Design Director (Freelance)

Instrument is a remote-first digital product and brand experience agency with a team of over 200 talented individuals, organized across four specialized teams. Each team brings its expertise to life through best-in-class work, crafting transformative experiences for our clients. Our shift to a fully remote model has opened new doors for creativity, flexibility, and stronger client relationships. This approach not only strengthens our culture but also allows us to embrace diverse voices, perspectives, and ideas.

As Design Director at Instrument, you build best-in-class digital platforms and experiences. You believe the best work is ahead of you and thrive on leading a multidisciplinary team in the meticulous art of solving hard problems through the design process.

This is a full-time contract role running from April 16 through June 10 (40 hours/week), focused on a high-profile app redesign for a major sports organization. A love for sports and an understanding of fan culture will be beneficial to shaping work that resonates with the audience.

What You'll Do

• Inspire by making: lead designers through every aspect of the product design process
• Shape the product experience through wireframes, flows, and high-fidelity UI
• Develop a strong point of view on the fan experience and guide your team toward smart, elegant solutions
• Prototype, test, and iterate to ensure designs are intuitive, engaging, and scalable
• Build and manage strong client partnerships from kickoff through delivery
• Create clear, strategic presentations that connect design decisions to user needs and business goals
• Balance hands-on design with team leadership (roughly 60% collaboration, 40% individual contribution)
• Navigate ambiguity and lead a team through fast-paced iterations with limited hierarchy

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years of experience leading product or UX design teams to deliver exceptional digital experiences
• A portfolio that demonstrates strength in app design, interaction, systems thinking, and polished UI
• Experience working in agile or startup-like environments and driving toward product outcomes
• Passion for sports and an understanding of fan behavior, motivation, and engagement
• Ability to partner across disciplines (strategy, development, production) to keep projects moving
• Curiosity, courage, and comfort with experimentation and emerging technologies

Pay Range

• The expected pay range for this role is $92-110 per hour , but will depend on the level in which you are engaged
• Our company has three regional pay bands that it adheres to depending on your location, we reference them as US 1, US 2, and US 3.
• US 3 is our base pay. Examples of cities in US 3 are Portland, Houston and Miami.
• US 2 pay is 7.5% higher than US 3 to meet the market rates. Examples of cities in US 2 are Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.
• US 1 pay is 15% higher than US 3 to meet market rates. Examples of cities in US 1 are Brooklyn and San Francisco.
• If you are curious which region you are in, please apply and get connected with our recruiting team!