Design Director at Eater

October 12, 2021
New York, NY/Remote

As the leading independent modern media company, Vox Media ignites conversations and influences culture. Across digital, podcasts, TV, streaming, live events, and print, we tell stories that affect our audience's daily lives and entertain as much as they inform.

Our portfolio features influential and respected editorial properties including Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, The Cut, Eater, Vulture, The Strategist, Polygon, SB Nation, Intelligencer, Curbed, Grub Street, and Recode. Off-platform, the Vox Media Podcast Network offers one of the largest collections of popular podcasts, and Vox Media Studios produces and distributes the award-winning nonfiction shows. Powered by innovative technology that scales quality, the Chorus publishing platform and Concert advertising marketplace answer the always-changing needs of modern audiences, creators and marketers.

Vox Media has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in Media,” an Inc. “Company of the Year,” Digiday’s “Best Company for Parents,” and one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign.

Eater covers local restaurant news, reports on national food trends, and provides service through travel guides, cooking content, documentary-style video, and social-first stories, as well as live events. We’re seeking a Design Director who can provide design solutions for this wide array of content and guide the overall visual direction of the Eater brand.

The right candidate has a sharp aesthetic and design skills of their own, but also is adept at creating systems, managing projects, and coming up with solutions for others. Eater’s team is vast and the content diverse, so our Design Director should expect to pitch in and do hands-on design work themselves while also creating hands-off processes and guidelines that editorial staff can use on a daily basis.

What you’ll do:

  • Design graphics, layouts, and art solutions for Eater stories and packages.
  • Come up with creative and compelling ways to tell stories visually, on- and off-platform. 
  • Work directly with editors to guide their art decisions on features, packages, and special projects. 
  • Create scalable solutions to help editors implement their own visuals on stories.
  • Establish and maintain a system for organizing and archiving photos across the Eater network.
  • Commission and direct the work of outside illustrators and photographers.
  • Bring fresh eyes to and act as the keeper of the Eater brand, to ensure visual coherence across all platforms, content, and initiatives big and small. 
  • Manage and assign work to a part-time junior designer with the chance to eventually grow a bigger team.

What you’ll bring:

  • 5+ years experience working in design, illustration, photography, and digital media (including on social media platforms). Previous experience working in digital media or journalism a plus.
  • A degree in graphic design, visual communication or another related design discipline with a portfolio that shows conceptual thinking, exceptional design skills, and a fluency in typography, layout, hierarchy, color and visual expression.
  • A fluency with design software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop). Basic coding knowledge, and familiarity with web design tools (Sketch, Invision, Splash), are a plus.
  • Experience working with photographers, illustrators and a strong network of creative collaborators. Knowledge of the commercial side of those markets a plus.
  • Ability to develop and implement scalable brand design systems in service to a well articulated strategy.
  • Desire to explore new creative art styles and formats.
  • Understanding of trends in social media and how brands should engage authentically, with a curiosity for new techniques and fresh approaches.
  • User-minded, mobile-first design mentality that centers functionality and accessibility.

General traits:

  • Clear communicator and manager who can lead projects with multiple stakeholders, candidly assess challenges, and explain decision-making to non-designers 
  • Empathetic collaborator who invites feedback, builds bridges, and is eager to brainstorm  
  • Multitasker who enjoys working on projects big and small simultaneously 
  • Organized, able to establish systems and maintain documentation that scales 
  • Ambitious self-starter who’s eager to go beyond expectations  
  • Nimble and flexible, thrives in an ever-changing work environment under tight deadlines 

This role is a part of the Vox Media Union, represented by the Writers Guild of America, East

About working at Vox Media:

This is a permanent, full-time position with excellent benefits—including flexible hours and generous parental leave. Vox Media strives to provide comprehensive healthcare options for our employees and to ensure that our healthcare and other benefits are LGBTQ-inclusive. You'll be joining a group of focused, hard-working, creative people who are passionate about doing work that's challenging and fun—and who strive to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Vox Media is committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and everyone is encouraged to apply. Vox Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law.

For more information, or to apply, click here.