Design Director
Are you looking for an opportunity to help build and nurture a world-class design team? Do you obsess over the pixel and have an active pulse on the latest interactive, web, pop culture, and social trends? Do you like the challenge of crafting modern, thoughtful consumer experiences for both brand, web, and mobile platforms? Do you love to find innovative new ways to develop engaging brand and product experiences? Is working closely with a down-to-earth, wickedly talented team to create innovative concepts your cup of tea? If so, we may have the perfect opportunity for you.
About the Position:
As our Director of Design you will be responsible for creatively leading and managing the Design Team, their productivity, and growth. You will develop creative and conceptual standards and design systems that create a massive impact through world-class executions.
You will set high-quality design standards for our internal communications, Restaurant Marketing materials, Product Marketing materials, and or brand-related communications. You will use your keen eye for detail to develop and coach your team on how to consistently meet those standards and produce world-class creativity. Your ability to self-manage, promote collaboration, set goals for the team, and hold them accountable will ensure that the team is performing at their best. You’ll understand the needs of our clients and their consumers and continue to champion world-class design habits through our work.
About the Team:
ChowNow is unique among tech startups in the restaurant space. We power branded online ordering systems for independent restaurants across North America – via websites, Google, Instagram, and through branded iOS and Android apps – and we do it all for a reasonable monthly fee regardless of order volume. We operate this way because of our belief in being fair, sustainable, and equitable with our restaurant partners. And the same goes for our workplace.
Diversity, teamwork, and mutual respect are among our core company values. And we pride ourselves on giving our teams plenty of opportunities to make their mark. To date we’ve created over 18,000 apps for our restaurant partners – something that’s never been done before in our category. And as we expand to new markets, further spreading the word about the ChowNow difference, those opportunities to create, build, and grow will only increase. If this sounds like the kind of workplace, and the kind of mission, that appeals to you, we’d love to talk.
Learn more by checking out our reviews on Glassdoor (they’re excellent). Together we can preserve neighborhood flavor, one restaurant at a time.
Reports to Executive Creative Director; directly manages Designers (All levels).
Specifically, You will:
- Expertly present and articulate the thinking behind your work and the design teams work to key stakeholders, and cross-departmentally to gain buy-in.
- Develop processes, resources, guidelines, and templates that empower the organization to create beautiful and thoughtful brand and consumer executions.
- Constantly evolve our brand and visual identity across Media, Product, Marketing, and business channels.
- Manage OOTO, career growth, and review cycles of your direct reports guiding them to be world-class creatives.
- Partner with our Recruiting team to attract, interview, and hire new designers.
- Be a source of inspiration for the company. You will collaborate with other Designers (internal and external), Project Managers, Engineers, Marketers, and others to propel the brand forward.
- Work with upper management to set OKR’s for the Design Team.
- Help designers sharpen their technical skills and improve their design habits through in-person coaching and documented training guides.
- Handle escalations and lead larger/special projects.
- Identify gaps in workflow and carry out projects to streamline processes.
- Work closely with other departments to understand the needs and entire life-cycle of our clients.
- Work with key stakeholders to add new product offerings to our clients.
Within 30 days, you'll:
- Progress through our Ramp Camp (ChowNow’s New Hire Onboarding Experience).
- Observe product demos with the sales team to better know our customers.
- Shadow the Restaurant Success team to better understand client needs.
- Review 15Fives, schedule 1 on 1s and daily check-ins with your direct reports.
- Meet with People & Culture on a weekly basis to learn management skills and talk through blockers.
- Manage the incoming design tasks and prioritize the duties with your team for optimal productivity.
- Manage and QC the Dropbox to Box file transfer and renaming project and develop documentation for future use cross-departmentally.
- Work with IT to improve and optimize file management of Client Assets.
Within 60 days, you'll:
- Develop a Diner acquisition campaign for owned and third-party platforms.
- Develop a process to create impeccable presentations for our RS teams.
Within 90 days, you'll:
- Work with Restaurant Marketing Production and your team to develop new marketing product offerings.
- Work with key stakeholders and designers to define OKRs.
- Develop a special project that will resonate with the creative industry.
Within 6 Months, you'll:
- Plan and host a Brown Bag session within the design thinking for the company to attend/
You Should Apply If:
- You have 6 yrs + Experience in a creative agency or a Design department.
- You have a minimum 2 years of team lead or management experience.
- You love to get detailed with documentation and developing guidelines for Designers.
- You thrive as a people manager and take great pleasure from the rush of seeing a group of people transformed after working together.
- You can set clear goals and hold yourself and others accountable for the results.
- You have an in-depth knowledge of print production, Motion Graphics, 3D and sound design.
- You have managed a high volume of projects with tight turn-around times.
About Our Benefits:
- Competitive compensation
- Ongoing training and growth opportunities
- A "Best Place to Work" winner multiple times where we focus on creating a great employee experience
- Rock solid medical, dental, and vision plans
- Mental Health Coverage - we offer several programs to support your mental health and wellness goals.
- 3 weeks paid vacation; paid holidays; we expect you to work hard, but still enjoy your personal life
- 6 weeks of baby bonding time for all new parents (within the first year of birth or adoption), 6 Weeks of Paid Pregnancy Leave
- Employer-contributing student loan assistance program
- Commuter benefits (including Uber Pool)
- Employee Stock Incentive Plan
- Quarterly Industry Speakers Series
- Quarterly Tech Events (Women, LGBTQ, Diversity, Inclusion)
- Consistent & fair leadership: we’ll share info, set clear goals, show you respect, and treat everyone fairly
- Enough freedom to spread your wings while still holding you accountable
- Fully stocked kitchen and cold brew on tap
As one of ChowNow’s core values, “Celebrates Diversity”, we are committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment. ChowNow is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.
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