Art Director

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences seeks an Art Director to join the team shaping the design and experience of the museum as it evolves its role to engage millions in science, nature, and the future of our planet. For 172 years, the Academy has been a beacon of wonder and discovery—home to the Steinhart Aquarium, world-class planetarium, and a collection of 46 million specimens that stretch back billions of years. Beyond its walls, the Academy is also a pioneering scientific institution, advancing bold research and regenerative action to protect fragile ecosystems across the globe.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. Staff currently work on site at least 3 times per week, (Tues, Wed, Thurs) with flexibility as business needs evolve. We know great talent comes from many paths, and we welcome candidates whose backgrounds don’t align perfectly with every qualification and encourage you to apply.

About the Opportunity

The Art Director at the California Academy of Sciences plays a key role in the conceptualization, design, and implementation of Academy visual systems and manifestations. Reporting to the Creative Director, this position is a new role within the Creative Studio team— the in-house design department responsible for overseeing the Academy’s unified visual presence. The Art Director will manage three graphic designers and work closely with the marketing, exhibit, web and communications teams to reinforce the Academy's mission and inspire audiences.

Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below. [FOR CAWU ROLES] This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by Cal Academy Workers United, and will be subject to the terms and conditions of that contract.

Key Responsibilities

• Design:
• Visual Strategy: Develop creative approaches to translating institutional goals into compelling visual narratives and user experiences. 
• Identity Systems: Design and evolve visual identities and brand systems, ensuring consistency and coherence across all platforms and touchpoints. This includes developing brand guidelines, typography, color palettes, and imagery, and overseeing their implementation in digital, print, and environmental designs. 
• Interactive: Design interactive solutions for web or screen-based products. This may include developing user flows, wireframes, and prototypes, as well as collaborating with development teams to bring these designs to life. 
• Communications: Direct and design Academy communications, which may include campaigns, invitations, programs, posters, invitations, promotions, and wordmarks to amplify the Academy initiatives and convey the Academy experience. 
• Creative Assets: Develop and produce visual assets for a diverse range of projects, encompassing both print and digital formats. This includes illustrations, photo manipulations, and designs crafted to communicate specific visual narratives. 
• Concept Expression: Direct and create visuals that evoke the idea of an exhibit, product, or other manifestation in order to communicate future states
• Brand Consultation: Provide expertise and advise on design collateral produced by external and internal partners. This may include advertising agencies, direct mail vendors, or retail and restaurant partners. Evaluate creative assets, ensuring adherence to brand guidelines, and upholding the established visual identity across all materials.

• Management 
• Lead, mentor and direct a team of three communication and digital designers, providing guidance throughout the creative process.
• Provide design leadership across a diverse range of collaborative, cross-functional projects, including marketing and web.
• Foster interdepartmental cooperation and communication to balance team needs and achieve successful project outcomes.
• Onboard best-in-class design tools and platforms to ensure the team is empowered to create innovative work
• Collaborate closely with the Creative Studio Project Manager to assign design projects and ensure sustainable workloads and project schedules
• Other:
• Follow all Academy safety regulations 
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

PROJECT PORTFOLIO

An impactful portfolio is an essential component of your application. When submitting your application, please provide a direct link to your online portfolio. This portfolio should showcase an understanding of modern design principles, reflecting both aesthetic sensibility and functional effectiveness. We are particularly interested in seeing your unique approach to design challenges across a variety of formats: print, digital, and interactive. Your portfolio should also communicate the narrative behind your projects—the creative process and conceptual development—and highlight your unique contribution to each project.

EXPERIENCE and/or EDUCATION:

A combination of the following education and/or equivalent experience: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Design, or related field preferred.
• Minimum seven years of design experience, with at least three years in a design leadership role.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Branding, design, and typography: Excellent typography and visual design skills. Create identity and style guidelines, and apply a refined modern design aesthetic to all work
• Tools & production: Proficiently use design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, especially Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, prototyping tools such as Figma, Conceptual tools including generative AI and be familiar with processes and materials for physical and digital production
• Motion graphics: Experience in developing simple animations, video or media creation.
• User experience: Excellent UX/UI digitally-oriented visual design skills and understanding of user-centered principles
• Management: Ability to mentor, manage and direct designers by providing clear feedback and direction.
• Innovation Process: Take initiative, be flexible, work efficiently, and foster new creative ideas. Be familiar with agile process and design thinking.
• Communication: Communicate clearly within a cross-functional team, with internal and external partners, and museum guests from different backgrounds, identities, and experiences. 

Collaboration: Facilitate the exchange of ideas and partner with various team members to produce excellent results 

• Organization: Be organized and responsible and work on multiple projects at once in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. 
• Project management: Manage projects within Asana, Google, and Microsoft apps. Also comfortable with collaboration tools such as Slack and Miro

Mission-alignment: Have a passion for nature, science, and the future of life on our planet.

Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $163,000 - $178,000. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).