Graphic Design Specialist Jobs in California

We are seeking a full-time Senior Graphic Design Manager to lead creative development across our global wine brands. This role combines hands-on design expertise with creative leadership, project management, and close partnership with marketing, agency, and freelance partners.

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER

The ideal candidate is a strategic, highly organized creative leader who can guide brand expression, mentor designers, manage complex workflows, and deliver polished print and digital assets in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

This position requires excellent creative judgment, strong production knowledge, clear communication skills, and the ability to balance strategic direction with hands-on execution. Experience in wine, beverage, consumer goods, retail, or shopper marketing is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Lead creative development for print and digital materials, including sell sheets, displays, advertising, tasting room assets, e-commerce, social media, presentations, and sales tools.
• Oversee printer, agency, and freelancer relationships, including project assignments, timelines, feedback, workflow, budgets as assigned, and final deliverables.
• Manage and art direct designers and creative contributors to ensure work meets brand standards, business goals, deadlines, and quality expectations.
• Partner with marketing, brand, and cross-functional teams to define creative direction and deliver effective, on-brand design solutions.
• Develop and maintain brand style guides, campaign concepts, display renderings, presentation templates, trade materials, and sales presentation assets.
• Build clean print files complete through mechanical production phase, plus accurate digital-ready files for review, routing, release, and final delivery.
• Create digital content for websites, e-commerce, social media, retail platforms, and other channels to ensure strong design, consistency, usability, and performance.
• Adhere to and improve creative workflows, file organization, naming conventions, project tracking, and asset management practices.
• Review proofs and final files for accuracy, consistency, brand compliance, and production readiness; attend occasional press checks and maintain vendor relationships.
• Stay current on design trends, consumer behavior, digital best practices, AI tools, and emerging creative technologies.

Education and experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of progressive design experience, including leadership of complex creative projects from concept through production
• 2+ years managing, mentoring, or art directing designers, agencies, freelancers, or other creative contributors preferred
• Demonstrated ability to manage creative workflows, timelines, priorities, feedback, and multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment
• Strong understanding of print production, brand systems, typography, layout, color, photography, digital design, and responsible AI-assisted creative practices
• Highly organized, collaborative, detail-oriented, and able to balance creative leadership with hands-on execution

Expertise with the following tools is required:

• Mac proficient
• Adobe Illustrator CC
• Adobe Photoshop CC
• Adobe InDesign CC
• Acrobat Pro
• Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams

Additional tools and skills that are a plus:

• Wrike or similar project management tools
• Dropbox or cloud-based asset management systems
• Adobe Firefly, Photoshop generative tools, or other AI-assisted platforms
• Motion graphics, video editing, animation, or digital display design
• WordPress or similar content management systems
• Packaging, label, retail display, or shopper marketing design
• Illustration, sketching, hand lettering, copywriting, editing, or brand voice development