Sr Director Digital Design

Academy Sports + Outdoors

263d

About The Position

Come work at a place where we take pride in creating a workplace environment that values hard work, commitment, and growth. The Senior Director of Digital Design is responsible for Academy’s digital storytelling and overall site user experience across desktop, mobile web, and mobile apps. This role leads the creative direction and experience strategy for e-commerce channels, ensuring that all digital touchpoints are engaging, on-brand, and optimized for conversion. Reporting to the VP of E-Commerce, the Senior Director of Design manages a global team of UX and creative designers, content strategists, and personalization experts, and works closely with the Digital Product Management and Front-End Development teams. The team comes together to bring the Academy Sports + Outdoors brand to life through rich content, intuitive interfaces, innovative formats (e.g. videos, interactive guides) – personalized to target customer segments while maintaining consistency across online and in-store channels.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Digital Design, Visual Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in digital/web design and UX.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role (managing designers or creative teams).
• Significant experience in retail e-commerce or omnichannel consumer brands.
• Strong portfolio showcasing ability to create engaging, user-friendly interfaces and interactive content.
• Deep knowledge of Digital Experience principles, information architecture, and conversion-centered design.
• Experienced in designing for responsive web and native mobile apps, with a mobile-first mindset.
• Up-to-date with design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).
• Ability to craft compelling visual narratives – blending imagery, copy, and multimedia.
• Knowledge of best practices in digital storytelling and content marketing for e-commerce.
• Solid understanding of front-end development technologies (HTML/CSS, JavaScript).
• Experience working in an Agile development environment and using project management tools.
• Comfortable interpreting web analytics, A/B test results, and user research findings.
• Experience with usability testing (remote or in-person) and using feedback to refine designs.
• Proven ability to lead creative teams – inspiring innovation while also providing clear direction.
• Excellent communicator who can articulate the rationale behind design concepts to non-design stakeholders.
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced retail calendar.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with photography, video, or graphic design processes.
• Passion for staying on the cutting edge of digital design.
• Familiarity with emerging trends like personalization in UX, motion design, AR/VR commerce, and conversational interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the overall digital design vision and content strategy for Academy’s e-commerce platforms.
• Manage and mentor a team of visual designers and content creators/copywriters.
• Foster a collaborative and creative team culture that encourages innovation and staying ahead of design trends.
• Provide guidance and training opportunities (e.g., in new design tools or methods), set clear goals, and regularly review performance.
• Champion the user-centric design approach within the broader organization, articulating how design enhancements can drive business results.
• Develop a 'digital storytelling' approach that showcases products and brand values through engaging visuals and narratives.
• Ensure that the design strategy supports key business objectives and aligns with marketing campaigns and seasonal themes.
• Oversee end-to-end UX design for the mobile web, mobile app, and desktop.
• Implement best-in-class customer experience practices, including mobile-first and responsive design.
• Continuously improve site layout, category pages, product detail pages, and checkout flow design.
• Lead the strategy and creation of interactive and rich media content to enhance the shopping experience.
• Explore emerging technologies (e.g., AR/VR features for product visualization) to provide novel and immersive customer experiences.
• Ensure a cohesive customer experience across all channels and devices.
• Guide the team in creating and executing personalization campaigns via Monetate.
• Design a global team footprint with capabilities across customer experience design, content strategy & production, and personalization.
• Collaborate closely with Merchandising, Marketing, and E-Commerce teams to plan content and design updates.
• Oversee the day-to-day execution of design projects – from concept through wireframes to final visual design.
• Own the design language system for Academy’s digital platforms – including style guides, UI pattern libraries, and guidelines for content.
• Utilize data and feedback to continuously refine the site experience.
• Run usability testing or gather user feedback on new features and iterate based on insights.

Benefits

• Full time employment.
• Equal Employment Opportunity.
• Workplace environment that values hard work, commitment, and growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees