Senior Design Director (Publishing Platform)

TL;DR

Senior Design Director (Publishing Platform): Defining the foundational design layer for global media brands with an accent on design systems, editorial tooling, and CMS architecture. Focus on balancing platform scalability with brand-specific creative expression while leading a team through complex organizational change.

Location: Must be based in London, UK. The role requires office attendance four days a week (Monday - Thursday).

Company

hirify.global is a global media company producing high-quality content for over 1 billion consumers across 32 territories, including iconic brands like Vogue, GQ, and The New Yorker.

What you will do

• Define the design vision for the Publishing Platform, including design systems, editorial tools, and newsletters.
• Establish principled frameworks for balancing platform unification with bespoke brand expression.
• Lead as a player-coach, setting standards through hands-on design work and team mentorship.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to align design strategy with technical performance and commercial outcomes.
• Integrate AI tools into design workflows to accelerate prototyping and execution.
• Champion an insights-driven approach by leveraging research and analytics to measure design impact.

Requirements

• Substantial experience leading platform-level, systems-oriented design at scale.
• Deep technical fluency in front-end architecture, design tokens, and component design.
• Proven ability to lead design teams through significant organizational change.
• Strong understanding of typography, narrative structure, and visual storytelling.
• Experience navigating complex, multi-brand environments and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Must be able to work from the London office four days per week.

Nice to have

• Experience working in media, publishing, or content-led consumer products.
• Experience working in large global organizations with distributed teams.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive pension scheme and Bupa Private Healthcare.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and additional leave for volunteering or moving house.
• Wellbeing support including Employee Assistance Programme and corporate gym membership.
• Dog-friendly office environment with magazine subscriptions and staff discounts.
• Access to the hirify.global Learning Hub for professional development.