Program Design Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

McGuireWoods seeks a skilled and highly experienced Design Manager to champion the firm’s brand, uphold the high standards of the firm’s visual identity, and ensure consistency in marketing collateral across all touchpoints.

The Design Manager will translate brand strategy into impactful visuals for all firm marketing and business development efforts globally. This individual must be hands-on, collaborative, and capable of managing a range of design projects from concept through final production with speed and precision, while overseeing day-to-day design execution, mentoring mid-level and junior designers, and managing external vendor relationships. They must have a strong grasp of visual language with the ability to understand the intent behind content, uncover its core purpose, and translate that into clear, compelling creative. This requires not just execution, but vision—and the skill to bring that vision to life.

McGuireWoods, one of the world’s leading law firms, has provided legal solutions to corporate, individual and nonprofit clients since 1834. Along with excellent benefits, McGuireWoods offers most employees a hybrid remote option allowing flexibility and work-life balance. Our Applicant Disclosures describe your rights. Our Privacy Statement describes how we will process and safeguard your personal data.

• Lead a team of designers (senior, junior, and freelancers) to deliver high-quality creative work across digital, print, social, events, multimedia, and campaign assets, while fostering a collaborative environment that encourages proactive problem-solving and creative thinking.
• Own and manage the end-to-end design process, ensuring all projects are properly scoped, prioritized and resourced, and brand guidelines are consistently applied across all creative outputs.
• Act as a strategic partner to Communications, Business Development, MarTech, practice groups and other internal teams to bring brand strategy and messaging to life through compelling visual design.
• Collaborate with external agencies to refine, finalize, and maintain comprehensive brand guidelines, templates, and visual standards. Regularly evaluate and evolve those standards as the brand matures.
• Support large initiatives such as marquee events and campaign rollouts with thoughtful execution and attention to detail.
• Oversee the development of brand photography, video, and multimedia assets with internal teams and external vendors.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging teams to adopt modern tools and programs, revising processes and workflows for better efficiency, and continuously educating the team and department on the latest design trends, best practices, and approaches.

• 8-10+ years of professional design experience, with a strong track record of success in a senior or lead design role.
• Experience in legal, financial, or professional services preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design or related field.
• Required: a portfolio showcasing excellence in brand systems, creative direction, and high-quality design execution across print and digital.
• Demonstrated ability to drive and maintain a cohesive visual brand across a large organization.
• Exceptional skills in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop), Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint and Word), and file prep for print and digital formats.
• Skills in motion graphics, animation, and video editing.
• Experience with brand refreshes and rebranding efforts.
• Experience mentoring and managing designers, providing constructive critique, and fostering a collaborative creative environment.
• Strong visual storytelling skills with a keen eye for typography, layout, color, and composition.
• A collaborative and proactive working style with strong time management and organizational skills; able to juggle multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Comfortable working with senior leadership and presenting creative concepts clearly and confidently.
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