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Design Lead Jobs in Baltimore, MD (NOW HIRING)

Lead UX Designer

Fort George G Meade, MD · On-site

$122K - $159K/yr

Lead UX Designer Ft. Meade Area, MD • Government/Military Clearance Required: TS/SCI with ... The successful candidate will be Responsible for leading the plan, design and development ...

Google AI Lead Architect

Baltimore, MD

$55 - $75.25/hr

Design, fine-tune, evaluate, and govern LLM solutions with Gemini on Vertex AI (prompt/tool ... Lead cloud-native development on GKE, Cloud Run, Pub/Sub, BigQuery, Cloud SQL/Spanner, Memorystore ...

This individual will own business process design, data readiness, and change management, working in close partnership with IT, who will lead the technical implementation. Key Responsibilities 1. ...

In this role, you will lead design efforts within your assigned program. Who WE are and where WE are going At ST Engineering MRAS, our employees have amazing opportunities to work on advanced ...

Lead Design Engineer

Baltimore, MD · On-site

$92K - $138K/yr

In this role, you will lead design efforts within your assigned program. Who WE are and where WE are going At ST Engineering MRAS, our employees have amazing opportunities to work on advanced ...

Lead Design Engineer

Annapolis, MD · On-site

$140K - $200K/yr

We are seeking a Lead Construction Design Engineer to develop temporary civil and structural designs for bridge and infrastructure construction projects. This role can be based in either our Richmond ...

We are seeking a Lead Construction Design Engineer to develop temporary civil and structural designs for bridge and infrastructure construction projects. This role can be based in either our Richmond ...

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Design Lead information

See Baltimore, MD salary details

$39

$59

$81

How much do design lead jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for design lead in Baltimore, MD is $59.87, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $46.35 and $71.63 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a design lead?

A Design Lead is a senior professional responsible for guiding the creative direction and execution of design projects within an organization. They oversee design teams, collaborate with stakeholders, and ensure that visual and user experience standards are met. Design Leads often mentor junior designers, manage project timelines, and help align design strategies with business goals. Their role blends creative leadership with project management to deliver effective and innovative design solutions.

How does a design lead typically balance hands-on design work with team leadership responsibilities?

As a Design Lead, you'll often split your time between guiding and mentoring your team, setting the creative direction, and contributing directly to high-priority projects. While your leadership duties—such as conducting design reviews, coordinating with stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with business goals—will take up a significant portion of your schedule, most organizations still expect you to remain actively involved in the design process. This balance requires strong organizational skills and the ability to delegate effectively, ensuring both team growth and high-quality deliverables.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a design lead, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Design Lead, you need a solid background in design principles, user experience (UX), and visual communication, typically supported by a degree in design or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and knowledge of project management systems is crucial. Strong leadership, collaboration, and communication skills help you guide teams and articulate design vision effectively. These skills ensure projects are delivered with high-quality design, aligned with business goals, and foster innovation within teams.

What is the difference between Design Lead vs UX Designer?

AspectDesign LeadUX Designer
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Design, Graphic Design, or related fields; experience in leadership rolesBachelor's or Master's in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, or related fields; portfolio showcasing UX projects
Work EnvironmentLeads design teams, collaborates with product managers and developers, oversees project directionFocuses on user research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing within product teams
Industry UsageCommonly found in tech, advertising, and design agenciesPrimarily in tech companies, startups, and digital product firms

The main difference is that a Design Lead oversees the entire design process and team, providing strategic direction, while a UX Designer concentrates on creating user-centered experiences through research and design. Both roles require strong design skills, but the Design Lead has broader responsibilities and leadership duties.

What are popular job titles related to Design Lead jobs in Baltimore, MD?

For Design Lead jobs in Baltimore, MD, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Design Lead jobs in Baltimore, MD look for?

The top searched job categories for Design Lead jobs in Baltimore, MD are:

Infographic showing various Design Lead job openings in Baltimore, MD as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 86% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $124,524 per year, or $59.9 per hour.

Service Design Lead

Fort George G Meade, MD • Remote

Global Enterprise Services, LLC
IT Services • 11 - 50 employees

$16.50 - $21.50/hr

Full-time

Re-posted 2 days ago


Job description

Service Design Lead

GES currently has an opening for a Service Design Lead. This position focuses on adoption of customer-focused service management and will coordinate across multiple areas of the program including cloud engineering, operations and maintenance, and customer support. This is an exciting opportunity to use your experience to modernize a leading, global-scale multi-cloud environment in support of a critical mission, supporting USAF system resiliency, security, and cost effectiveness.

Location:
This position will be hybrid remote. Candidates will be required to travel to / work onsite as needed. The ideal candidate is located near Hanscom AFB (Boston, MA) or Huntsville, AL.
The selected IT Service Design Lead will orchestrate the end-to-end design and optimization of our technology services. You will act as a strategic leader, bridging the gap between user needs, operational capabilities, and business strategy. In this role, you will define how our constituents interact with our digital and physical services, ensuring they are intuitive, accessible, and scalable. You will move beyond single-project delivery to take accountability for the strategic direction of complex, high-impact services.
Primary Responsibilities Include:

  • Strategic Design & Vision: Collaborate with and provide subject-matter expertise on service design to the Government and Cloud One Service Design Team, advising and helping implement on the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for major IT services, aligning them with organizational goals and user-centered design principles.
  • End-to-End Service Ecosystems: Map complex user journeys, create service blueprints, ecosystem maps, and experience models to improve end-to-end experiences across digital and in-person touchpoints.
  • Research-Driven Insights:Guidehuman-centered research activities (interviews, surveys, usability testing) and synthesize qualitative/quantitative data to iterate and refine services.
  • Cross-functional Leadership: Partner with Product Managers, Engineers, UX/UI Designers, and operational teams to implement service design solutions,facilitatingworkshops and co-creation sessions.
  • Performance & Metrics:EstablishKey Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the effectiveness and impact of service design initiatives.
  • Systemic Problem Solver: Propose high-impact service design approaches to solve complex operational, technological, or policy-related challenges.


Basic Qualifications:

  • Requires aBachelorsdegree and8+ years of prior relevant experience
  • Experience and Leadership with IT Service Design, ITSM, ITService Management.
  • Must have an active Secret clearance.
  • US citizenshiprequired.
  • Excellent customer service skills, with experience working in a customer-facing position.
  • Excellent verbal and writtencommunicationsskills.

Certifications:

  • IAT Level II (Information Assurance Technical Level 2)requiringcertifications like CompTIA Security+ CE or CCNA Security.
  • One or more cloudcertificationsfor example AWS Certified Solutions Architect or similar level certification.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with USAF Cloud One or Platform 1.
  • Experience with Service Design management technologies such as ServiceNow.