Design Director Jobs in New York
Design Director jobs in New York sit at the center of one of the most active creative markets in the world, with demand concentrated in fashion, advertising, publishing, tech, and consumer brands at every level from senior designer making a first leadership move to seasoned creative executives. Most hiring happens in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Jersey City, where studios, agencies, and in-house teams at companies like Condé Nast, Estée Lauder, and NBCUniversal maintain consistent design director headcount. The most in-demand specialties are brand identity, UX and digital product design, and packaging and retail experience. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Design Director JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 78+ Design Director jobs
About Nanit:
Nanit is moving families beyond overwhelm by transforming how parents understand their baby's early years. We combine advanced AI, real-world data from billions of sleep hours, and clinical expertise to deliver the clarity and confidence every parent deserves. Trusted by over one million families and backed by $125M in funding, we're building an entirely new category: predictive parenting intelligence.
Here, your work directly impacts millions of families. Our team of scientists, engineers, and parents is small but mighty - we share a mission to make early childhood easier, healthier, and more connected. If you want to work on technology that genuinely matters, join us.
About the Role:
Nanit is seeking a visionary design leader to define the next chapter of the Nanit experience across mobile software, connected hardware, AI-powered experiences, subscriptions and entirely new product categories. This is not a role focused on executing an existing roadmap. Design will play a defining role in what comes next. This leader will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Hardware, Clinical and Marketing to imagine the future, make those possibilities tangible and shape what Nanit chooses to build. Nanit sits at a unique intersection of technology and emotion. Parents turn to Nanit in moments of curiosity, joy, uncertainty and concern. The opportunity is to translate sophisticated technology, data and intelligence into experiences that feel deeply human, earn trust and help families feel more confident. This leader will establish a distinctive design point of view for Nanit and build the team and standards to bring it to life.
What You'll Be Doing:
Reporting to Nanit’s SVP of Product, the Senior Director of Product Design will be a key member of Nanit’s product leadership team, with a seat at the table shaping product strategy and the customer experience. They will:
- Define Nanit’s design vision. Establish a compelling point of view for how Nanit should look, feel and behave across software, hardware, AI and emerging product categories.
- Shape the future, not just the interface. Partner with Product and Engineering from the earliest stages, using design and research to explore possibilities, make ideas tangible and influence what Nanit chooses to build.
- Create one coherent Nanit experience. Bring together apps, connected devices, subscriptions and new products into an ecosystem that feels intuitive, distinctive and greater than the sum of its parts.
- Build a deep understanding of families into product development. Lead Product Design and User Research, ensuring qualitative insight, behavioral data and the lived experience of parenting inform our most important decisions.
- Set an exceptional bar for craft and taste. Establish the standards for interaction, visual design and product quality that distinguish Nanit as a premium, category-defining brand.
- Make complex technology feel deeply human. Translate AI, computer vision, sensing and Nanit’s unique data into experiences that provide meaningful value without unnecessary complexity or anxiety.
- Design for customer and business value. Create experiences that deepen engagement and subscription value while imagining new ways Nanit can support families across more questions, stages and ages.
- Build and lead an exceptional design organization. Develop a high-performing Product Design and User Research team and a culture of ambition, collaboration, accountability and exceptional craft.
Who You Are:
- 10+ years of Product Design experience, with at least 3 years of leadership design experience
- Track record of creating exceptional, human-centered products and experiences as a senior product design leader.
- Ability to define a compelling design vision and translate product and brand strategy into beautifully crafted, intuitive experiences.
- Deep expertise in mobile product design, with strong systems thinking across complex customer experiences.
- Proven ability to influence product strategy in close partnership with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and other cross-functional leaders.
- Experience building and developing high-performing design teams while maintaining a high bar for craft and execution.
- Experience with connected hardware, subscription businesses, AI-enabled products, emotionally rich products, or premium consumer brands is a strong plus.
- Deeply connected to Nanit’s mission, with genuine empathy for parents and the emotional experience of early childhood. Able to translate that understanding into thoughtful design.
- A visionary who thinks beyond the obvious, brings strong creative conviction, and inspires others around bold possibilities.
- A highly collaborative, low-ego leader, skilled at articulating design thinking and earning credibility with senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
- A player-coach who can set the vision while staying close enough to the work to make it exceptional.
Why You’ll Love Working Here:
- Hybrid in office schedule
- Remote work from home month in August
- Flexible PTO (we trust you to take the time you need)
- Equity options so you can share in our growth
- Paid parental leave for all new parents
- Employee discounts on Nanit products
- Work from home stipend
- Monthly team events
EEO, Salary and Location:
This is a hybrid role that will require prospective candidates to be in our NYC 2-3 days per week
Salary Range: $250,000 to $300,000 + plus equity and benefits. The base pay is one component of Nanit's total compensation package, which may also include access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan, short-term and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class.
About Nanit:
Nanit is moving families beyond overwhelm by transforming how parents understand their baby's early years. We combine advanced AI, real-world data from billions of sleep hours, and clinical expertise to deliver the clarity and confidence every parent deserves. Trusted by over one million families and backed by $125M in funding, we're building an entirely new category: predictive parenting intelligence.
Here, your work directly impacts millions of families. Our team of scientists, engineers, and parents is small but mighty - we share a mission to make early childhood easier, healthier, and more connected. If you want to work on technology that genuinely matters, join us.
About the Role:
Nanit is seeking a visionary design leader to define the next chapter of the Nanit experience across mobile software, connected hardware, AI-powered experiences, subscriptions and entirely new product categories. This is not a role focused on executing an existing roadmap. Design will play a defining role in what comes next. This leader will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Hardware, Clinical and Marketing to imagine the future, make those possibilities tangible and shape what Nanit chooses to build. Nanit sits at a unique intersection of technology and emotion. Parents turn to Nanit in moments of curiosity, joy, uncertainty and concern. The opportunity is to translate sophisticated technology, data and intelligence into experiences that feel deeply human, earn trust and help families feel more confident. This leader will establish a distinctive design point of view for Nanit and build the team and standards to bring it to life.
What You'll Be Doing:
Reporting to Nanit’s SVP of Product, the Senior Director of Product Design will be a key member of Nanit’s product leadership team, with a seat at the table shaping product strategy and the customer experience. They will:
- Define Nanit’s design vision. Establish a compelling point of view for how Nanit should look, feel and behave across software, hardware, AI and emerging product categories.
- Shape the future, not just the interface. Partner with Product and Engineering from the earliest stages, using design and research to explore possibilities, make ideas tangible and influence what Nanit chooses to build.
- Create one coherent Nanit experience. Bring together apps, connected devices, subscriptions and new products into an ecosystem that feels intuitive, distinctive and greater than the sum of its parts.
- Build a deep understanding of families into product development. Lead Product Design and User Research, ensuring qualitative insight, behavioral data and the lived experience of parenting inform our most important decisions.
- Set an exceptional bar for craft and taste. Establish the standards for interaction, visual design and product quality that distinguish Nanit as a premium, category-defining brand.
- Make complex technology feel deeply human. Translate AI, computer vision, sensing and Nanit’s unique data into experiences that provide meaningful value without unnecessary complexity or anxiety.
- Design for customer and business value. Create experiences that deepen engagement and subscription value while imagining new ways Nanit can support families across more questions, stages and ages.
- Build and lead an exceptional design organization. Develop a high-performing Product Design and User Research team and a culture of ambition, collaboration, accountability and exceptional craft.
Who You Are:
- 10+ years of Product Design experience, with at least 3 years of leadership design experience
- Track record of creating exceptional, human-centered products and experiences as a senior product design leader.
- Ability to define a compelling design vision and translate product and brand strategy into beautifully crafted, intuitive experiences.
- Deep expertise in mobile product design, with strong systems thinking across complex customer experiences.
- Proven ability to influence product strategy in close partnership with Product, Engineering, Marketing, and other cross-functional leaders.
- Experience building and developing high-performing design teams while maintaining a high bar for craft and execution.
- Experience with connected hardware, subscription businesses, AI-enabled products, emotionally rich products, or premium consumer brands is a strong plus.
- Deeply connected to Nanit’s mission, with genuine empathy for parents and the emotional experience of early childhood. Able to translate that understanding into thoughtful design.
- A visionary who thinks beyond the obvious, brings strong creative conviction, and inspires others around bold possibilities.
- A highly collaborative, low-ego leader, skilled at articulating design thinking and earning credibility with senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
- A player-coach who can set the vision while staying close enough to the work to make it exceptional.
Why You’ll Love Working Here:
- Hybrid in office schedule
- Remote work from home month in August
- Flexible PTO (we trust you to take the time you need)
- Equity options so you can share in our growth
- Paid parental leave for all new parents
- Employee discounts on Nanit products
- Work from home stipend
- Monthly team events
EEO, Salary and Location:
This is a hybrid role that will require prospective candidates to be in our NYC 2-3 days per week
Salary Range: $250,000 to $300,000 + plus equity and benefits. The base pay is one component of Nanit's total compensation package, which may also include access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan, short-term and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class.
See All 78 Design Director Jobs in New York
Find roles in New York that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Design Director JobsDesign Director Jobs by City in New York
Where New York roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Design Director Job Market in New York
A snapshot from current New York openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Consulting & Professional Services
- Insurance
- Retail
- Education
What New York Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in design director jobs across New York.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in graphic design, industrial design, or a related creative field
- Seven or more years of progressive design experience with at least two in a leadership role
- Portfolio demonstrating brand identity, digital, or product design work at a strategic level
- Proven ability to lead and mentor multidisciplinary design teams across complex projects
- Experience collaborating with marketing, product, and executive stakeholders in New York-scale organizations
- Proficiency in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and presentation tools used in agency or in-house environments
Design Director Jobs in New York: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a design director in New York?
Becoming a design director in New York typically starts with a bachelor's degree in graphic design, industrial design, communication design, or a closely related field from a program accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. New York does not require a state-issued license for design directors. Employers here place the greatest weight on a strong portfolio, progressive leadership experience, and familiarity with the specific industry, whether that is fashion, media, advertising, or technology.
Which companies hire design directors in New York?
Employers hiring design directors in New York right now include Capital One, NYC Alliance, and Victoria's Secret, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. New York's density of global brand headquarters, major media companies, and large advertising agencies means that in-house and agency design director roles open consistently throughout the year.
Which New York cities have the most design director jobs?
New York, Brooklyn, and New York State have the most design director openings in New York. Manhattan dominates because it is home to the headquarters of major fashion houses, media conglomerates, and advertising agencies, while Brooklyn's growing creative and tech studio scene drives demand there, and other metros reflect the presence of regional corporate campuses and design-focused employers outside the core city.
Are there remote design director jobs in New York?
Yes, and more than most creative leadership roles. About 77% of design director openings tied to New York are remote or hybrid as of October 2026, reflecting the strategic and screen-based nature of much of the work. Digital product design and brand strategy roles tend to offer the most location flexibility, while roles tied to physical retail, packaging, or on-site production teams are more likely to require a regular presence.
How can I get hired as a design director in New York with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is to move into a design director role from a senior designer or associate creative director position at a New York agency or large in-house team, rather than targeting director titles from the start. Companies like Ogilvy, BBDO, and large retail brands regularly hire senior designers who take on project leadership. Building a portfolio that shows strategic thinking alongside execution, and completing an accredited design program at a New York institution such as Parsons or Pratt, gives candidates a clear edge.
Where can I find and apply to design director jobs in New York?
You can find and apply to design director jobs in New York on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers actively hiring in the state. Find roles that fit your experience and specialization and apply directly to the ones that interest you.
See All 78 Design Director Jobs in New York
Find roles in New York that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Design Director Jobs