Digital Design Director

The Creative Storewww. thecreativestore. co. nzGreat Jobs. Great People. Freelancers. We have a wide range of freelance and contract roles. Ranging from 1 week to 3 – 6 months – offering you flexibility to pick and choose when you want to work. You have the option to invoice or to have your PAYE done for you. Easy As. Digital Design DirectorDo you have the proven digital design leadership skills? Our client is an independent creative and technology company based in Auckland, New Zealand.

They collaborate with partners who have big ambitions, helping them build gutsy brands and drive change and impact through intuitive digital products and creative storytelling. Their team is made up of technology leads, engineers, creatives, designers, strategists, and project leads, working with local and international clients from their Auckland HQ. They create work that drives tangible business impact, sitting at the intersection of brand building, technology, and experience. Joining this company means joining a journey with them, one of growth, innovation, and working alongside a team of really nice people who care about what they are doing.

About the Role: This is a Digital Design Lead to support and shape key, large-scale product launches and digital design projects within the business. We are looking for someone who loves to unpack strategy, leads thoughtful conceptual development, and can bring hands-on design leadership. Working alongside the creative, technology, and strategy leads, you will be supporting design thinking, craft, and execution across a number of key projects. We are looking for a Digital Design Director to become a valued link between the creative and technical teams.

Your days will be filled with concepting, crafting, and delivering beautiful digital designs across their local and international client portfolio or managing the teams to produce this. What the role looks like:

Leading the design concepts and execution across digital products and website projectsAlways championing a user-centred design approach, ensuring thinking is intuitive, accessible, and grounded in real-world insightsScaling consistent design language through component libraries, token-based systems, and cross-platform coherenceValidating ideas using advanced prototyping, user testing, A/B testing, and behavioural analyticsOverseeing the development of wireframes, prototypes, journey maps, and high-fidelity designsEmbedding accessibility and inclusive design principles across all outputs.

Collaborating with developers to balance aesthetics with functionality across all devices and environmentsMentoring and supporting the design teamIntegrating AI design tools into workflows to enhance originality and efficiencyCollaborating to ensure high-quality execution by working alongside engineers, creatives, strategists, and delivery leadsPresenting design thinking and rationale to clients, translating challenges into digital-first solutionsIntegrating user analytics and insights tools (e. g.

, Hotjar, session replays) to shape evidence-based design decisionsWho are we looking for? 8+ years in digital, UX/UI, or product design, with a strong portfolio of exceptional and award-winning workPrior leadership experience in a digital design team or studio, with a record of innovation and growthHighly proficient in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, XD)Comfortable experimenting with AI-enhanced tools like MidJourney, Runway ML, or Adobe SenseiDeep knowledge of design systems, usability, accessibility standards (WCAG), and responsive best practicesClear communicator with experience running client workshops and articulating design strategyExperience with DesignOps practices — tooling, documentation, and cross-team workflowsAgile-literate, with experience working in sprints and shaping MVPs from a user-centred lensPassionate about digital innovation and creating experiences that drive impactThis is a great senior-level lead role, with a great agency.

If you are at the senior level and have been waiting for a leadership opportunity, get in touch. Reference #38899. We will only review candidates who have a valid work permit / working rights for New Zealand. Send your CV and work to Hana Chadwick at The Creative Store, email hana@thecreativestore. co. nz or call The Creative Store on (09) 365 1077 for further information. Visit The Creative Store website www. thecreativestore. co. nz to view all our jobs online.