Manager, Design - Beauty

Job Overview

The Manager, Design leads creative strategy and visual storytelling for the Macy's Beauty brand, driving the development of compelling, customer-centric design that strengthens brand equity and supports business objectives. This role partners closely with the Creative Director to shape and execute digital campaigns, ensuring consistent, impactful storytelling across channels.

The Manager, Design provides creative leadership, elevates the quality of work across the team, and fosters innovative thinking through thoughtful creative risk-taking and strong design execution. This role oversees the development and production of digital creative assets, art directs still-life and on-figure photography, and ensures all content reflects the highest standards of brand expression and visual excellence.

Reporting to the Creative Director, Beauty, this role collaborates with partners across Creative, Content & Strategy, Marketing, Digital Experience, Project Management, and Photo Studio teams to deliver integrated and culturally relevant customer experiences.

What You Will Do

Manage, mentor, and develop a team of 2–3 designers by providing day-to-day creative direction, prioritization, coaching, and performance feedback.
Lead the design and production of digital creative assets across the Beauty business, ensuring work is visually compelling, brand-right, accurate, and delivered on time.
Develop and execute creative concepts for Beauty campaigns, digital experiences, editorial content, promotions, and other marketing initiatives.
Translate creative briefs, business objectives, customer insights, and industry trends into impactful visual solutions.
Art direct still-life and on-figure photography, overseeing concept development, shoot planning, execution, and final asset delivery.
Create mood boards, visual references, shot lists, and creative briefs that clearly communicate the desired aesthetic and brand vision.
Partner with photographers, stylists, producers, retouchers, and cross-functional teams to ensure photography aligns with creative direction, brand standards, and business goals.
Manage the Beauty image library, ensuring photography and creative assets are organized, accessible, properly documented, and readily available for marketing and digital use.
Ensure current photography and creative assets are integrated across digital, editorial, social, and marketing initiatives.
Collaborate with copywriters, designers, photographers, and creative partners to develop cohesive, customer-focused campaigns and experiences.
Maintain visual consistency across all customer-facing channels while upholding Macy's Beauty brand standards.
Partner with Creative Directors and cross-functional stakeholders to align creative work with strategic objectives and customer messaging.
Own projects from concept through execution, proactively identifying opportunities, mitigating risks, and driving successful outcomes.
Stay current on beauty, fashion, design, photography, advertising, and cultural trends, incorporating relevant insights into creative solutions.
Introduce innovative ideas, emerging technologies, and new approaches to visual storytelling and design.
Leverage AI-powered creative tools, where appropriate, to support ideation, concept development, image creation, retouching, and content production while maintaining brand and quality standards.
Present creative concepts, recommendations, and design rationale clearly and confidently to creative and business partners.
Foster an environment of acceptance and respect that strengthens relationships, and ensures authentic connections with colleagues, customers, and communities.
In addition to the essential duties mentioned above, other duties may be assigned.

Skills You Will Need

Beauty Expertise & Trend Awareness – Strong knowledge of the beauty industry, including makeup, skincare, fragrance, and emerging beauty trends. Ability to translate beauty trends, consumer behaviors, and cultural insights into relevant and compelling visual creative.

Design & Visual Storytelling – Strong understanding of typography, layout, composition, color, hierarchy, photography, and visual storytelling, with a sophisticated eye for beauty imagery.

Creative Concepting & Ideation – Ability to develop creative concepts from brief through execution and translate strategic objectives into visually engaging work.

Digital Design & Production – Strong experience developing digital creative and managing a high volume of day-to-day assets across multiple channels and formats.

Art Direction & Photography – Strong experience directing still-life and on-figure photography, including concept development, mood boards, shot lists, shoot direction, and final image review.

Image Production & Retouching – Strong understanding of image production and post-production workflows, including retouching, color, image quality, file preparation, and final asset delivery.

Advertising & Campaign Development – Experience developing integrated advertising and marketing creative across digital and other customer-facing channels.

Trend Awareness – Strong knowledge of beauty, fashion, retail, design, advertising, photography, and cultural trends, with the ability to translate relevant trends into commercially compelling creative.

Leadership & Mentorship – Ability to lead, coach, mentor, and inspire a small team while providing clear creative direction, constructive feedback, and support.

Collaboration & Communication – Excellent communication, presentation, organization, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across creative and business teams.

Project Management – Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders while maintaining a high level of creative quality and attention to detail.

Tools & Technology – Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign; proficiency in Figma and other contemporary design tools preferred.

AI & Emerging Technology – Experience using AI-powered tools in design, advertising, photography, or creative production is a plus, with curiosity and willingness to explore emerging AI workflows and their application to creative development.

Who You Are

Candidates with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in a related field are encouraged to apply. 4–6 years of experience in design, advertising, art direction, or a related creative discipline, with demonstrated experience leading projects and/or mentoring designers.

This role involves performing essential job functions such as communication, collaboration, and use of office and computer systems. Responsibilities include the ability to access and review written and electronic information, and to move within the work environment and interact with workplace materials as needed to carry out job responsibilities.
Able to work a flexible schedule based on department and company needs.