Design Leadership Jobs in Japan
Find your next Design Leadership role at companies that value creative talent
Showing 8 jobs
Design Manager - Mid Level
🇯🇵 Japan
Gensler 🇯🇵 Japan
The Design Manager is responsible for managing all phases of interior and architectural design projects, ensuring client satisfaction, quality control, and financial performance. They act as the primary liaison between the client and the cross-functional team while overseeing project lifecycles from bidding to close-out.
Design Manager
🇯🇵 Tōkyō, 1, Marunouchi 1, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
リーチェクスト株式会社 🇯🇵 Tōkyō, 1, Marunouchi 1, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
The Director of Design will build the design function, define the design language, and raise the quality bar across the product suite. They are responsible for owning the design system and implementing a Trust UX framework for AI-native products.
Expert Opportunity - Head of Design ($80/hr, up to $1,600/week)
🇯🇵 Japan
Ethos 🇯🇵 Japan
Create, evaluate, and refine AI-generated presentations and slide decks across various creative workflows. Develop concept boards, campaign narratives, and design rationale slides for client and executive audiences.
Senior Design Manager, Toys & Hardlines, Japan
🇯🇵 Japan
Nbcuniversal 🇯🇵 Japan
The Senior Design Manager will oversee product approvals, development, and strategies for the Toys and Hardlines team, primarily focusing on the Japanese market. This role involves leading design direction, managing licensed product development, and fostering collaboration with internal and external partners.
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Senior Design Manager, Toys & Hardlines, Japan
🇯🇵 Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Nbcuniversal 🇯🇵 Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Lead the design direction and approval processes for toys and hardlines products in the Japanese market. Manage relationships with licensees and internal teams to ensure brand integrity and drive product innovation.
Senior Design Manager, Toys & Hardlines, Japan
🇯🇵 Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Nbcuniversal 🇯🇵 Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Lead the design direction and approval processes for Toys and Hardlines products specifically for the Japanese market. Manage relationships with licensees and internal teams to ensure brand integrity and drive product innovation.
Senior Design Manager, Toys & Hardlines, Japan
🇯🇵 Japan
Nbcuniversal 🇯🇵 Japan
The Senior Design Manager will oversee product approvals, development, and strategies for the Toys and Hardlines team, primarily focusing on the Japanese market. They will lead design direction throughout the product lifecycle and manage relationships with internal and external partners.
Senior Design Manager, Toys & Hardlines, Japan
🇯🇵 Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Nbcuniversal 🇯🇵 Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Lead product design, development, and approval processes for Toys and Hardlines in the Japan market to ensure brand integrity and storytelling alignment. Manage and coach a team while collaborating with internal stakeholders and external licensees to drive product innovation and growth.
About Design Leadership careers
Design leaders in 2026 set the strategic vision for design organizations navigating an AI-saturated market. This role requires a balance of craft expertise and high-level business acumen to advocate for design's value at the executive level.
Effective leaders foster a culture of technical agency, establishing systems that allow human creativity and machine efficiency to coexist.
Companies like Stripe and Airbnb seek VPs and Directors of Design who can scale teams and align design strategy with long-term business objectives.
We feature senior leadership positions including Design Directors, Heads of Design, VP of Design, Chief Design Officers, and design team leads at companies like Meta, Google, Airbnb, Stripe, and fast-growing AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. These roles span product design, brand, and cross-functional design organizations.
Many companies offer remote design leadership roles, including distributed-first companies like Notion, Linear, GitLab, and Vercel. AI companies like Midjourney and Anthropic also hire remote design leaders. Some companies prefer hybrid arrangements for VP+ positions.
Most positions require 8–15+ years of design experience with 3–5+ years managing teams. Strong candidates demonstrate strategic thinking, team building, stakeholder management, and a track record of shipping successful products at companies like Figma, Spotify, Netflix, or emerging AI startups. Browse leadership portfolios to see how experienced designers showcase their impact.
Design leadership salaries are highly competitive: Design Directors earn $160k–$240k, VPs of Design $220k–$350k+, and CDOs at major companies can exceed $400k with significant equity packages. AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks often offer premium total compensation. Consult our salary guide for detailed breakdowns.