Design Director, Experience Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Director, Experience Design

Company: Momentum

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Experience Design / Creative Direction

Date Posted: 2026-06-22

Experience Level: 8-10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of designers to conceptualize and execute innovative brand experiences across digital, environmental, and physical touchpoints.

• Drive the end-to-end design process, from initial creative concepts to final execution, ensuring strategic alignment with client objectives and consumer insights.

• Leverage a deep understanding of various design disciplines, including architecture, environmental, interior, retail, graphic, and motion design, to craft holistic and impactful brand journeys.

• Act as a key liaison, presenting work and building trusted relationships with both internal stakeholders and external clients to foster collaboration and drive project success.

• Champion a data-driven and strategy-focused approach to design, ensuring all experiential initiatives are grounded in consumer understanding and deliver measurable business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior leadership position within the Experience Design function, requiring a blend of creative vision, strategic thinking, and team management expertise. The emphasis on "holistic journey" and "consumer insights" points towards a strong focus on customer-centric design principles and a deep understanding of the entire customer lifecycle.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Translate creative concepts and client briefs into tangible design strategies and executions, guiding the team through all phases of the design lifecycle.

• Develop and articulate a comprehensive understanding of client brands, their competitive landscapes, and target audience behaviors, mindsets, rituals, and contexts.

• Oversee the application of Experience Design pillars, including but not limited to architecture, environmental, interior, retail, graphic, and motion design, ensuring cohesive and integrated brand experiences.

• Proactively research and present emerging industry trends, competitive design landscapes, and innovative methodologies to inspire the team and inform strategic decision-making.

• Manage a portfolio of multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery and exceptional quality within fast-paced and dynamic environments.

• Lead and inspire the multidisciplinary experience design team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture that encourages creative exploration and rigorous execution.

• Present design concepts, strategies, and final work internally to cross-functional leads and externally to clients, building consensus and securing buy-in.

• Develop and maintain strong, trusting relationships with clients, acting as a trusted advisor and strategic partner in their brand experience initiatives.

• Mentor and develop junior design team members, providing guidance, feedback, and opportunities for professional growth.

• Uphold and champion Momentum's core values in all aspects of work, contributing to a positive and purpose-driven company culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a significant leadership component, requiring the candidate to not only be a skilled designer but also a strategic thinker and an effective manager. The emphasis on "analytical and strategy focused lens" and "consumer insights, behaviors, mindsets, rituals and context" suggests that this role requires a strong understanding of brand strategy and consumer psychology in addition to design execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Experience Design, Architecture, Industrial Design, or a closely related creative field.

Experience: 8-10+ years of progressive experience in Experience Design, with a significant portion focused on leading design initiatives and teams within an agency or similar client-facing environment.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in leading the development of holistic brand experiences, from initial concept through to final execution.

• Strong portfolio showcasing a passion for design and a deep understanding of experiential marketing principles and execution.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects) and other relevant design and visualization software.

• Exceptional skills in layout design, typography, color theory, sketching, visualization, mood board creation, material application, and spatial diagramming.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and map user journeys, understanding consumer behavior and translating insights into impactful design solutions.

• Natural talent for visual and verbal presentation, with the ability to articulate complex design concepts clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.

• Experience in managing multiple projects concurrently, with a proven ability to prioritize, organize, and meet tight deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced setting.

• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including the ability to mentor, guide, and inspire multidisciplinary design teams.

• Strong understanding of brand strategy, competitive analysis, and the ability to develop a thorough understanding of client brands and their market positioning. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in architectural, environmental, interior, retail, digital, and motion design.

• Familiarity with 3D modeling and rendering software.

• Experience in client relationship management and building trusted partnerships.

• A "hustler" mentality with the adaptability and resilience to thrive in an energetic, rapidly changing environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a "strong portfolio demonstrating your passion for design and experiential" is critical. Candidates should be prepared to showcase projects that highlight their ability to integrate various design disciplines and create immersive, memorable brand experiences. The inclusion of "spatial diagrams" and "user journeys" indicates a need for a systems-thinking approach to design.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Comprehensive case studies demonstrating the end-to-end design process for experiential marketing campaigns or brand activations.

• Projects that clearly articulate the strategic thinking, consumer insights, and design rationale behind the experiential solutions.

• Examples showcasing the integration of various design disciplines (e.g., digital, environmental, graphic, motion) to create cohesive brand experiences.

• Evidence of ability to translate creative concepts into executable designs, with attention to detail in materials, spatial planning, and user flow.

• Documentation of successful client presentations and the ability to articulate design decisions and their impact. Process Documentation:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and document comprehensive user journeys and customer experience maps.

• Examples of creating mood boards, material palettes, and spatial diagrams to communicate design intent and feasibility.

• Showcasing the process of iterating on designs based on feedback from creative teams, clients, and potential user testing.

• Evidence of managing design project timelines and workflows, ensuring efficient progression from concept to completion.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "holistic journey from start to finish" and "consumer insights, behaviors, mindsets, rituals and context" suggests that the portfolio should not only display aesthetic prowess but also a strategic and analytical approach to understanding and influencing consumer behavior through design. Candidates should be ready to walk through their design process and highlight how they leverage data and insights.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $162,500 annually.

Explanation of Range: This salary range is determined by a combination of factors including: current and historical compensation for similar roles within the company, market data for comparable positions in the New York, NY region, the company's budget for this role, and the candidate