Be Part of What's Next
Great design doesn't just support great storytelling—it defines how audiences experience it. As Temporary Design Director at ELLE, you'll lead the creative vision for one of the world's most iconic fashion brands, shaping bold visual storytelling across every platform while inspiring a talented team to push creative boundaries.
About Hearst Magazines (Why Us?)
Hearst Magazines is home to 30 brands that inspire, inform, and entertain millions of readers across print, digital, social, video, and emerging platforms. Our portfolio includes some of the world's most trusted and influential media brands, reaching passionate audiences through award-winning journalism, innovative storytelling, and unforgettable creative experiences. We foster a collaborative culture where bold ideas thrive, creativity is celebrated, and talented people have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
Key Responsibilities (What You Are Doing)
- Lead and evolve ELLE's visual identity across print, digital, social media, video, events, photography, and emerging platforms, ensuring a cohesive and elevated brand experience.
- Direct the creative vision and production of the print magazine, including covers, editorial layouts, and special packages that reflect ELLE's fashion authority.
- Manage, mentor, and inspire a team of three designers by providing creative direction, constructive feedback, and professional development.
- Collaborate closely with editorial, photography, fashion, market, digital, social, marketing, branded content, and contributor teams to develop compelling visual storytelling.
- Oversee the creative development of fashion shoots and editorial initiatives, partnering with photographers, illustrators, and freelancers to deliver exceptional work.
- Establish and maintain visual systems, design templates, and style guides that reinforce brand consistency across all consumer touchpoints.
- Manage projects from concept through production, balancing multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional creative quality and meeting tight deadlines.
- Drive both long-term creative strategy and hands-on design execution, bringing innovative ideas and thoughtful craftsmanship to projects of varying scope and scale.
Qualifications (What We're Looking For)
- 10+ years of editorial design experience across print and digital media, ideally supporting a consumer fashion, luxury, or lifestyle brand.
- Demonstrated experience overseeing the visual identity of a consumer editorial brand, including magazine cover design.
- Proven success leading, mentoring, and developing creative teams in a collaborative environment.
- Experience partnering with editorial, photography, fashion, market, digital, and social leaders on cross-functional creative initiatives.
- Advanced proficiency with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, with experience using WoodWing and Figma.
- Strong design sensibility, excellent production skills, and exceptional attention to detail.
- Outstanding organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
- A collaborative, inclusive, and solutions-oriented approach with excellent communication and leadership skills.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven editorial environment.
- Ability to work a hybrid schedule based in New York City, with 4 days per week in the office.
The hourly rate for this temporary role is $105.00 per hour. This position is not eligible for bonus or commission compensation. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, qualifications, and location.
Hearst Magazines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of editorial design experience across print and digital media
- Experience supporting a consumer fashion, luxury, or lifestyle brand
- Experience overseeing the visual identity of a consumer editorial brand, including magazine cover design
- Experience leading, mentoring, and developing creative teams
- Experience partnering with editorial, photography, fashion, market, digital, and social leaders
- Advanced proficiency with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
- Experience using WoodWing and Figma
- Strong design sensibility and excellent production skills
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Strong organizational and project management skills
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
- Ability to work collaboratively and inclusively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven editorial environment
- Ability to work a hybrid schedule in New York City, four days per week in the office
Hearst Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Hearst and has not been reviewed or approved by Hearst.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical plan choice, full in-network preventive coverage, dental and vision, telemedicine, prescription coverage, and fertility resources. Mental-health resources and other wellbeing services (e.g., therapy sessions, crisis support, virtual physical therapy, and chronic-condition programs) further strengthen the health offering.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as meaningful through a 401(k) plan with company matching and Hearst covering plan administration fees. Performance bonuses are also noted as available in some roles, adding an additional rewards component beyond base pay.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off benefits include paid holidays, paid sick days, and vacation time with a commonly cited annual range, alongside paid parental leave and family medical leave. A remote work program and flexibility signals are also included as part of the overall rewards experience.
Hearst Insights
What We Do
Hearst is a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; transportation assets including CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; 33 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California, which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York); more than 300 magazines around the world, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Men's Health and Car and Driver, and digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital entertainment companies such as Complex Networks.
