Design Director; UX​/UI​/Brand; Remote

Remote, US-Based | EST Collaboration | Preference for Bethesda, MD Area

Full-time: $180,000–$210,000

Extraordinary brands are built by extraordinary leaders.

Variate is looking for a Design Director to lead high-impact programs and elevate the standard of design across our firm. This is not a coordination role. This is a leadership role defined by ownership, clarity, and measurable results.

You will shape vision, guide senior designers, partner directly with executives, and ensure every engagement turns hesitation into confident decisions and measurable growth.

If you have mastered both craft and leadership, operate with high accountability, and want your work judged by real-world impact, we want to meet you.

This is a remote, US-based role with collaboration during Eastern Time working hours. You will partner directly with the leadership team to define excellence across our client work and internal culture.

Lead major client programs from discovery to delivery. Define success in business terms. Align teams around measurable metrics. Deliver results that move markets.

Set the creative and strategic direction across multiple engagements. Ensure every system, flow, and interaction reflects clarity, precision, and intent.

Manage and mentor 2–6 designers. Hold weekly 1:1s focused on growth, mastery, and accountability. Raise the standard of thinking, execution, and ownership.

Serve as the primary creative and strategic partner for 1–2 active client programs. Present directly to founders, CMOs, product leaders, and executive stakeholders. No layers. No buffers.

Operate with humility and strategic empathy. Ensure our clients receive the spotlight for wins. Design Director success is measured not by personal visibility, but by how confidently and visibly our clients succeed.

Ensure design systems, workflows, and governance models scale across teams and programs. Turn excellence into repeatable performance.

Lead the use of AI as a force multiplier across research, synthesis, ideation, and delivery. Build and refine GPT-driven workflows that enhance clarity and compress timelines without sacrificing quality.

Define how AI responsibly amplifies design leadership. Train designers to use these tools intelligently and with discipline. Set the bar for what modern design leadership looks like.

Actively contribute to thought leadership. Publish insights, speak at industry events, participate in panels, and articulate a clear point of view on the future of CX, AI, and Decision Design™ on behalf of Variate.

8+ years in UX, product, or interaction design, including 3+ years leading designers and owning measurable outcomes.

Deep experience in interaction design, scalable design systems, governance models, and operational workflows using tools like Figma.

Strong command of user research, content strategy, and how design directly drives business growth.

Clear, confident communication in high-stakes environments. You can lead executive rooms, defend decisions, and simplify complexity under pressure.

Emotional intelligence. Calm authority. Strategic empathy. The ability to navigate tension, earn trust quickly, and guide clients without ego. You know how to lead without overpowering.

Ability to balance creative ambition with timelines, resourcing, and financial accountability.

Demonstrated experience integrating AI into workflows, building GPT-based tools, or establishing intelligent systems that improve speed, insight, and consistency.

You expect excellence from yourself and others. Outcomes matter more than opinions.

• You have directed design for recognized global brands or top‑tier agencies.
• You have built or scaled a design organization that improved performance and culture.
• You have created or deployed AI‑driven workflows that improved efficiency or creative output.
• You actively publish,…