Manager, Senior Designer

CACI International•Reston, VA

16d•$84,900 - $178,400•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Senior Designer is a strategic, conceptual, hands-on creative leader who develops visual communications to strengthen CACI’s brand, support business priorities, and bring complex ideas to life. Reporting to the Executive Director, Creative Studio, the role provides creative direction and mentorship to two designers while also contributing to integrated creative work across branding, marketing campaigns, digital experiences, presentations, video, motion graphics, and corporate communications. The position is onsite in Reston, Virginia, with up to 10% local travel. The role combines advertising-agency-style conceptual thinking, integrated storytelling, and hands-on creative versatility with an understanding of the defense, technology, and government contracting landscape. The successful candidate will translate business objectives and technical information into compelling creative, establish strong visual direction, and foster a collaborative, strategically driven Creative Studio. The position leads strategic creative development, develops and executes design across multiple channels, supports video and multimedia production, mentors designers, reviews creative quality, stewards CACI’s brand, collaborates with corporate communications and business teams, manages project workflows, and advances creative practices and capabilities. It requires balancing creative execution and team leadership while ensuring work is strategically effective, brand-consistent, and delivered within project timelines and resources.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Advertising, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
At least 8 years of professional design experience, ideally including experience in an advertising agency, creative agency, or in-house creative studio.
Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, original concept development, integrated campaigns, and high-quality design execution across multiple channels.
Demonstrated experience leading creative projects, providing art direction, and mentoring or managing designers.
Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and working knowledge of After Effects and Premiere Pro.
Versatility across branding, digital, print, social media, presentations, video, and motion graphics.
Ability to translate complex business objectives and technical information into compelling creative concepts and visual storytelling.
Strong communication, presentation, and collaboration skills, including the ability to articulate creative rationale to stakeholders and leadership.
Experience managing multiple projects, deadlines, and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Advertising or creative agency background, including integrated campaigns, conceptual creative leadership, and presenting to clients or senior stakeholders.
Experience in defense, aerospace, intelligence, national security, technology, or government contracting industries.
Understanding of the federal contracting landscape, government customers, and business-to-government marketing.
Experience translating complex technical capabilities into accessible, engaging, and differentiated brand storytelling.
Strong motion graphics, animation, video editing, and multimedia production capabilities.
Experience with Figma, digital design systems, and modern web design principles.
Experience developing creative for enterprise brands, executive leadership, corporate communications, and high-visibility marketing initiatives.
Familiarity with Asana or similar project management platforms and collaborative creative workflows.
Experience incorporating AI-assisted creative tools and emerging technologies into the creative development process.

Responsibilities

Translate business objectives, creative briefs, and audience insights into concepts and integrated visual solutions.
Develop creative ideas for brand initiatives, marketing campaigns, product launches, executive communications, and enterprise-wide programs.
Partner with the Executive Director, Creative, to establish creative direction and align work with CACI’s brand positioning and business priorities.
Present concepts and creative recommendations with clear strategic rationale.
Build knowledge of CACI’s capabilities, markets, customers, and competitive landscape, and collaborate with subject matter experts and stakeholders to simplify complex information through design.
Create visual storytelling that communicates CACI’s differentiation across defense, intelligence, national security, and emerging technologies.
Conceptualize and execute creative across print, digital, web, social media, presentations, advertising, events, and environmental applications.
Develop campaign identities, visual systems, infographics, executive presentations, and other high-visibility creative assets.
Maintain hands-on design capabilities for complex creative initiatives and day-to-day production needs, adapting concepts across formats while maintaining consistency and quality.
Develop storyboards, visual concepts, motion graphics, and animated content; collaborate with video production resources on creative direction, storytelling, and post-production; and contribute motion design, animation, and video editing as needed.
Identify opportunities to use emerging creative technologies and formats to increase audience engagement.
Provide day-to-day creative leadership, direction, and mentorship for two designers; assign and review work; and provide constructive feedback that supports creative quality and professional development.
Foster a collaborative, accountable, solutions-oriented environment and balance hands-on creative contributions with team oversight and development.
Review creative deliverables for conceptual strength, visual quality, accuracy, and brand consistency; help establish design best practices, creative standards, and quality-control processes.
Partner with the Executive Director, Creative, to improve creative output, capabilities, and workflows, ensuring work is effective and executable within timelines and resources.
Ensure creative work aligns with CACI’s brand identity, messaging, and corporate standards; support brand guidelines, visual systems, templates, and creative resources; and maintain a consistent masterbrand approach.
Identify opportunities to modernize and strengthen CACI’s visual expression while maintaining brand integrity.
Collaborate with Marketing Strategy, Marketing Operations, Strategic Communications, Digital, Social Media, Video, and Events & Partnerships; participate in briefs, kickoffs, reviews, and stakeholder presentations.
Work with Marketing Operations to establish realistic timelines, clarify deliverables, and manage creative priorities; communicate proactively with stakeholders about direction, feedback, and approvals.
Manage assigned creative tasks and team deliverables in Asana, maintaining visibility into progress and deadlines; follow creative workflows from briefing through final delivery.
Identify resource constraints, production challenges, and project risks early, and support process improvements across the Creative Studio.
Stay current on design trends, emerging technologies, motion graphics, digital experiences, and creative practices; explore AI-assisted workflows and new tools; recommend new storytelling approaches; and encourage experimentation and knowledge-sharing.