- Employment
- Full-time
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Compensation
- $87,550–143,800/year
- Department
- Creative, Design & Styling
- Industry
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Prestige Beauty
- Posted
- Sep 27, 2026
About Estée Lauder Companies
The Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader in prestige beauty, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder and built on an enduring belief in creativity, high-touch service, and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employer, the Group offers talent the scale of an international house with the energy of distinctive brands across skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care. Its culture values innovation, inclusion, learning, and responsible growth, inviting professionals to shape consumer experiences from laboratory to counter, digital platform to boardroom. Employees join a purpose-led organization where heritage, artistry, and scientific excellence meet to define the future of luxury beauty.
The Associate Design Director, Global Communications serves as a strategic creative partner responsible for evolving and executing the visual expression of Global Communications across internal and external channels, including websites, presentations, digital communications, social media, video, events, and print. This role combines hands-on creative execution with strategic influence, bringing innovation and forward-thinking design approaches to the team while modernizing visual identity, refreshing brand guidelines, and creating scalable creative systems. The ideal candidate is a proactive self-starter who balances exceptional creative execution with strategic thinking, project management expertise, and a commitment to continuous innovation.
Role & Responsibilities
- Conceive, design, and execute creative initiatives across websites, presentations, digital communications, social media, video, events, and print, translating complex business objectives into engaging visual solutions
- Elevate the quality, impact, and effectiveness of Global Communications through fresh creative thinking and strong visual storytelling that reflects premium design standards and brand objectives
- Partner with the Executive Director to evolve and modernize the visual identity of Global Communications, refreshing brand guidelines, templates, and creative standards
- Develop and maintain reusable creative assets and design systems that improve efficiency while maintaining exceptional design excellence
- Independently manage multiple projects from concept through execution, establishing timelines, managing priorities, and ensuring successful delivery with minimal oversight
- Provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and creative feedback to junior designers and creative contributors
- Explore, evaluate, and implement emerging technologies and AI tools—including Adobe Firefly, Figma Weave, ChatGPT, and similar platforms—to improve creative workflows and output
- Proactively identify opportunities to optimize creative workflows, project execution, team efficiency, and overall creative quality
Qualifications
- 7+ years of professional experience in graphic design, visual communications, art direction, or a related field
- Bachelor's degree in Design, Visual Communications, or a related discipline
- Expertise with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Figma, Canva, After Effects, and video editing software
- Proficiency with generative AI tools including Adobe Firefly, Figma Weave, and ChatGPT
- Strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design craftsmanship and innovative creative solutions
- Proven agency and/or in-house brand experience
- Deep understanding of luxury branding, visual storytelling, and premium design aesthetics
- Demonstrated ability to independently execute projects from concept through completion with minimal oversight
- Proven track record of developing and evolving brand guidelines, templates, visual systems, and scalable creative assets
- Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across creative, business, and technical disciplines
- Strategic thinking balanced with hands-on execution focus and a proactive approach to identifying and solving creative challenges
Skills
Experience
7+ years of professional experience in graphic design, visual communications, art direction, or a related creative discipline. Proven experience in agency and/or in-house brand environments. Track record of independently managing creative projects from conception through final execution, with documented success in developing brand guidelines, design systems, and scalable creative assets for luxury or premium brands.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Design, Visual Communications, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, or a related discipline.
Workplace
This position is based in New York, New York, USA.
Explore jobs in New York or in the USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 87,550 to USD 143,800 per annum.
Benefits
Health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance), wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave programs, education-related programs, paid holidays and vacation time, highly competitive bonus program with potential for overachievement based on performance and company results.
Culture
The Estée Lauder Companies fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and a passion for prestige beauty are deeply valued. As a global house of distinctive brands, it offers employees an environment that encourages innovation, professional growth, and a shared commitment to excellence and consumer inspiration.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Estée Lauder Companies, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Senior Visual Communications Designer», «Creative Director of Design Systems», «Global Brand Design Lead», «Communications Design Director», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.