of creative production.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in a design- or art-related field, or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible design leadership experience is required. Experience:

• Minimum of 8+ years of professional experience in design or visual communication roles.

• At least 2+ years of experience serving as an Art Director or Lead within an agency, in-house creative department, or a multinational environment.

• Proven success in developing and executing creative communications that achieve measurable market results.

• Demonstrated experience collaborating with marketing communications strategists to develop effective creative briefs that align with goals, refine approvals, and drive high satisfaction.

• Experience directing teams in the use of design and publication tools for various content types.

• Established leadership experience in design, advertising, or marketing. Required Skills:

• Creative Direction & Vision Setting: Ability to define and articulate a compelling creative vision and strategic direction for design.

• Design Strategy & Operations: Expertise in developing design strategies that align with business objectives and establishing operational models for scalable design execution.

• Team Leadership & Management: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop a team of designers, fostering a high-performance culture.

• Brand Architecture & Management: Deep understanding of brand identity, guidelines, and how to maintain consistency across all visual touchpoints.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Skill in partnering effectively with writing, multimedia, marketing, and brand teams to deliver integrated creative solutions.

• Project Management & Workflow Optimization: Experience in managing creative projects, defining workflows, and optimizing processes for efficiency and speed to market.

• Usability & Accessibility Standards: Knowledge of and adherence to best practices in user experience, usability, and accessibility for digital and print assets.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with advanced design and publication software suites.

• Proficiency in project management and workflow automation tools relevant to creative production.

• Understanding of the accounting and finance profession's communication needs.

• Experience in data-driven creative decision-making and performance analysis.

📝 Enhancement Note: Based on the "Sr. Manager level" designation and responsibilities, the experience requirements are interpreted to demand a blend of creative leadership and operational management. The AI-derived "10+" years of experience is a reasonable inference given the described scope of leadership and strategic impact.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a strong portfolio showcasing a history of leading design initiatives that achieve measurable market results and align with strategic business objectives.

• Include case studies that highlight your ability to establish and optimize design workflows, demonstrating process improvements, efficiency gains, and speed-to-market enhancements.

• Present examples of how you've partnered with cross-functional teams (writing, multimedia, brand) to create cohesive storytelling and integrated brand expression.

• Showcase instances of directing and mentoring design teams, with examples of leadership impact on team performance and creative quality. Process Documentation:

• Provide evidence of your ability to define and document clear workflows for design projects, encompassing briefing, execution, review, and delivery stages.

• Illustrate your approach to standardizing design quality, usability, and accessibility across various content types and channels.

• Detail methodologies used for continuous process improvement in design operations, including how you identify bottlenecks, implement solutions, and measure impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: While not explicitly stated in the raw job description, a "Design Director" role at a Sr. Manager level, focused on "design at scale" and "operating model," inherently requires candidates to demonstrate their process management capabilities through a portfolio. This section extrapolates typical expectations for such a role.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $105,000 - $136,000 Annually

Benefits:

• Flexibility: Options to support a healthy work-life balance.

• Comprehensive Healthcare: Robust medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Retirement Savings: Access to retirement plans with potential employer contributions.

• Paid Time-Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday packages.

• Parental Leave: Support for new parents during crucial family bonding periods.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential support services for personal and professional challenges.

• Mental Health Resources: Dedicated resources and support to promote employee well-being.

• Continuous Learning & Development: Investment in professional growth through learning opportunities, training, and development programs.

• Flexible Benefit Options: Ability to choose benefits that best suit individual and family needs and lifestyles.

Working Hours:

• Standard 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work schedule, offering flexibility for remote work and in-office collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range and specific benefits were explicitly provided in the job description. The "Working Hours" detail is inferred from the standard "40 hours per week" and the "Hybrid work schedule" mentioned, which implies a structured yet flexible approach to daily work.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Professional Services / Non-profit Association (Accounting & Finance)

Company Size: Large (Implied by "Association" and "global, diverse team," likely 1000+ employees)

Founded: The AICPA (Association of International Certified Professional Accountants) was formed in 2017 through a merger, but has roots dating back much further. This indicates a company with established history and a forward-looking mission.

Team Structure:

• The Design Director will lead a team of in-house and freelance designers.

• This team will likely be part of a larger Creative, Content, or Marketing department.

• The role reports to the Senior Director - Creative Content & Publishing, indicating a clear reporting hierarchy within the content and publishing division.

• Close collaboration is expected with leadership from Brand, Multimedia, and Writing departments. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Insights: The Association focuses on transforming the accounting and finance profession, suggesting a data-informed approach to understanding market needs and member engagement.

• Workflow Optimization: The role emphasizes establishing operating models, defining workflows, and ensuring continuous improvement to speed to market, highlighting a structured, process-oriented methodology.

• Creative Excellence & Brand Alignment: A core methodology will be ensuring cohesive storytelling and brand expression, meaning creative output must be strategically aligned and consistently executed.

• User-Centric Design: Partnering with "Writing, Multimedia, and Brand leadership" and ensuring "usability and accessibility standards" points to a user-centric approach to content and design.

Company Website: https://www.aicpa.org/

📝 Enhancement Note: Information about the company's industry, size, and history is inferred from the name "AICPA" and the description of its mission. The "Great Place to Work-Certified" status is a significant indicator of company culture. The team structure and methodology are extrapolated from the role's responsibilities and reporting lines.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Manager / Director Level in Design and Creative Operations. This role is critical for operationalizing creative output, ensuring efficiency, and driving brand consistency at scale.

Reporting Structure: Reports to the Senior Director - Creative Content & Publishing. This provides a clear line of sight into senior leadership and strategic content initiatives.

Operations Impact: The Design Director's work directly influences the Association's brand perception, member engagement, and the effectiveness of its educational and resource materials. By optimizing design operations, they contribute to faster content delivery, reduced costs, and enhanced communication impact, all of which are vital for achieving organizational priorities and serving the accounting and finance profession.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into a VP or Chief Creative Officer role within the Association or a similar large organization, or to expand scope to oversee broader creative functions.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the visual direction and operational framework for a significant professional organization, influencing industry standards.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in creative operations, design system implementation, and leading distributed/hybrid creative teams.

• Industry Impact: Contribute to the evolution of the accounting and finance profession through impactful visual communication and educational resources.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis is based on the "Sr. Manager level" designation, the scope of responsibilities, and typical career progression paths for creative leaders in large organizations. The focus is on how operational excellence in design contributes to broader business and career growth.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work schedule, indicating a blend of in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility. The AICPA is a "Great Place to Work-Certified" company, suggesting a positive and supportive office environment.

Office Location(s): Primarily based in Durham, NC, with the possibility of remote work within the US (excluding California).

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on cross-functional partnerships suggest an environment that values both independent work and team collaboration.

• Tools & Technology: Access to necessary design and potentially project management/workflow tools will be provided to support efficient creative production.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular interaction with direct reports, peers, and senior leadership, both in person and virtually.

Work Schedule: The role operates on a standard 40-hour work week, with the hybrid arrangement providing flexibility on where and potentially when certain tasks are performed, balancing operational needs with personal flexibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Hybrid work schedule" and "Great Place to Work-Certified" status are key indicators of the work environment. The mention of "remote work in the US" (with caveats) further defines the geographical and logistical aspects of the workspace.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a review of your resume and portfolio by HR or a talent acquisition specialist to assess qualifications and initial fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A detailed discussion with the Senior Director - Creative Content & Publishing to assess leadership style, strategic thinking, and alignment with team goals. Expect questions about your experience in setting design vision and operating models.

• Team/Peer Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders, potentially including brand, multimedia, and writing leaders, and possibly senior designers. This stage focuses on collaboration style, communication skills, and how you'd integrate with existing teams.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio. This is critical for demonstrating your creative output, leadership impact, and process optimization capabilities. Be prepared to walk through case studies, explain your role, and detail the outcomes.

• Final Interview/Offer: A concluding discussion, potentially with higher-level leadership, to finalize assessment and extend an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your experience in leading design teams, setting creative vision, and implementing operational improvements for design at scale.

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your strategic approach (including operational considerations), your specific role, the tools and processes used, and the quantifiable results or business impact achieved.

• Highlight Process & Scalability: Include examples of how you've developed workflows, standards, or systems to ensure consistent, high-quality design execution across multiple projects or channels.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Showcase projects where you've mentored designers, guided creative direction, and fostered team growth.

• Tailor to the Role: Emphasize examples relevant to non-profit organizations, professional services, or similar environments if possible. Show your understanding of brand consistency and storytelling.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential case study or a