Lead Designer, Concept Excellence Design

Job Description

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a Lead Designer to join our Concept Excellence team in Nike Global Design. Concept Design at Nike is at the forefront of defining the future, merging innovation, athlete insights, product design, and brand storytelling to bring Nike’s biggest ideas to life. As a Lead Designer, Concept Excellence Design, you will play a pivotal role in guiding the visual / graphic language process for the Concept Excellence Team centrally in collaboration with the Field of Play Concept Teams.

Candidates for this role must be collaborative, imaginative, and tactical, as they will turn creative strategy and big ideas into visual art direction and storytelling to influence the Nike organization! The Lead Designer, Concept Excellence Design is both an outstanding designer and a highly collaborative teammate, focused on both defining the visual language of concepts and defining the aesthetics of the experiences to bring them to life, alongside their cross-functional teammates.

You are an experienced strategic and multidisciplinary designer and excel at working across mediums including graphics, type, art direction, moving image, spatial design and AI. You have a passion for creativity and are committed to staying on top of current and future trends in design, creative culture and technology. You’re comfortable with both obsessing typographic details and blue sky thinking.

What you will work on

As Lead Designer, Concept Excellence Design your mission is to visualize Nike worlds by leading the creative process on the company’s most impactful initiatives. You will work across product design, consumer insights, merchandising, and brand teams to uncover opportunities and translate them into compelling creative strategies and visual identities.

Your responsibilities will include brainstorming sessions, overseeing photoshoots, working with agency partners, presenting ideas to senior leadership, and managing creative execution from concept to completion. In this role, you will use your experience in creative direction, art direction, and storytelling to elevate Nike’s global brand identity and influence the next generation of athletes and consumers.

Who you will work with

The Lead Designer, Concept Excellence Design reports to the Director, Concept Excellence Design, and works with the larger Concept Excellence team. You will collaborate regularly with product designers, merchandising leaders, brand teams, and external agencies to bring Nike’s creative vision to life. In this role, your leadership will be essential in aligning stakeholders and ensuring that all creative efforts deliver cohesive and impactful results.

What you will bring

Bachelor's degree in Design or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.

5+ years professional experience in design, preferably within product, marketing, brand, or agency environments.

A passion for the athlete, sport, and culture, with a deep understanding of global trends in these areas.

Expertise across multiple design disciplines : including type design, branding, art direction, motion, graphic, creative strategy, spatial design and AI.

Solid portfolio of relevant work, displaying a passion for inspirational storytelling, photo art direction, brand identity, and world building.

Excellent verbal and visual communication skills; adept at presenting and defending creative ideas.

The ability to lead multiple projects efficiently, managing time and resources to deliver high-quality creative output.

A positive mentality with proven ability to flex and adapt to changing business needs while maintaining creative quality.

Laser-sharp focus to work quickly and efficiently under pressure.

A high degree of curiosity, with a keen understanding of design culture, youth culture, and emerging trends in creative technology.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.