Lead Art Director

The role

Please note, we are only accepting applicants from the provinces of Ontario and Québec for this role. For Québec-based candidates, fluency in English is necessary because the position entails collaboration with teams based in the rest of Americas and occasionally in Europe.

As a Lead Art Director you are passionate about experience innovation and eager to push the boundaries of what’s possible. You bring 8 YEARS of experience, a growth mindset and a drive to make a lasting impact.

The Lead Art Director is an accomplished art director and visual designer with exceptional craft and expertise across advertising, interaction design, brand experience, and AI-enabled design practices. Working within Valtech's Creative Practices discipline across the Americas, this role is primarily responsible for creating compelling, high-quality ads and concepts, and secondarily designing digital experiences that bring brands to life while solving meaningful client and user challenges.

The ideal candidate combines a strong eye for art direction, a high visual aesthetic, and a passion for innovative creativity. They are a proactive conceptual thinker who brings ideas, references, and a clear point of view to the table, equally comfortable creating and art directing advertising concepts and campaigns as they are crafting beautiful interfaces. They are equally comfortable creating and art directing advertising concepts and campaigns, as they are crafting beautiful interfaces.

You will thrive in this role if you are:

• A curious problem solver who challenges the status quo
• A collaborator who values teamwork and knowledge-sharing
• Excited by the intersection of technology, creativity and data
• Experienced in Agile methodologies and consulting

Role responsibilities

• Create and execute highly polished visual design concepts and campaigns that are consistently on brand and directly aligned with client objectives and business outcomes.
• Design digital experiences across web, mobile, and emerging platforms, including typography, layout, visual systems, interfaces, interaction patterns, branding elements, and component libraries.
• Translate brand expression into scalable digital experiences and user interfaces that balance creativity, usability, and performance.
• Craft and present high-fidelity design concepts and creative directions, including references, sketches, storyboards, mood boards, prototypes, and conceptual design explorations.
• Actively participate in workshops, brainstorming sessions, creative reviews, and design critiques, contributing ideas, inspiration, and innovative solutions.
• Develop interactive prototypes and motion studies using Figma and other design tools to communicate design intent and user experience behaviors.
• Create, evolve, and contribute to design systems, component libraries, brand guidelines, style guides, and other artefacts that support consistency and scalability.
• Apply accessibility best practices and inclusive design principles to ensure experiences are usable by diverse audiences and aligned with recognized standards.
• Collaborate closely with UX Designers, Strategists, Copywriters, Creative Directors, Developers, and other visual designers throughout the project lifecycle.
• Partner with development teams to ensure design intent is preserved through implementation.
• Maintain exceptionally high standards of design quality, presentation, documentation, and client engagement.
• Stay current with emerging design methodologies, AI-enabled workflows, tools, and technologies, proactively identifying opportunities to improve the team’s capabilities and processes.
• Support and mentor Junior Designers through constructive feedback, collaboration, and best-practice sharing.
• Build and sustain strong working relationships across teams, disciplines, and client organizations.

Must have qualifications

To be considered for this role, you must meet the following essential qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in a leading agency, consultancy, studio, or similar environment designing advertisements and digital experiences.
• A portfolio demonstrating exceptional visual craft, art direction, conceptual thinking and brand-led experience design.
• Deep expertise in visual design, UI design, and digital brand experience across multiple channels and platforms.
• Experience translating strategic objectives, user needs, and brand narratives into compelling digital experiences.
• Excellent communication in English, with the ability to engage clients and teams across North America through storytelling, presentations, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to confidently articulate and defend design decisions while remaining open to feedback and collaboration.
• Strong understanding of interaction design principles, information architecture, and user-centered design methodologies, with experience translating concepts into interactive prototypes that enhance storytelling and usability.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, work effectively under pressure, and deliver high-quality outcomes within tight timelines.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize effectively and maintain focus throughout the design process.

AI & Emerging Design Practices

• Demonstrated experience using AI-enabled design workflows to improve ideation, visual exploration, asset creation, prototyping, content generation, and productivity.
• Advanced proficiency with Figma and the broader Figma ecosystem, including AI-driven capabilities and plugins.
• Experience using image generation and other creative AI tools as part of a modern design practice.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, with a desire to help evolve how design is practiced within the organization.

Nice to have qualifications

The following are considered a strong advantage:

• Experience with advertising and design in the travel and tourism space strongly considered.
• Experience with luxury hospitality, travel, aviation, or premium consumer brands a plus.
• Experience working with multicultural and distributed teams across regions and time zones.
• Experience leading design-system governance across large, multi-brand organizations.
• Comfortable working independently while proactively seeking input, feedback, and collaboration when needed.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams combining strategy, UX, technology, content, and creative disciplines.

If you do not meet all the listed qualifications or have gaps in your experience, we still encourage you to apply. At Valtech, we recognize that talent comes in many forms, and we value diverse perspectives and a willingness to learn.

The benefits

This is a full-time position based in Canada. The offered salary range is $100,000 to $150,000 annually, depending on experience and location.

Valtech offers a comprehensive benefits package effective after three months of continuous service:

• A comprehensive insurance plan, where you can choose the module that best suits your needs—Gold, Silver, or Bronze. The employer may contribute up to 80% of your coverage depending on the selected module. This plan includes short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Dialogue via Sun Life provides virtual healthcare services, allowing you to consult with a healthcare professional for emergencies, prescription renewals, and more. You also have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, as well as a complete mental health support program.
• A $500 Personal Spending Account, which can be used for healthcare reimbursements, gym memberships, public transit passes, office supplies, or contributions to your RRSP through Valtech.
• A retirement plan where Valtech will match 100% of your RRSP contributions through a Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP), up to a maximum of 4%. You can start contributing to your RRSP immediately, and to the DPSP after 3 months. The vesting of the DPSP will be after a 24 months of service.
• Access to a flexible vacation under Valtech's policy to support your work-life balance, with 5 days available during your probation period and a prorated amount calculated for the remainder of the year.
• Personal Technology Reimbursement – $30/month for every employee-offered on day 1.
• We close during the winter holidays and offer flexible scheduling throughout the year, so you can enjoy those sunny Friday afternoons—provided your weekly hours are completed.