Head of Design Poolside Agency Santa Ana, CA Job Details Full-time From $72,000 a year 15 hours ago Qualifications Teamwork Interpersonal skills Graphic design branding Coaching Talent management Team development Schedule management Canva Managing design projects Typography design for media Mentoring Recruiting Leading team collaboration initiatives Print design Managing projects Professional art or design Figma Digital content creation project management Managing art or design teams Managing media, arts or design teams Full Job Description About Poolside Poolside is a full-service creative agency specializing in hospitality. We partner with restaurants, hotels, lifestyle brands, and growing businesses to create thoughtful, strategic work across branding, websites, social media, email marketing, photography, video, advertising, print, and more. As we continue to grow, we're looking for a Head of Design to lead our creative team and help shape the next chapter of our agency. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys creating exceptional work, developing talented designers, and building efficient creative systems. You'll lead our design department, oversee creative execution across multiple clients, collaborate closely with our account management team, and help ensure every project meets the standard Poolside is known for. We're looking for someone who leads with humility, communicates clearly, takes ownership, and genuinely enjoys helping others do their best work. If you're excited by the opportunity to make an impact at a growing agency and help build something meaningful, we'd love to hear from you. Responsibilities Lead the Design Department Lead the day-to-day operations of Poolside's design department. Manage, mentor, and develop designers and design interns. Assign projects, balance workloads, and ensure deadlines are met. Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance reviews, and coaching sessions. Foster a collaborative, accountable, and positive creative culture. Participate in recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and developing future members of the design team. Continuously improve department workflows, documentation, and creative processes. Lead Creative Execution Guide creative projects from concept through final delivery. Translate client objectives into thoughtful, effective creative solutions. Review creative work and provide clear, constructive feedback. Maintain a consistently high standard of creative quality across every client. Help establish and evolve the creative standards that define Poolside. Provide hands-on design support for priority projects when your expertise adds the greatest value. Manage Workflow & Production Oversee project timelines, department capacity, and creative priorities. Collaborate closely with Account Managers to keep projects moving efficiently. Anticipate challenges and solve problems before they impact deadlines. Help build systems that improve efficiency and allow the department to scale. Maintain organized files, documentation, and internal processes. Collaborate with Clients & Team Members Participate in client meetings, presentations, and creative discussions. Clearly communicate creative ideas and design decisions. Build trusted relationships with clients through professionalism and responsiveness. Collaborate with photographers, videographers, copywriters, developers, account managers, and agency leadership to deliver exceptional work. Attend content shoots, client meetings, or on-site visits when needed. Qualifications We're looking for someone who brings both creative talent and leadership ability. Required 5+ years of professional graphic design experience. Previous experience leading or mentoring designers. Strong portfolio demonstrating branding, digital, print, and campaign design. Excellent understanding of typography, layout, color, hierarchy, and visual storytelling. Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills. Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously. Confidence making creative decisions and providing thoughtful feedback. Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite. Experience with Figma. Ability to work primarily from our Orange County office. Preferred Previous agency experience. Hospitality, restaurant, or lifestyle branding experience. Website and email marketing design. Print production and packaging. Motion graphics or animation. Canva. ClickUp. Shopify. Squarespace. Familiarity with AI-assisted creative workflows. What Success Looks Like Success in this role isn't measured by how many files you create—it's measured by the strength of the team you lead and the quality of the work that leaves the department. A successful Head of Design will: Lead a creative team that consistently produces exceptional work. Create structure and systems that keep projects moving efficiently. Help designers grow through mentorship, accountability, and support. Maintain a consistently high creative standard across every client. Build trust with clients and teammates alike. Contribute ideas that strengthen both our creative work and our agency. What We Value We're looking for someone who shares the values that shape how we work every day. Take ownership. We solve problems instead of waiting for someone else to solve them. Stay humble. Great ideas can come from anyone, and feedback makes the work better. Care about the details. Small decisions often make the biggest difference. Keep learning. We value curiosity and people who are always looking to improve. Be a great teammate. We believe exceptional creative comes from trust, collaboration, and respect. Growth at Poolside We're committed to investing in people who invest in our agency. As Poolside continues to grow, this role offers meaningful opportunities to take on increased responsibility, contribute to the evolution of our creative department, and help shape the future of the agency.

Pay:

From $72,000.00 per year

Work Location:

In person