Marketing Design Director

Who Wine Enthusiast Is

Wine Enthusiast Companies is a Certified B Corporation and the ultimate source of innovation and information around wine. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, the family-owned company is composed of Wine Enthusiast Commerce and Wine Enthusiast Media. Wine Enthusiast Shop provides premium wine-lifestyle products, reaching millions of consumers globally via direct mail, an e-commerce site, and a business-to-business division. Wine Enthusiast magazine is an award-winning print publication and online resource that showcases wine news, food trends, and more than 25,000 ratings and reviews annually. Wine Enthusiast events include the annual premier Wine Star Awards gala. In 2024, the company launched a travel division, which includes the Tasting Room Directory and Cork+Compass Travel. Together, Wine Enthusiast Companies is the indisputable hub for everything wine. We bring wine to life.

Your Role in Our Journey

Wine Enthusiast is seeking a highly creative and detail-oriented Marketing Design Director to lead the visual direction and development of our marketing products across digital and print. This role requires balancing the strategic demands of luxury branding with artistic innovation to deliver stunning campaigns that engage and inspire. The Marketing Design Director will oversee the conception, design and execution of visual elements for print and digital marketing campaigns, ensuring brand cohesion across all touchpoints.

What You'll Be Uncorking

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute on innovative design concepts for direct mail-brochures, and catalogs, digital display banners, and product packaging-translating brand strategy into compelling visual stories.
• Lead the art direction of all marketing assets from concept through production, including photoshoots, typography and layouts that align with brand standards and design principles. Oversee mood boards, set designs, props and manage photo shoots in person.
• Select and manage photographs, illustrations, and other visual elements used in commerce marketing collateral. Marketing visuals must show off product features and sell a lifestyle.
• Lead and organize all direct mail design meetings; oversee all styling briefs ensuring aesthetic consistency across materials; compile retouching notes as needed.
• Direct and design in-house ads and event display materials and programs.
• Collaborate with Brand Creative leads to conceptualize and research innovative ideas and projects that result in high-quality catalogs, postcards, brochures and more marketing assets.
• Ensure all marketing creative products align with the Wine Enthusiast's brand vision, core values, and marketing objectives.
• Manage timelines, budgets, and resources to ensure the on-time delivery of direct mail and digital campaigns.
• Reduce dependency on freelance services, resulting in significant cost savings.
• Work closely with printers, studios and external vendors to ensure print quality meets luxury brand standards.
• Stay up to date with design, typography and luxury brand trends to keep our mail products fresh and engaging.
• Use analytics and feedback from campaigns to refine creative strategies for future projects.
• Work closely with marketing, product and content teams to align creative output with business goals and customer expectations.
• Manage multiple deadlines simultaneously, balancing creativity with timelines to meet production schedules.

The Perfect Blend (What You Bring to the Table)

Qualifications:

• Experience: 7+ years in art direction or senior design role, preferably in luxury and/or premium lifestyle brands, with a strong portfolio showcasing skills across print and digital mediums.
• Fluency in design software, namely Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), and Figma.
• Degree or relevant certification in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, Marketing, or a related field.
• Experience designing marketing assets for print and digital mediums (including but not limited to: catalogs, magazines, postcards, digests and digital promotions)
• Proven ability to develop and maintain a cohesive visual identity across print and digital formats.
• Experience managing creative teams and external vendors.
• Exceptional eye for detail and understanding of color theory, typography and layout principles in print and digital contexts.
• Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills. Ability to present concepts and collaborate with stakeholders across various departments.
• Ability to adhere to and interpret style guide/brand guidelines and creative briefs.
• Ability to incorporate feedback from multiple stakeholders and revise designs as necessary.
• Willingness to take design risks, innovate and experiment.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adhere to project timelines and deadlines
• Solutions-oriented mindset to innovate around design challenges
• Major bonus points for UX experience
• Photography experience and proficiency with photo-editing software (working with CGI environments is a big plus); Experience in image handling and processing
• Knowledge or passion for wine and wine culture is a plus.

This position offers a flexible hybrid schedule, requiring employees to be onsite at our Valhalla, NY headquarters twice per week , with Tuesday designated as a required in-office day.

Wine Enthusiast is a leading luxury commerce brand, specializing in wine storage, accessories and lifestyle products for discerning consumers. We are passionate about celebrating wine culture and delivering memorable experiences through every consumer touchpoint, including our premium direct mail campaigns.

Our Commitment to You

Unlimited PTO, Full Medical, Dental and Vision benefits, 401(K) Match, FSA, Pet Discount Plans, Employee Discount, optional Wine Tasting Class participation, dynamic and collaborative work culture.

Our Core Values

JOY

We recognize that our business is not just about numbers, but also about people. As a family business, we honor the importance of our employees' home lives. We encourage fun, discovery, adventure and health for our teams.

EMPATHY

We support our employees with patience and understanding, recognizing that work hours represent a substantial percentage of one's time. We encourage a diverse mindset that helps us better reflect the evolving wine culture.

TRANSPARENCY

Communication and integrity are the cornerstones of our relationships with each other and our customers. We speak openly about our achievements and challenges, with the goal of helping each other grow.

PASSION

We're not just a company; we're a community. Our job is to enhance the lives of others, making the wine industry and all its offerings accessible and enjoyable. Delighting and educating our consumers is at the core of everything we do.

INNOVATION

We values those who think outside the box to elevate the company. We celebrate change, appreciating that a nimble culture attracts talent and motivates team members to push the envelope and build our business for the future.

COLLABORATION

We believe in the power of working together, sharing ideas, and leveraging our collective talents to achieve our goals. We mentor those we lead and surround ourselves with people who drive us to do more than our personal best.

Our Commitment to Inclusion & Equity

At Wine Enthusiast, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status. As part of our commitment to fair hiring practices, we have adopted "ban the box" policies to provide individuals with criminal records a fair chance at employment. We consider all applicants on their merits and qualifications, considering their ability to perform the job.

Our family-owned company was born from a passion to bring a fine wine experience to the everyday. We believe wine is best shared with others and brings people together. In 2021, Adam and Sybil's daughters Erika Strum Silberstein and Jacqueline Strum were named co-presidents and continue to lead the mission of bringing wine to life. The second generation works together with the collective team to create new and better ways for everyone to explore and enjoy the exciting world of wine, including low-alcohol wines, non-alcohol wines, spirits, and beyond! We hope you'll join us with a glass in hand.

The pay range for this role is:

90,000 - 100,000 USD per year (200 Summit)