Design Director

Job Description

Job Description

Instrument is a design and technology company. We build brands, products, and experiences that move businesses forward—by making the complex simple.

For over 20 years, we’ve partnered with companies like Google, ServiceNow, Uber, Eventbrite, and ŌURA, helping them navigate change, launch new ideas, and grow with intention.

Our work spans Brand, Marketing, and Product, but what defines us is how we work. We bring strategy, design, and engineering together from the start, moving quickly from idea to execution and refining as we go. We aim to do great work and be great to work with, because both matter.

We’re a collaborative, hands-on team with roots in Portland and New York and a distributed presence across the U.S. and Europe. We build teams around the needs of the work, staying nimble without sacrificing craft.

We value curiosity, perspective, and continuous learning, and we’re committed to building an inclusive environment where people can do their best work.

If that sounds like you, we’d love to meet you.

The Role

The best digital experiences make complexity feel effortless.

We're looking for a Design Director who combines exceptional visual craft with systems thinking to create thoughtful, beautifully executed digital experiences. You'll help shape sophisticated websites, design systems, and connected digital products, partnering with strategists, technologists, and fellow designers to bring ambitious ideas to life for a single global client.

This is a hands-on creative leadership role. You'll spend as much time creating as directing – exploring ideas, prototyping interactions, and solving complex design challenges alongside the team. While you'll mentor other designers and help elevate the quality of the work, you'll do it by actively contributing to the work, not simply reviewing it. If you're energized by experimentation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and emerging technologies like AI, we'd love to meet you.

What You'll Bring:

• 10+ years of experience designing sophisticated digital products, websites, or connected digital ecosystems within an agency, consultancy, or similarly collaborative environment.
• A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional visual craft alongside strong UX thinking and systems-level problem solving.
• Experience leading the design of large-scale websites, digital platforms, enterprise experiences, or design systems from concept through launch.
• The ability to simplify complex user needs, information, and interactions into intuitive, elegant experiences.
• Deep expertise in modern digital design practices, including interaction design, information architecture, responsive design, accessibility, and design systems.
• Experience collaborating closely with strategists, researchers, writers, developers, and producers throughout the design process.
• Strong prototyping and exploratory design skills, with a passion for testing ideas and iterating quickly.
• Experience mentoring designers through hands-on collaboration, feedback, and creative partnership.
• Curiosity around emerging technologies—including AI—and excitement for how they can enhance both the design process and the experiences we create.
• A collaborative, low-ego approach and the ability to thrive in small, multidisciplinary teams.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the creative direction and design execution of sophisticated digital experiences—from early concept through launch.
• Design large-scale websites, digital products, design systems, and connected experiences that balance business goals, user needs, and exceptional visual craft.
• Translate complex systems, content, and workflows into intuitive, elegant user experiences.
• Prototype, explore, and iterate on ideas to rapidly test concepts and push the quality of the work.
• Partner closely with strategists, writers, technologists, and producers to shape integrated digital experiences.
• Mentor designers through active collaboration, thoughtful feedback, and hands-on creative leadership.
• Present work confidently to clients, building alignment through strong storytelling and design rationale.
• Help shape new business opportunities by contributing to pitches and creative vision.
• Champion accessible, inclusive, and human-centered design practices across every engagement.
• Experiment with emerging tools and AI-enabled workflows, bringing new thinking into both the creative process and the work itself.

Pay Range:

• The expected pay range for this position is $125,000-$180,000. This range reflects the potential compensation across multiple levels and U.S. geographic pay regions. Final compensation is determined by the candidate's level and their work location. Instrument uses three regional pay ranges to account for cost of living (US1 +15%, US2 +7.5%, US3 Base). Learn more about our pay philosophy and regional pay structure.

What We Offer:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401k with employer matching
• Unlimited PTO + company wide closures
• Work From Home and Wellbeing monthly stipend
• HSA Employer Contribution
• Professional Development Stipend
• Paid Parental Leave

What We Offer

Flexible, Hybrid Work Environment

Great Compensation with Annual Reviews (Learn more about our Pay Philosophy)

401(k) Matching with Immediate Vesting

Robust Medical, Vision, and Accident Insurance

Generous Paid Holidays and unlimited PTO

Monthly Wellbeing Stipend

Career Management and Leadership Training

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.