Associate Design Director

Adelphi Group•Detroit, MI

7d•$120,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As Associate Design Director, you will lead the visual design of large scale websites and digital products from first concept to launch. You will bring the client’s brand to life in digital, build a scalable design system that keeps the experience consistent as it grows, and work closely with UX, strategy, and development teams. You will lead a team of designers, raise the bar on craft, and stay hands on in the work.

Requirements

7+ years in UI, digital, or web design, including 2+ years leading designers or design workstreams.
A portfolio of results driven case studies that shows large scale work across websites and digital products, including design systems and brand expression, and clearly explains your design decisions.
Hands on experience building and documenting Figma design systems with variables and tokens, plus a working knowledge of how tokens are implemented in front end code.
Strong prototyping skills in Figma and similar tools, with the ability to bring interactions and motion to life for reviews and testing.
Expert visual craft in typography, color, layout, and UI best practices, with a record of creating intuitive interfaces that express a brand with clarity.
Deep knowledge of user centered design and accessibility, and a history of championing both with teams and clients.
Sharp problem solving skills and the ability to turn user needs into effective design solutions.
Experience designing for enterprise CMS platforms. Sitecore is strongly preferred.
Confidence presenting to senior client stakeholders and defending design decisions.
A collaborative style that keeps cross functional teams and stakeholders moving toward shared goals.
A proven ability to mentor designers and guide their growth.

Responsibilities

Present work to clients with clarity and confidence, grounding your choices in research and user needs. Handle feedback in real time with sound judgment and turn it into clear direction for the team.
Express the brand through type, color, imagery, and motion with care and intent. The client’s brand refresh is still evolving, so you will adapt the work as their guidelines change.
Build and maintain a scalable design system with flexible components that work across templates and products, and clear documentation that keeps the whole team aligned.
Build interactive prototypes in Figma to show how designs behave, from transitions to motion, so clients and developers can see the experience before it is built.
Define the token architecture and naming conventions, partnering with developers so tokens map cleanly to code and keep every visual decision consistent, from color and type to spacing, radius, elevation, and motion.
Partner with UX from the start to shape detailed designs that carry through the logic of user flows, information architecture, and interaction patterns.
Design to WCAG 2.2 AA standards, with real attention to users with limited vision or mobility.
Deliver developer ready Figma files with clear component states, responsive behavior, and visual specs.
Understand how Sitecore shapes what content authors control, and lead visual QA so builds match approved designs.
Guide junior designers by breaking deliverables into clear tasks, reviewing work daily, and holding the work to a high standard.
Collaborate with UX, strategy, content, and technology teams, track dependencies from content to launch, and keep everyone aligned when opinions differ.