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Chief Design Officer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Midjourney

Design Lead

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$285K - $350K/yr

You'll partner closely with our Chief Design Officer to shape the future of Midjourney's products while building and leading the product design team. This isn't a traditional management role. You'll ...

Ascent CFO Solutions

Fractional CFO

Denver, CO · Remote

Partnering directly with CEOs and executive teams to design, pressure-test, and execute financial ... Why Ascent CFO Solutions? We don't just offer gig work; we offer a premium ecosystem backed by a 15 ...

Civil CFO

Fractional CFO

Washington, DC · On-site +1

$305K/yr

Fractional CFO Services Employment Type: Full Time Location: Remote - US Reporting To: CEO ... We ruthlessly prioritize the few moves that matter, design around existing teams and systems, and ...

Ascent CFO Solutions, LLC

Fractional CFO

Denver, CO · On-site +1

$120 - $140/hr

Partnering directly with CEOs and executive teams to design, pressure-test, and execute financial ... Why Ascent CFO Solutions? We don't just offer gig work; we offer a premium ecosystem backed by a 15 ...

Knightscope

Senior Supply Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$122K - $167K/yr

... the Chief Design Officer and Creative Director. * Wean the BOM off catalog-sourced parts -- transition high-spend catalog lines (McMaster-Carr, Digi-Key, distributor stock) to volume-sourced ...

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Chief Design Officer information

See salary details

$25.5K

$166.5K

$276.5K

How much do chief design officer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for chief design officer in the United States is $166,511.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $132,000.00 and $195,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a chief design officer?

A Chief Design Officer (CDO) is a senior executive responsible for overseeing an organization's design strategy, ensuring that design principles align with business goals. They lead teams in areas such as product design, branding, user experience, and innovation. The CDO collaborates with other executives to integrate design thinking into company culture and decision-making. Their role is crucial in maintaining a strong brand identity and delivering customer-centric solutions.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a chief design officer?

To thrive as a Chief Design Officer, you need deep expertise in design strategy, visual communication, user experience, and team leadership, typically supported by a degree in design or a related field and extensive experience in creative roles. Familiarity with design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, prototyping tools, agile project management platforms, and sometimes certification in design thinking methodologies is often required. Strong interpersonal skills, visionary leadership, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams set exceptional candidates apart. These competencies are crucial for driving cohesive design direction, fostering innovation, and aligning creative vision with business goals.

What are the typical collaboration dynamics for a chief design officer within a company?

A Chief Design Officer (CDO) typically works closely with executive leadership, product managers, marketing teams, and engineering departments to ensure a unified design vision and strategy across all company touchpoints. Collaboration is key, as the CDO must align design initiatives with business objectives while advocating for user-centered approaches. This often involves leading design reviews, facilitating workshops, and providing feedback and direction to multidisciplinary teams. Strong communication and relationship-building skills help the CDO foster a culture of creativity and innovation, making this role both strategic and highly collaborative.

What does a Chief Design Officer do?

A Chief Design Officer (CDO) is responsible for overseeing a company's overall design strategy, including product, branding, and user experience. They lead design teams, ensure design consistency, and align design initiatives with business goals, often requiring strong leadership and expertise in design tools and methodologies.
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Chief Design Officer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Chief Design Officer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 88% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 84% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $166,511 per year, or $80.1 per hour.

Design Lead

Midjourney

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$285K - $350K/yr

Full-time

Posted 5 days ago

Job description

About the job
Midjourney is an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species. We are a small, self-funded team focused on design, human infrastructure, and AI.
We don't think the future should look like yesterday's software. Our design team works across research, engineering, and product to make new capabilities feel intuitive, fun to use, and deeply human.
We're looking for a Design Lead to help lead that effort.
You'll partner closely with our Chief Design Officer to shape the future of Midjourney's products while building and leading the product design team.
This isn't a traditional management role. You'll spend meaningful time designing, prototyping, reviewing work, and solving difficult product problems alongside your team. Most days you will be helping exceptional designers do the best work of their careers by building with them. If your favorite part of leadership is modeling what good looks like by collaborating and getting your hands dirty with your team, you'll probably enjoy it here.
What you'll do
  • Work closely with the Chief Design Officer to shape the direction of Midjourney's products.
  • Recruit, mentor, and lead the product design team.
  • Stay close to the work by designing key product experiences and helping teams solve their hardest design problems.
  • Partner closely with engineering and research to turn new tech into intuitive product experiences.
  • Establish design reviews and operating rhythms that help the team do its best work.
  • Ensure a coherent experience across Midjourney's growing portfolio of products.

You might be a fit if
  • You've spent the last decade designing software people love to use.
  • You've led design teams, but you still want to be in Figma every day.
  • You're as comfortable thinking through product strategy as you are refining a single interaction.
  • You work well with engineers and like building things that don't have established playbooks.
  • You care about craft and iterate until something feels right.
  • You're comfortable using tools like Claude Code and Cursor as part of your workflow.
  • You believe the best work comes from showing work early and often, and collaboratively iterating on unfinished work
  • You're excited by the idea that AI requires entirely new interaction paradigms, not just new features.
  • Work > ego
  • Prototypes > presentations

Logistics
  • Full-time. San Francisco Hybrid.
  • Compensation: $285,000-$350,000 + benefits

To apply
A portfolio is required.
We care much more about what you've made than where you've worked. If this role excites you, we'd love to hear from you-even if you don't check every box.

Apply