Senior Designer, Design Operations

Location: Marin County, CA (100% Onsite — San Francisco Bay Area)

Position Type: Full-Time

Compensation: $140,000 – $155,000 / year (DOE)

Industry: Luxury Retail & Lifestyle / Home Furnishings

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Designer, Design Operations to join a premier luxury lifestyle brand’s creative team on-site in Marin County. This unique role seamlessly bridges hands-on design execution with creative operations, workflow optimization, and project leadership. The ideal candidate is an elevated, detail-obsessed designer who thrives at the intersection of high-end aesthetics and operational precision. In this role, you will contribute directly to multi-channel design deliverables—including print catalogs/sourcebooks, digital experiences, PR collateral, and marketing campaigns—while establishing standard workflows, writing creative briefs, tracking timelines, and building cross-functional alignment.

Key Responsibilities

Design Operations & Project Leadership

• Workflow & Process Optimization: Standardize, refine, and maintain creative workflows, project tracking, and operational systems to increase efficiency and consistency across the team.
• Creative Briefing & Scope Definition: Partner with creative leadership and internal stakeholders to develop detailed creative briefs, define project requirements, and establish clear deliverables.
• Project Management: Lead concurrent design initiatives from concept through final delivery, ensuring timelines, priorities, resource allocation, and key milestones remain on track.
• Process Improvement: Identify operational bottlenecks, eliminate friction, and implement structured ways of working across design, production, and cross-functional partners.

Hands-On Creative Execution

• Multi-Channel Design: Lead design execution across print and digital platforms, including seasonal publications, print advertising, digital campaigns, PR collateral, and brand identity initiatives.
• Brand Consistency & Quality Control: Implement and evolve brand guidelines across all customer touchpoints. Review creative assets produced across internal teams to ensure strict adherence to luxury visual standards.
• Concept & Layout Development: Translate business objectives into compelling visual concepts and present fresh layout ideas to Creative Directors and executive leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with merchants, product development, digital/web teams, art directors, copywriters, project managers, and production staff to bring creative initiatives to life.
• Support team growth by fostering a collaborative environment, sharing best practices, and mentoring junior team members.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience: 5–7+ years of professional design experience within luxury retail, editorial, branding, direct marketing, or a high-end creative agency.
• Portfolio: A portfolio demonstrating mastery of layout, grid systems, visual hierarchy, typography, color theory, and multi-channel composition (print & digital).
• Technical Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator), macOS, and modern project management software. Solid understanding of print production, prepress workflows, and digital design specs.
• Operations & Leadership: Proven track record of leading complex design projects, writing clear creative briefs, building workflows, and managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to articulate a clear creative point of view and align diverse stakeholders.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field.

Key Attributes for Success

• Meticulous Eye for Detail: An uncompromising standard for design taste, typography, layout precision, and luxury brand aesthetics.
• Agility & Resilience: Ability to navigate evolving priorities and stay composed under tight deadlines.
• Proactive Ownership: A self-starter mindset with the confidence to drive projects forward independently.