Design Director

Insomniac Design is a global digital agency headquartered in Washington D.C., with offices in London, Bucharest, and Chisinau. We’re an agile, determined, and innovative team organized by functional areas of expertise — Creative, Technology, Strategy, and Management. We specialize in human-centered design with a deep focus on design thinking and digital transformation.

At Insomniac, we leverage AI to free our teams from routine tasks so they can focus on the aspects of our tasks that are most valuable. We thrive on creative problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation. By thoughtfully integrating AI into our workflows, we’re not only improving productivity but also ensuring our people have the tools to do their best work. This empowers us to build smarter solutions and deliver stronger results for our clients.

As a Design Director at Insomniac Design, you will be responsible for:

• Lead and oversee strategic initiatives that make a significant impact within and beyond the creative team.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients and teams by confidently navigating complex design, business, and technical conversations to build long-term relationships.
• Inspire and lead a team of UX/UI Designers and UX Researchers & Strategists to improve and implement impactful products, processes, and work methodologies.
• Lead through others to drive the improvement and implementation of impactful product, process, automation and/or work methodologies, improving efficiency and effectiveness beyond their department.
• Drive clarity, alignment, and operational consistency across all disciplines, ensuring that UX research and design processes are scalable, sustainable, and aligned with organizational goals. 
• Provide exemplary leadership to the team, mentor team members, and foster a culture of collaboration and growth.
• Balance high-level direction with hands-on design support, contributing individual design work where needed to strengthen delivery.

• Define creative solutions in line with client business and strategic goals.
• Stay up to date and execute trends in technology including AI.
• Integrate creative strategy, information architecture, user flows, and functional requirements into dynamic and interactive design solutions.
• Guide our work from concept to execution within the project’s creative scope.
• Lead client-facing design presentations, workshops, and reviews, helping frame narratives that reflect both strategic thinking and polished execution. 
• Provide day-to-day design direction and mentorship across the team while remaining engaged as an individual contributor when needed. 
• Evaluate team performance and coach team members with clarity and consistency, fostering both growth and accountability. Maintain and ensure the highest standards of interactive creative design execution.
• Participate in new business development efforts including scoping, estimates, and visioning. 

• Bachelor’s degree in visual design, graphic design, user experience, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in creative direction across brand, interactive, and web.
• 2+ years of experience leading a team of creative talent.
• 2+ years of experience partnering with clients to conceptualize design solutions.
• Ability to create design systems, component libraries, and visual frameworks.
• Experience collaborating with internal strategy, account, and technical teams.
• Knowledge of how visual design solutions translate into technical and functional requirements.
• Experience utilizing creative tools including Adobe CS and Figma/FigJam.
• Experience using productivity tools such as Google Analytics and Atlassian Suite.

Applicant Eligibility: Please note, candidates who are eligible to work in the US without visa sponsorship are eligible to apply. We are not accepting applicants from recruiters or staffing agencies.