Associate Design Director, ELC Global Communications

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD, and BALMAIN Beauty.

Position Overview The Associate Design Director, Global Communications serves as a key creative partner, helping to evolve and execute the visual expression of Global Communications across a wide range of internal and external channels.

This role combines hands-on creative execution with strategic influence, bringing fresh thinking, innovative design approaches, and a forward-looking perspective to the team. The Associate Design Director will play a key role in evolving the visual identity of Global Communications, helping redefine design standards, refresh brand guidelines, and create scalable creative systems that enhance the impact and effectiveness of communications globally.

The ideal candidate is a proactive self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced environment and thinks beyond individual projects. They anticipate needs, embrace emerging technologies, and continuously seek opportunities to elevate creative quality and effectiveness.

As a partner to the Executive Director and cross-functional stakeholders, this individual balances exceptional creative execution with strategic thinking, strong project management, and a commitment to continuous innovation.

Primary Responsibilities Creative & Design Excellence

• Concepting, design, and execution of creative initiatives across websites, presentations, digital communications, social media, video, events, and print.
• Bring fresh creative thinking and strong visual storytelling that elevates the quality, impact, and effectiveness of Global Communications.
• Ensure all creative work reflects a high standard of design excellence, attention to detail, and alignment with brand objectives.
• Translate complex business and communications objectives into engaging and effective creative solutions.
• Contribute to a culture of creativity, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Lead through influence, initiative, and expertise, serving as a role model for creative excellence and professional ownership.

Brand Evolution & Design Systems

• Partner with the Executive Director to evolve and modernize the visual identity of Global Communications.
• Refresh and maintain brand guidelines, templates, and creative standards to ensure a contemporary, consistent, and scalable visual experience.
• Develop reusable creative assets and systems that improve efficiency while maintaining a high standard of design excellence.

Project Management

• Independently manage multiple projects from concept through execution, establishing timelines, managing priorities, and ensuring successful delivery.
• Maintain visibility into upcoming initiatives and proactively plan for future creative needs.
• Effectively manage stakeholders, communicate project status, and identify risks or dependencies early.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve creative workflows, project execution, and team efficiency, developing practical solutions that enhance effectiveness and scalability.

Innovation & AI

• Explore, evaluate, and implement emerging technologies, AI tools, and creative workflows that improve efficiency and creative output.
• Continuously assess creative output and recommend opportunities for optimization and improvement.
• Partnership & Collaboration
• Partner with communications teams, regional teams, agencies, and external vendors to deliver high-quality creative solutions.
• Provide guidance, mentorship, and creative feedback to junior designers and creative contributors.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in graphic design, visual communications, art direction, or a related field.
• Expertise with Adobe CS, Figma, Canva, After Effects, and video editing software.
• Proficiency with Adobe Firefly, Figma Weave, ChatGPT and other g…