Mullen is hiring: Design Director in Los Angeles

We are champions of positive dissatisfaction.
Dissatisfied with the way it's always been,
with handcuffs and limits and rules,
with insights that aren't insightful,
and with creative that doesn't make you feel.
We believe dissatisfaction is the mother of reinvention.
That's why our mascot is the octopus.
It's the only organism on the planet that routinely edits its own genetic material
to adapt, innovate, and thrive.
It outsmarts the competition by constantly changing.
It reinvents, repeats, reinvents, repeats.
And so do we.
In a world where the most innovative brands grow faster than the competition,
we are, pound for pound, the most effective agency in the world. Eleven years running.
MullenLowe: Always Be a Challenger.

At MullenLowe, we believe great minds don't think alike. They challenge, disrupt, and push boundaries to create work that delivers real impact. We champion those who defy expectations and think beyond conventions to shape our clients' brands and drive their business forward. Our expertise and perspectives are varied, but we're united in our mission to use creativity to solve tomorrow's problems in new ways.

Position Overview:

Design Directors at MullenLowe are masters of their craft, strategists in their thinking, and leaders in their approach. They thrive in multidisciplinary design, seamlessly blending brand, digital, motion, and experiential work to drive impactful creative solutions. They draw inspiration from greats like Paula Scher, Tibor Kalman, and Charles & Ray Eames while embracing the modern chaos of David Carson and the clarity of Edward Tufte.

More than accomplished designers, Design Directors are autonomous leaders who own projects from conception to execution-always guided by the Heads of Design. They lead client relationships with confidence, aligning expectations, navigating challenging conversations, and championing the creative vision. They collaborate with third-party vendors, ensuring quality, efficiency, and seamless integration. They are also dedicated mentors, developing the next generation of design talent, fostering a culture of curiosity, and pushing teams to elevate the work.

This is both a strategic and hands-on role. Design Directors are just as comfortable defining high-level creative direction as they are rolling up their sleeves and refining the details.

Responsibilities:
Creative Leadership & Execution

• Lead and overseethe creative vision and execution across multiple projects, ensuring work is innovative, strategic, and aligned with client goals.
• Maintainhigh design standards, fostering fresh thinking and breakthrough creative solutions.
• Stay at the forefront ofdesign trends, tools, and emerging technologiesto push the agency's creative output forward.
• Ensure design work ison strategy, on time, and on budget, while managing expectations with internal and external stakeholders.

Client & Vendor Engagement

• Serve as atrusted advisorto clients, leading presentations and discussions with confidence and clarity.
• Navigatechallenging conversations, setting expectations while advocating for the integrity of the work.
• Manage relationships withthird-party vendorsand partners, ensuring smooth collaboration, production quality, and cost efficiency.
• Contribute tonew business development, shaping pitch strategies and creative approaches.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Supervise and mentorjunior to mid-level designers, providing feedback, career guidance, and professional development.
• Foster aculture of collaboration and continuous learning, ensuring that all team members feel supported and challenged.
• Conductregular check-ins, performance reviews, and growth planning with direct reports.
• Collaborate closely with other department leads to align talent with the right projects and optimize team performance.

Strategic & Operational Contributions

• Drivedepartment-wide initiatives, setting quality standards and identifying long-term opportunities for innovation.
• Provideoperational insightsthat enhance workflow efficiency, department productivity, and profitability.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure the seamless integration of design withstrategy, copywriting, and technology.

Qualifications:

• Astrong portfolioshowcasing impactful, high-caliber work across branding, digital, experiential, and integrated design projects.
• Proven experience leadingtop-tier brand workin an agency or in-house creative environment.
• Expertise ingraphic design, typography, UX/UI, motion, and/or environmental design.
• Strongcreative referencesthat speak to both leadership and hands-on execution.

Soft Skills:

• Exceptionalcommunication and presentation skills, able to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Confidence inclient relationship management, with experience handling executive-level conversations.
• Adaptability and resilience in the face ofhigh-pressure situations and shifting priorities.
• A passion for mentoring and fosteringa positive, creative, and inclusive team culture.

At MullenLowe, we're looking fororiginal thinkers-people who push boundaries, challenge norms, and bring ideas to life in unexpected ways. If that sounds like you, check doubt at the door and apply.

The salary range for this position is $150-$170K. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure and standing with the company (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee's/applicant's background, pertinent experience and qualifications.

The work is never perfect, so how could we ask that of our applicants? What wedoseek out at MullenLowe are original thinkers with a thing for unconventional ideas that solve tomorrow's big problems. Is that you? Check doubt at the door and apply for the roles that will excite and challenge you in new ways.

EEOC Statement:

At MullenLowe U.S., we believe openness is fundamental to creativity. We're open to different approaches, perspectives, and ways of thinking that come from working with people from diverse cultures, ethnicities, and sexual orientations, and we don't believe we can get to the best place creatively without them. We strongly encourage women; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals; LGBTQ+ individuals; people with disabilities; people of all ages and religion; members of ethnic minorities; foreign-born residents; and veterans to apply.

We do not discriminate on any unlawful basis including race, religion, color, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

You must be eligible to work in the United States to be considered for this role.

This job description is subject to change at any time.

Work is regularly performed in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to: disabilityaccommodations@mullenlowe.com - please include your location in the subject line of your email (BOS, NY, LA, WNS)

MullenLowe is an EEO/AA M/F/Disability/Vet Employer.
MullenLowe participates in E-Verify.

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf