Director of Design

The Jewish Museum:

The Jewish Museum serves people of all religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds through world-class art exhibitions ranging from ancient to contemporary. Founded in 1904 and located on New York City's Museum Mile, the Jewish Museum aspires to be the global leader at the center of Jewish culture.

The Museum maintains a unique collection of nearly 30,000 works of art, ceremonial objects, and media reflecting the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years. The Museum's thought-provoking, innovative, and intellectually stimulating exhibitions and education programs serve a wide range of audiences, including families, teens, students, educators, and visitors with disabilities. As an identity-based institution, the Museum plays an important role among cultural institutions, challenging all forms of bigotry and discrimination and promoting understanding among wide audiences. The Jewish Museum invites applicants of all backgrounds to consider joining the Museum in its work.

The Jewish Museum is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all and to promoting a positive work culture that celebrates difference, challenges prejudice, and ensures fairness. Integrity, collegiality, and excellence are central to the Museum's values. These values, along with an institution-wide commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access & Inclusion (DEAI), are embedded in the Museum's strategic plan and will be the focus of a comprehensive DEAI action plan.

_

The Position

The Director of Design heads the in-house Creative Services team, which fulfills the design needs across the Museum, including print, digital, environmental, motion graphics, and art direction. Reporting to the Deputy Director, Audience Development, the Director of Design leads the development and execution of a distinctive, innovative, and consistent visual presence for a design-forward institution across all media.

_

Responsibilities

• Refine and refresh the museum’s visual presence across a wide range of materials and treatments. Translate design briefs into effective designs for distinct constituencies, while maintaining visual consistency, brand guidelines across all media, and best practices in accessibility.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Museum to ideate, art direct, design, and produce a range of projects, including,
• production of promotional materials (multichannel advertising campaigns, fundraising collateral, direct mail solicitations, event invitations, newsletters, educational materials),
• digital platforms (website UX; email marketing assets; motion graphics, animations, and development of video assets for use across platforms)
• environmental graphics (wayfinding, informational signage, event decor)\
• product design (product and package design to support Retail initiatives)
• Take a leadership role in the execution of graphic design within the Museums exhibition program:
• Serve as in-house designer for the Museum’s collection exhibition(s) and installations; design and produce effective, compelling, and accessible wall text panels, labels, wayfinding, etc consistent with the Museums institutional graphic identity.
• Lead selection of and supervise external graphic designers to support loan exhibitions; act as in-house designer for select loan exhibitions.
• Liaise with catalog designers and publications staff, as well as exhibition designer and curators, to translate the style of exhibition catalogs into exhibition graphic design.
• Motivate and lead design staff by serving as a compassionate mentor; oversee hiring, performance review, professional development, and administration for the department.
• Supervise production of all deliverables, ensuring that all materials maintain the museum’s high standards, and meet targeted budgets and timelines.
• Regularly and proactively present the studio’s work to senior staff, acting as internal advocate of the brand able to convey the rationale for design decisions to key stakeholders.
• Provide design counsel to senior museum staff as requested.

_

Requirements

• Formal training in graphic design.
• Extensive experience in graphic design, especially advertising, print collateral, motion graphics, environmental design, wayfinding, and art direction. Experience in website / UX design and video production a plus.
• Fluent in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Figma, and Keynote/PPT. Familiarity with project management software preferred (AirTable, Basecamp).
• Advanced knowledge and experience in production across various forms of production.
• Excellent verbal communication, including presentation skills.
• Experienced manager who can foster a collaborative team environment.
• Passion for the arts and experience working with an arts or cultural presenter preferred
• Knowledge of or interest in Jewish culture a plus