Design Director - DTC
Position Summary
About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. is the global leader in real life entertainment. We serve passionate fans with content that inspires, informs, and entertains, providing leadership across deeply loved and trusted brands, such as Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, HGTV, Food Network, and Travel Channel. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery reaches viewers on all screens and services, from free-to-air and pay-TV channels, to digital products and streaming services, to social and mobile-first content and formats. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year.
About Us
Discovery's Digital group is a well-funded start-up within Discovery Inc. We are fast, nimble, and have fun developing new, innovative, and immersive digital products and content for iconic brands. We are working at the crossroads of technology, entertainment, and every day utility. As content creators across the digital ecosystem, we continuously leverage our technology to create immersive viewing and interactive experiences. We tell engaging stories to millions of viewers across the Internet every day, and bring new interactive experiences to life to not only entertain, but improve the lives of our customers.
Position Summary
We are hiring a Design Director of the Digital and Direct-to-Consumer business for Magnolia, a joint venture partnership between Discovery, Inc. and Chip and Jo Gaines. This Design Director will shape the design vision and strategy while driving the execution of our customer facing products that engage, delight and resonate with fans of Magnolia. This Design Director will bring the Magnolia vision to life for customers, placing customers at the core of their decision making. They will combine the inspiration of the Magnolia brand with data-driven decision making to drive compelling experiences that delight customers and increase engagement. They will design products that solve practical problems for customers, inspire customers, and improve their everyday lives.
This role will lead the design function of new digital and direct-to-consumer products for Magnolia. You will thrive in a customer focused, customer obsessed environment using research & data to design experiences people love.
Responsibilities
1. Work closely with Product, Engineering, Data, Business and Marketing to deliver industry-leading product experiences across Discovery’s products, platforms, services and channels.
2. Lead & Manage large-scale, high-priority apps, connected devices and product experiences.
3. Define, Lead, Manage & Facilitate Design Thinking Practices throughout all Product Teams.
4. Demonstrate proven experience with successful multi-platform designs and project delivery.
5. Manage complex products and project plans with multiple work streams & dependencies.
6. Demonstrate and manage the highest design standards - providing clear Design direction to team members, stakeholders, and outside agencies/vendors.
7. Identify/pursue new targets and opportunities that will advance organizational business goals.
8. Present concepts, strategies and goals effectively to Mid & Senior Level Executives.
9. Identify gaps and anticipate risks; take actions to address design risks & determine solutions.
10. Tracks Design Team progress, manages resource allocation and escalates issues and risks.
11. Lead team through multi-platform design challenges/obstacles via positive creative solutions.
12. Inspire/mentor others on design teams and other creative teams within the organization.
13. Provide hands-on Product Design; establish design direction/concepts and delegations.
14. Translate customer, product, business and marketing inputs into best-in class products that provide greater awareness, positive feedback, and increased engagement.
15. Lead & Define testing criteria for usability studies, A/B & MV Testing of products/platforms.
16. Develop and maintain all Design Language libraries, UX personas, design mockups, usage scenarios, user flows, prototypes, navigational maps and experience documentation.
Requirements
* 7+ years of experience as Design Leader and/or Sr. Product Designer within a large-scale consumer facing organization, agency or multi-platform product company.
* 5+ years experience designing multi-platform apps and connected product experiences.
* BA Degree or higher in Product Design, Interactive Design, User Centric Design, HCI or Cognitive Psychology (OR) combined work experience with human factors training.
* Experience designing 10ft, VUI, Connected and Multi-Modal Product Design Systems required.
* Deep knowledge and experience in Mobile, Living Room & Connected Product Environments
* Expertise in Sketch, InVision Tools, Adobe Suite and rapid prototyping are required.
* Working experience with Principal, Story, and Atomic Design methods are important.
* Knowledge of emerging trends for digital products and cross-platform customer integrations.
* Experience managing high performance teams of 10 or more designers across internal and external teams – both direct and dotted line reports.
* Hands on experience with variety of user research techniques including user testing, personas, user tasks and scenarios, internal and external user interviews.
* Education in Interaction Design, HCI, UX Architecture, and/or Product Design required.
* Interested candidates must submit a Resume/CV online to be considered
* Willingness to work long hours and on weekends with short notice as necessary
* Must be willing to work in Bellevue, NY or Waco, TX
* Must be willing to submit to a background investigation
* Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States
** Online portfolio demonstrating broad skills, versatile aesthetic, high-end customer facing experiences, with expertise in design principles, thinking and usability. Please provide a link and any appropriate PDF materials to view your digital samples.
Desired Characteristics
* Hands on team player that can work easily with multiple stakeholders including Design, Product, Engineering, Data & Research, Project Management, Marketing, Business and Sales.
* Experience working in a fast-paced environment with multiple projects and deadlines.
* Capable of leading Design Thinking & Design Sprint sessions to ensure that customer centered with clear vision is implemented through Design Thinking Best Practices.
* Proven track record with a variety of successful products delivered across multiple platforms, screens and ecosystems with experience in multiple brands, productions and operations.
* Passionate self-starter with high-level of initiative, strong sense of ownership and a disciplined approach to quality and its affect on the intended audience.
* Excellent oral and written skills, and able to present to small or large groups of people including Design, Marketing, Production, Product Teams, and Executive Stakeholders.
* Uncanny drive and passion to deliver the best experience for consumers and proven track record to deliver compelling, innovative and award-winning user and product experiences.
* High confidence working on complex multi-platform consumer focused product ecosystems.
* Consumer Electronics, Entertainment & Lifestyle Product experience are a BIG PLUSSES.