Director, Design MSNBC & E! News

Company Description

NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Our impact is rooted in improving the communities where our employees, customers, and audiences live and work. We have a rich tradition of giving back and ensuring our employees have the opportunity to serve their communities. We champion an inclusive culture and strive to attract and develop a talented workforce to create and deliver a wide range of content reflecting our world.

Comcast NBCUniversal has announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company ('Versant') comprised of most of NBCUniversal's cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. The well-capitalized company will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. The spin-off is expected to be completed during 2025.

Job Description

MSNBC and E! News are two iconic brands with passionate audiences and distinct voices. We’re looking for a seasoned Product Design Director to lead the user experience and visual design for our digital platforms, including websites and mobile apps. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of premium news and entertainment experiences — combining sharp editorial storytelling with modern digital design.

As the Product Design Director, you’ll be responsible for delivering innovative, audience-focused design solutions that meet user needs and business goals. You’ll lead a team of designers, collaborate cross-functionally, and drive a clear vision for how MSNBC and E! News engage digital audiences at scale.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the end-to-end design strategy for MSNBC and E! News digital products — across web and mobile platforms
• Manage and mentor a team of designers, fostering creativity, accountability, and a user-first mindset
• Partner with product, engineering, editorial, and marketing to define and deliver elegant, functional, and scalable experiences
• Develop and maintain design systems that reflect each brand’s unique identity and ensure consistent UX/UI across all digital touchpoints
• Translate complex editorial and content requirements into clear, usable, and beautiful design solutions
• Champion user-centered design through research, usability testing, and continuous iteration
• Stay on top of emerging design trends, audience behaviors, and platform innovations in both news and entertainment
• Advocate for accessibility, responsive design, and cross-platform best practices
• Support experimentation, personalization, and potentially AI-driven features to deliver smarter, more relevant user experiences

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience leading a team of designers for digital media companies
• Experience with successful outcomes for digital products, reaching millions of users, such as growth in users, subscriptions, revenue, customer satisfaction scores etc.
• 5+ years of experience hiring, managing, and mentoring successful product designers
• Experience with designing personalized products or AI features and using new AI prototyping tools would be a plus

You demonstrate:

• Proven track record managing high performing team(s) of in-house designers who were embedded in Pods, Agile or Scrum teams
• Design best practices, integrating UX Research and building meaningful customer experiences
• Expertise in design research with a dedicated human-centered approach to problem solving
• Strong experience in product discovery and design thinking, in particular leading design workshops with cross-functional stakeholders
• Excellent communication and presentation capabilities, articulating ideas effectively and without bias
• High energy level and a strong work ethic, someone who is self-driven
• Systems-thinking mindset, with deep knowledge of cross-platform design & visual system creation and effective implementation