Lead Designer Jobs
Lead Designer jobs are open across technology, consumer goods, agencies, and financial services, at every level from mid-level to principal and director, with specializations in product design, brand identity, and UX design leadership. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
Find Lead Designer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 121+ Lead Designer jobs
Position Type
Full Time
Career area
Design
Location
1 Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97005, United States
Job ID
R-85683
Become a Part of the NIKE, Inc. Team
NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It’s a place where passionate individuals come together to create the future of sport. We are unapologetic about who we are and what we’re after—bringing innovation and inspiration to every athlete* in the world. We look for athletes who can push boundaries, elevate our potential and continue leading us to greatness. The next tastemakers, playmakers, risk takers and glue players. Are you game?
WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
The first point of contact that you will collaborate with is the Design Triad: consisting of Apparel Design, Color, Graphics, Print & Pattern Design and Production Artists. Layering in Product Marketing, Merchandising, Color/Material/Trim Development, as well as Tech Development.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We’re looking for a Lead Color Designer, to work with the Director of Design, Expression, to plan and execute color designs, strategize use of palettes across a range of product. Working collaboratively with Design, Product Marketing, Merchandising, and Development, you will create focused solutions for success.
Here, you will strategize around product positioning and strive to create meaningful product. A broad understanding of athlete and consumer needs, competitor products, consumer retail habits, color, and market trends is important, as you apply these insights into color solutions.
We are looking for a hardworking Lead Color Designer, with a deep passion for and connection to sport; someone that can comfortably navigate ambiguity and define new spaces of a growing business. Someone who is flexible and can adapt to changing priorities. You will bring strong color and apparel industry insights and have experience building stories that connect with the athletes, consumer and culture.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Design or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.
- Minimum 5-7 years of technically challenging color design experience
- Understanding of color trends, color mixing, color compatibility, and color placement
- Knowledge of product design and development process is preferred
- Familiarity with product manufacturing processes including materials/fabrics; trims; dye techniques
- Strong verbal, written, visual, and high-profile communication skills in local market language, including meeting facilitation and presentations
- Ability to understand challenges or underlying concerns, share ideas and develop effective responses or elevate to higher management; work independently and harmoniously in a diverse group
- Ability to network, influence, and utilize internal and external resources as well as to articulate how color can affect product and sales
WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON
As our Lead Designer, you will develop color palettes to link into seasonal narratives, build strong presentation tools, and color design line art to detail the creation of each product. You will research and deliver color, design, and directional work that influence and impact the product aesthetic, application, and target audience. You'll use sophisticated design skills to build original, innovative color solutions for the Tennis product range.
We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.
NIKE, Inc. is a growth company that looks for team members to grow with it. Nike offers a generous total rewards package, casual work environment, a diverse and inclusive culture, and an electric atmosphere for professional development. No matter the location, or the role, every Nike employee shares one galvanizing mission: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.
NIKE, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.
What You Can Expect
OUR HIRING GAME PLAN
01 Apply
Our teams are made up of diverse skillsets, knowledge bases, inputs, ideas and backgrounds. We want you to find your fit – review job descriptions, departments and teams to discover the role for you.
02 Meet a Recruiter or Take an Assessment
If selected for a corporate role, a recruiter will reach out to start your interview process and be your main contact throughout the process. For retail roles, you’ll complete an interactive assessment that includes a chat and quizzes and takes about 10-20 minutes to complete. No matter the role, we want to learn about you – the whole you – so don’t shy away from how you approach world-class service and what makes you unique.
03 Interview
Go into this stage confident by doing your research, understanding what we are looking for and being prepared for questions that are set up to learn more about you, and your background.
Position Type
Full Time
Career area
Design
Location
1 Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97005, United States
Job ID
R-85683
Become a Part of the NIKE, Inc. Team
NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It’s a place where passionate individuals come together to create the future of sport. We are unapologetic about who we are and what we’re after—bringing innovation and inspiration to every athlete* in the world. We look for athletes who can push boundaries, elevate our potential and continue leading us to greatness. The next tastemakers, playmakers, risk takers and glue players. Are you game?
WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
The first point of contact that you will collaborate with is the Design Triad: consisting of Apparel Design, Color, Graphics, Print & Pattern Design and Production Artists. Layering in Product Marketing, Merchandising, Color/Material/Trim Development, as well as Tech Development.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We’re looking for a Lead Color Designer, to work with the Director of Design, Expression, to plan and execute color designs, strategize use of palettes across a range of product. Working collaboratively with Design, Product Marketing, Merchandising, and Development, you will create focused solutions for success.
Here, you will strategize around product positioning and strive to create meaningful product. A broad understanding of athlete and consumer needs, competitor products, consumer retail habits, color, and market trends is important, as you apply these insights into color solutions.
We are looking for a hardworking Lead Color Designer, with a deep passion for and connection to sport; someone that can comfortably navigate ambiguity and define new spaces of a growing business. Someone who is flexible and can adapt to changing priorities. You will bring strong color and apparel industry insights and have experience building stories that connect with the athletes, consumer and culture.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Design or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.
- Minimum 5-7 years of technically challenging color design experience
- Understanding of color trends, color mixing, color compatibility, and color placement
- Knowledge of product design and development process is preferred
- Familiarity with product manufacturing processes including materials/fabrics; trims; dye techniques
- Strong verbal, written, visual, and high-profile communication skills in local market language, including meeting facilitation and presentations
- Ability to understand challenges or underlying concerns, share ideas and develop effective responses or elevate to higher management; work independently and harmoniously in a diverse group
- Ability to network, influence, and utilize internal and external resources as well as to articulate how color can affect product and sales
WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON
As our Lead Designer, you will develop color palettes to link into seasonal narratives, build strong presentation tools, and color design line art to detail the creation of each product. You will research and deliver color, design, and directional work that influence and impact the product aesthetic, application, and target audience. You'll use sophisticated design skills to build original, innovative color solutions for the Tennis product range.
We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.
NIKE, Inc. is a growth company that looks for team members to grow with it. Nike offers a generous total rewards package, casual work environment, a diverse and inclusive culture, and an electric atmosphere for professional development. No matter the location, or the role, every Nike employee shares one galvanizing mission: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.
NIKE, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.
What You Can Expect
OUR HIRING GAME PLAN
01 Apply
Our teams are made up of diverse skillsets, knowledge bases, inputs, ideas and backgrounds. We want you to find your fit – review job descriptions, departments and teams to discover the role for you.
02 Meet a Recruiter or Take an Assessment
If selected for a corporate role, a recruiter will reach out to start your interview process and be your main contact throughout the process. For retail roles, you’ll complete an interactive assessment that includes a chat and quizzes and takes about 10-20 minutes to complete. No matter the role, we want to learn about you – the whole you – so don’t shy away from how you approach world-class service and what makes you unique.
03 Interview
Go into this stage confident by doing your research, understanding what we are looking for and being prepared for questions that are set up to learn more about you, and your background.
See All 121+ Lead Designer Jobs
Jump back to the full list of openings and apply to any lead designer role that fits.
Find Lead Designer JobsLead Designer Job Market
A snapshot from current openings nationwide, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- NIKE9
- HDR7
- Circle6
- KBR5
- Veeva Systems4
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software44
- Consulting & Professional Services27
- Retail10
- Consumer Goods8
- Healthcare & Medical Services8
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in lead designer jobs.
- Five or more years of product or UX design experience with at least two years in a lead or senior role
- Proficiency in Figma, including component libraries, auto-layout, and collaborative design workflows
- Demonstrated experience owning or contributing to a design system at scale
- Portfolio showing end-to-end design leadership across discovery, iteration, and final delivery
- Experience working directly with product managers and engineers in an agile environment
- Bachelor's degree in graphic design, interaction design, human-computer interaction, or a related field
Tips for Your Lead Designer Job Search
Tailor your portfolio to the brief
Lead designer roles expect your portfolio to show decision-making, not just execution. For each case study, explain what problem you were solving, what tradeoffs you made, and how the design delivered a measurable outcome. Generic before-and-after slides won't land here.
Show cross-functional leadership on your resume
Hiring managers for lead designer roles screen for evidence that you've aligned stakeholders, mentored junior designers, or driven a design system adoption. List those contributions explicitly on your resume rather than leaving them implied in project descriptions.
Filter by design maturity when targeting companies
A lead designer at a seed-stage startup owns the entire practice. At a large enterprise, you're leading a team within an established system. Decide which environment fits you and filter your search accordingly, because the day-to-day work differs significantly between them.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists lead designer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare a process walkthrough for interviews
Lead designer interviews nearly always include a design critique or whiteboard exercise. Practice walking through your process out loud, covering how you frame the problem, who you involve, and how you prioritize constraints. Interviewers are evaluating your thinking, not just the visual output.
Negotiate scope, not just compensation
When you reach the offer stage, ask what the design team structure looks like in twelve months and whether the role includes hiring authority. Those details affect your career trajectory more than the starting figure and signal to the company that you're thinking like a leader.
Lead Designer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most lead designers?
The companies hiring the most lead designers right now include NIKE, HDR, and Circle, with the largest share of openings in California, Oregon, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. Demand is particularly concentrated at technology companies, consumer software platforms, and large financial services firms with in-house product teams.
How many lead designer jobs are remote?
About 35% of lead designer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of June 2026, making it one of the more distributed roles in the design field. Remote availability is highest for product and UX-focused lead designer roles, while brand and creative direction positions tend to require more in-office presence, particularly at agencies and retail companies.
How do you become a lead designer?
You become a lead designer by building a portfolio that demonstrates end-to-end design ownership, not just pixel execution. Move from individual contributor work into mentoring junior designers and leading projects from discovery through delivery. Develop fluency in design systems, stakeholder communication, and cross-functional collaboration. Most practitioners reach this level after several years as a senior designer, often by stepping into informal leadership on large projects before holding the title formally.
Can you get hired as a lead designer without much experience?
Getting hired as a lead designer without direct lead experience is possible if your portfolio shows the work of someone already operating at that level. Document moments where you drove a design direction, resolved a stakeholder conflict, or shaped how a junior designer approached a problem. Some companies, particularly early-stage startups, will hire a strong senior designer into a lead title when no formal lead structure exists yet, making those roles a realistic entry point.
What does the lead designer interview process look like?
The lead designer interview process typically runs across four to five stages: an initial recruiter screen, a hiring manager conversation focused on your background and design philosophy, a portfolio presentation where you walk through one or two case studies in depth, a cross-functional panel with product and engineering, and a final conversation with a design director or VP. Some companies add a take-home design exercise or a live whiteboard critique to assess how you think through ambiguous problems under time pressure.
Where can I find and apply to lead designer jobs?
You can find and apply to lead designer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States in one place. Search the listings to find roles that match your background and apply directly to each one. New openings are added regularly, so checking back frequently gives you the best chance of catching roles before they close.
See All 121+ Lead Designer Jobs
Jump back to the full list of openings and apply to any lead designer role that fits.
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