Design Manager

Council on Foreign Relations•New York, NY

29d•$120,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is seeking an experienced, highly skilled designer to serve as Design Manager. Reporting to the Director of Design, this role is a hands-on creative position responsible for producing high-quality design work across digital products, print publications, and brand touchpoints, and for maintaining CFR's brand and quality standards across every deliverable. This role is ideal for an experienced designer who thrives on executing polished, on-brand work at a high volume and level of craft. The Design Team at CFR sits within the Digital organization and is responsible for the visual language, design systems, and user experience across CFR's digital properties, including cfr.org, education.cfr.org, Think Global Health, and a growing portfolio of digital as well as print products. This full-time position is based in CFR’s New York City office, at least 4 days per week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are considered institutional anchor days where all staff are required to be onsite. CFR’s remote working schedule is subject to change.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
At least 7 years of design experience across brand, digital, and print surfaces, with demonstrated senior-level creative ownership.
Portfolio demonstrating both executional craft and the ability to shape design direction across a range of deliverables.
Expert Figma proficiency, including component architecture, variables/tokens, shared libraries, and design system documentation.
Demonstrated experience designing and producing high-quality print materials, with expertise in typography, layout, and print production.
Demonstrated experience building, maintaining, or scaling brand standards, style guides, and/or a design system at an organizational scale.
Experience collaborating with freelance illustrators, designers, and other contractors on production workflows.

Nice To Haves

Strong communication and presentation skills, able to articulate design rationale clearly across disciplines and stakeholder groups.
Experience in publishing, media, journalism, or mission-driven organizations preferred.
Experience designing for both editorial and digital product contexts is a plus.
An interest in global affairs is a plus.

Responsibilities

Produce high-quality design work across digital products, branding, editorial features, print publications, and organizational campaigns.
Support the Creative Director in reviewing work across seniority levels to provide actionable design and production feedback.
Take direct design ownership of complex or high-visibility initiatives where senior creative judgment is required.
Partner with freelance illustrators, graphic designers, and other contractors on briefing, reviewing deliverables, and maintaining quality and brand consistency
Maintain and evolve CFR's design documentation so it is usable by staff, consultants, and creative partners throughout the organization.
Develop templates and reusable patterns across digital and print-adjacent surfaces that reduce rework and enable consistent output at scale.
Partner with cross-functional teams across Digital, Editorial, Programs, and Communications to ensure design work meets and matures brand standards.
Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required