Executive Design Director
Design | Seattle, WA or Remote | Full Time
Who we are
Artefact is a visionary design firm. We partner with leaders to help create better futures for people, business, and society. By collaborating on the toughest challenges with equal parts creativity and pragmatism we deliver impact that drives lasting change.
About the role
As an Executive Design Director, your will work across the entirety of the design process - helping clients achieve impact, helping teams do the best work of their careers and helping individuals and the organization grow.
Working across the design process
- This role will impact the entirety of the phases of the work - from research to strategy to design. We believe that an integrated approach is key, so while our Executive Design Directors may come from a background of design, strategy or research, and often draw on that specialized expertise, they also enjoy and thrive working at the intersection of all.
Helping clients achieve impact
- Part of the role of the Executive Design Director is client-centric; This involves nurturing relationships to become a trusted advisor so that you can fully understand needs, design programs that connect our capabilities to those needs and foster mutual success. You stay connected to clients throughout all phases of a program to ensure that they continue to address needs whether static or shifting; You are the person a clients will call on when there is an opportunity or challenge because they trust you to help them figure it out.
Helping teams deliver the best work of their careers
- Hand-in-hand with the above is working with teams to help them do great work. You typically support a couple of teams at a time, each with its own full time project lead, tailoring your support to be just what each team needs to bring balance to quality and team health. Working closely with the project lead, this may mean: contributing your expert point of view, providing feedback on the work, bringing additional insight to a client’s perspective or challenges, inspiring the team to think differently, as well as things like working with resourcing to ensure the team has the right, and enough resources.
Helping individuals grow
- Mentoring people is something that happens in the context of projects but also through individual coaching relationships. As a coach you are a support to others in their careers; inspiring and guiding them throughout their journey by helping set goals and providing input to both day-to-day challenges and longer term career journeys.
Helping the organization grow
- An important part of the your role involves business development; staying connected with people in your network, responding to business inquiries, sharing our story in a way that connects our perspective and capabilities to potential client needs, and designing and representing programs that set us up for mutual success with potential clients.
- Thought leadership is another way this role contributes to help the organization grow both internally and externally. Internally by providing education and inspiration to others and externally by helping tell our story to new and existing clients, partners and the community. Our approach to thought leadership is very personalized and you will have the opportunity to share your unique point of view in a variety of ways via articles, interviews, webinars, panels and more; the sky is the limit!
- As a member of the extended leadership team you will provide input to leadership on organizational strategy as well as help drive that strategy into action through your work on projects, organizational initiatives and day-to-day interactions.
Qualifications
Mindset
- You have a point of view, strive to deliver world class thinking and execution, and inspire others to do the same.
- You are a flexible and excited to contribute at any and all levels
- You are an empathetic leader who enjoys putting others’ needs at the forefront
- You are a strong communicator, confident presenter and compelling storyteller
- You are a champion for diversity and inclusion; proactively seeking out diverse perspectives, talents, and embracing different styles of contribution
- You have a growth mindset; striving to improve despite challenges
- You have a passion for creating a better future for one and all
Experience
- Your background may be primarily in design, strategy or research or may be a balanced combination of the three. Either way you will have some experience leading work that involves all.
- Experience supporting clients and teams in a consulting environment
- 12+ years of relevant work experience at a lead, director, and/or executive oversight level
- Bachelors, Masters or PhD degree preferred
- A compelling portfolio demonstrating your success leading clients and teams to impact
Benefits
- Generous PTO & Parental leave
- Emergency childcare benefits
- Flexible work; location, hours & work/life balance support
- Comprehensive family medical, dental and vision coverage
- Education, well-being & WFH stipends
- Seriously great co-workers
An inclusive organization
As an organization whose mission is to help create a more equitable world, Artefact is committed to creating a diverse team and being an inclusive workplace. As such we strongly encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply. It is our promise that all candidates receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status.
Work from where you work best
If nothing else, Covid has revealed the amazing adaptability of our teams to work remotely while retaining a strong sense of collaboration. Post Covid, Artefact will continue in a hybrid work model with a combination of in-office and work-from-home in various mixes. So though in-person work or travel may be needed from time to time given client needs, relocating to Seattle is not a requirement for this position.