Sr. Director, Segment Design Leader

Newell Brands•Atlanta, GA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

This role serves as the senior-most design leader for a business segment, accountable for setting and executing an integrated design strategy across product, industrial, graphic, communication, and digital design experience. The role operates as a core member of the segment leadership team and partners closely with Brand, Product Management, R&D, Consumer Insights, Marketing, and Commercial teams to ensure design is a primary driver of growth, innovation, and brand equity. This leader defines the long-term creative and design vision for the segment, ensures consistent and differentiated execution across all consumer touchpoints, and embeds design excellence into business strategy, operating rhythms, and decision-making. The role balances creative ambition with commercial rigor, elevating design from execution to enterprise influence. The individual is responsible for developing world-class teams, modernizing design capabilities (including AI-enabled workflows), governing brand and design systems, and translating consumer insight and emerging technology into scalable, market-ready solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Product Design, Engineering, or a related field.
Fifteen years + of relevant experience in corporate or consulting design
Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial or Graphic Design
Ability to present in English.
Understanding of AI and machine learning principles, capabilities, and limitations
Strategically inclined with strong aesthetic sensitivity.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Demonstrate ability to work in team environments
Proven track record of successful design projects and strategic contributions.
Exceptional leadership skills with experience managing large teams and complex projects.
Strong ability to influence and drive change across different departments.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to develop and implement long-term strategic plans.
Ability to anticipate future trends and disruptions, particularly related to AI, and prepare the Design organization accordingly.
Strong innovation mindset with the ability to foster creativity and experimentation.
Excellent problem-solving skills, with a focus on integrating new technologies into existing processes.

Nice To Haves

Post graduate degree preferred
Participation in industry conferences and AI-related professional organizations.

Responsibilities

Define and lead a segment-wide design vision and strategy that integrates product innovation, brand expression, experience design, and digital ecosystems.
Act as the senior design voice on the segment leadership team, shaping business strategy, portfolio direction, and long-range innovation roadmaps.
Position design as a competitive advantage and growth lever, not a service function.
Drive new ideas, end-user solutions, and scalable product platforms with proven commercialization success.
Translate consumer insight, cultural trends, and technology signals into actionable design strategy and direction.
Define design KPIs for segment design teams aligned to leadership objectives
Own design excellence across the full consumer journey—from product conception and industrial form through packaging, digital, eCommerce, communications, and post-purchase experience.
Ensure all design outputs reinforce brand strategy, value propositions, and consumer needs with clarity and consistency.
Define and uphold VBL principles, overarching design guidelines, and creative integrity across the segment.
Establish clear governance, principles, and operating models that enable speed while protecting brand and design integrity.
Lead the integration of advanced design technologies, including AI-driven ideation, visualization, automation, and insight generation, across design disciplines.
Champion experimentation and pilot programs that accelerate innovation, reduce time to market, and enhance creative impact.
Serve as a design function advocate for modern, digital-first design workflows and tools.
Maintain fluency in AI and machine learning capabilities, limitations, and future trends.
Partner with Brand Management, Consumer Insights, R&D, Engineering, Marketing, and Commercial teams to align design strategy with business priorities.
Exhibit strong business acumen with a deep understanding of key metrics, business drivers, and functional roles.
Influence senior stakeholders through compelling storytelling, data-backed design rationale, and executive-level communication.
Build, mentor, and inspire multidisciplinary design teams across product, creative, and digital domains.
Conduct regular performance reviews, talent development planning, and succession management.
Establish clear expectations, objectives and goals for senior design talent.
Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, experimentation, and continuous learning.
Lead change management efforts that help teams adopt new technologies, processes, and ways of working.
Oversee segment-level design budgets, external partners, and agency ecosystems.
Manage cross-segment budgets with precision, ensuring prompt submission of expense reports and adherence to purchasing policies.
Balance creative ambition with operational efficiency, utilization, and delivery excellence.
Ensure scalable processes that support both breakthrough innovation and high-volume execution.