Experiential Design Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

As Hearst continues to evolve the ways it connects with audiences, employees, partners, and communities, the company is exploring new opportunities to bring its brands, businesses, journalism, and values to life through immersive experiences and innovative storytelling. This role supports a growing focus on experiential communications, audience engagement, and emerging technologies, creating experiences that inform, educate, entertain, and inspire.

The Senior Creative Director, Experiential Design & Brand Environments plays a pivotal role in shaping how Hearst brands, businesses, and initiatives are experienced through physical and immersive environments. This hands-on role combines creative execution, strategic thinking, and project management to develop experiential activations, exhibitions, installations, branded environments, corporate events, retail pop-ups, interactive experiences, and cultural programming. Successful installations are measured in creative output, client feedback, brand awareness and earned media.  

The primary near-term focus is to help lead the design and implementation of a multi-media space that will be installed on the first floor of the Hearst Tower.   The objective is to create a dynamic, high visibility experience for Hearst brands, its partners, and key partners across the non-profit world. 

The role serves as a connector between Hearst businesses, cultural institutions, creative communities, and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities that drive audience engagement, social conversation, earned media, and business impact.

The ideal candidate combines exceptional creative vision, production expertise, project management capabilities, AI fluency, and cultural awareness. The successful candidate will be a hands-on designer, project lead, and collaborator who can transform ideas into compelling experiences from concept through execution.   Direct experience leading complex location-based entertainment experiences from initial design through implementation is a requirement. 

This position reports to the VP / Executive Creative Director.

Essential Functions

• Develop a deep understanding of Hearst's businesses, corporate initiatives, communications priorities, and brand strategies.

• Translate Hearst brands, businesses, content, and corporate priorities into compelling physical experiences that communicate key messages and create memorable audience interactions.

• Work directly with Hearst's outside experience design partner on the creation of the new multimedia space. Represent the Hearst brand for all creative executions. 

• Design and produce presentations, environmental graphics, video content, installation concepts, and experiential creative assets from concept through final execution.

• Collaborate with stakeholders across Hearst divisions to develop experiences that support business and communications objectives.

• Explore and implement emerging technologies including AI-driven experiences, interactive media, projection mapping, immersive storytelling platforms, digital installations, and innovative audience engagement tools.

• Manage budgets, approvals, project forecasting, and financial reporting.

Competencies

• Skilled in editing, design, digital artwork creation and installation.

• A personal passion for location-based entertainment, and regularly engages with a broad range of experiences in this area.

• Exceptional creative vision with a strong understanding of spatial design, environmental storytelling, audience experience, and brand communications.

• Fluency in AI tools, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled creative workflows, leveraging these capabilities to enhance creativity and deliver innovative audience experiences.

• Deep understanding of experiential design, exhibitions, retail environments, installations, interactive media, and live events.

• Ability to identify and create culturally relevant moments that generate meaningful conversation, media attention, and social engagement.

• Strong organizational and project management skills with outstanding attention to detail and the ability to balance creative excellence with budget, schedule, and business objectives.

Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in experiential design, exhibition design, environmental graphics, branded environments, retail activations, event design, architecture, or related creative disciplines.

• Quantifiable experience in the development and creation of large-scale installations, exhibitions, activations, pop-up environments, immersive experiences, or cultural programming.

• Experience managing budgets, schedules, fabrication partners, agencies, consultants, and production teams.

• Strong working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, top editing programs and AI tools.

• Understanding of fabrication methods, materials, lighting systems, audiovisual technologies, installation logistics, and production best practices.

In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in New York City.  The reasonable estimate, if hired in New York City, is $180,000 - $190,000.  Please note this information is specific to those hired in New York City.  If this role is open to candidates outside of New York City, the salary range would be aligned to that specific location.  A final decision on the successful candidate's starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications, and education.  Hearst provides a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401(k), paid holidays and paid time off, employee assistance programs, and more.