Senior Design Manager, Creative Services (m/f/d)
Bain & Company
Please include a link to your portfolio in your CV when applying.
What Makes Us a Great Place To Work
We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor's Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times. Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.
Who You’ll Work With
You’ll join the Creative Services team, part of Bain’s Global Business Services organization. Our team of expert designers transforms complex ideas into compelling visual communications, supporting internal stakeholders and client teams around the world through high-impact presentation design, storytelling, and data visualization. We collaborate closely with business leaders, content owners, and fellow designers to create work that brings clarity to complex challenges and drives meaningful engagement.
As a Senior Design Manager, you’ll provide strategic design direction and creative guidance to client teams, business partners, and fellow designers. You’ll play a key role in shaping and delivering innovative design solutions tailored to high-impact client situations and business objectives. Drawing on your industry expertise and creative leadership, you’ll help translate complex ideas into compelling visual experiences that communicate our clients’ messages with clarity and impact.
WHERE YOU’LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM
As a Senior Design Manager, you’ll lead and mentor a team of design managers and senior designers, providing creative guidance and technical direction to help them deliver high-quality work that meets client needs and expectations. You’ll play a key role in developing the team’s capabilities through ongoing coaching, constructive feedback, and opportunities to strengthen their leadership and design management skills. Your leadership will be essential in fostering a positive, collaborative environment where creativity, innovation, problem-solving, and continuous learning are encouraged.
What You’ll Do
- Lead high-impact regional and global design projects, partnering with client teams, business stakeholders, and designers to deliver creative solutions while managing project scope, resources, timelines, and budgets.
- Act as a strategic design advisor to the business, providing expert guidance and developing innovative, creative solutions that support Bain’s client and commercial objectives.
- Partner with senior leadership to shape the strategic direction and growth of regional design services, contributing to financial planning, service development, workforce planning, and resource management.
- Identify and lead opportunities to expand design services, improve team performance, and enhance operational efficiency across regional and global teams.
- Manage and mentor a team of Design Managers and senior designers, providing creative direction and guidance to deliver high-quality design solutions that meet client and business needs.
- Oversee team performance, ensuring alignment with Creative Services KPIs, service standards, and Bain Operating Principles. Leverage performance data and insights to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative team environment that encourages creativity, diverse perspectives, professional growth, and continuous learning.
- Support individual development through regular coaching, constructive feedback, project debriefs, and career development conversations. Recognize team contributions and celebrate achievements to build engagement and strengthen collaboration.
- Proven experience leading and delivering complex design projects across regional and global teams, with the ability to manage stakeholder expectations and establish clear project objectives.
- Strong leadership experience managing geographically dispersed teams across different time zones and cultures.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain high standards of design quality and service delivery, with exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to excellence.
- Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands, optimize resources, and deliver multiple projects on time.
- Strong problem-solving skills and a client-focused mindset, with the ability to navigate changing business needs and drive effective solutions.
- Experience leading and mentoring design teams, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional development.
- Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
- Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
- Portfolio of work in presentation design and/or other examples of relevant design work.