Art director

Rate is one of the nation’s top retail mortgage lenders, delivering a seamless, tech-driven experience that helps customers reach their homeownership and financial goals. Founded in 2000 and based in Chicago, Rate is licensed in all 50 states and D.C. and has helped over 2 million homeowners with a wide range of loan products, competitive rates and personalized service. With 5,000+ employees across 300+ offices and 12+ subsidiaries, Rate’s Loan Officers rank among the best in the country. From purchases and refinances to tapping into equity, Rate makes financing faster, simpler and less stressful. Our technology — including Same Day Mortgage, the Rate App, FlashClose℠, MyAccount and the Language Access Program — has earned recognition from HousingWire, Scotsman Guide, NerdWallet, the Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business. Learn more at rate.com.

Job Profile:

Art Director

Job Description Summary:

Pay Range: $90k-$100k

Job Description:

About the role Rate is looking for a strategic, hands-on Art Director to join our Creative team. This role is ideal for a strong conceptual designer who can develop a big idea, build a cohesive visual system around it and carry that thinking through to polished final execution. You’ll work across a wide range of channels with a strong emphasis on digital, social and campaign work. You’ll partner closely with Creative Directors, designers, copywriters, project managers, video and marketing partners to create work that feels elevated, intentional and distinctly Rate. This is a fast-paced, high-volume environment, so we’re looking for someone who combines strong creative judgment with organization, ownership and proactive communication. You should be comfortable navigating ambiguity, solving problems independently and moving work forward without sacrificing quality.

What you’ll do

• Concept and execute creative from initial idea through final production
• Develop campaign concepts, visual identities and scalable design systems that work across multiple channels
• Lead creative across paid and organic social, digital, email, OOH, print, events, partnerships and other brand touchpoints
• Translate business objectives and creative briefs into thoughtful, compelling visual solutions
• Remain hands-on in the work while also providing clear art direction and feedback to other designers
• Partner with copywriters and other creative team members to build cohesive concepts and brand stories
• Present work to Creative leadership and cross-functional stakeholders with confidence and clearly articulate the thinking behind creative decisions
• Own projects throughout the full creative process, including concept development, internal reviews, revisions, production and final delivery
• Manage multiple projects and priorities while meeting agreed-upon timelines and maintaining a high level of craft
• Proactively communicate project status, workload, risks and timeline concerns before they impact delivery
• Come prepared to creative reviews with work, context, questions and clear next steps
• Maintain strong visual consistency across campaigns while identifying opportunities to evolve and elevate the Rate brand
• Ensure final work is accurate, polished, production-ready and aligned with brand standards
• Help develop and improve creative systems, templates and processes that allow the team to work efficiently and consistently
• Stay current on design, advertising, social, motion and cultural trends and bring relevant inspiration back to the team

What we’re looking for

• 6–7+ years of experience in art direction, brand design or a related creative role within an agency, studio or in-house creative team
• A strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, polished execution and the ability to develop creative systems across digital, social and integrated campaigns
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Adobe Firefly, with the ability to incorporate generative AI thoughtfully into the creative process
• Advanced proficiency in Figma, including design systems, auto layout, Figma Buzz and Figma Motion, with the ability to build scalable, production-ready creative
• Strong proficiency in After Effects, with experience developing motion graphics, animation and digital content
• Experience storyboarding and concepting motion-first creative, with a strong understanding of how static ideas translate into animation
• Excellent typography, composition, layout, color and visual storytelling skills with a consistently high standard for craft and detail
• Experience developing campaign identities and carrying a cohesive visual idea across multiple formats, channels and deliverables
• Strong understanding of digital and social-first creative, including paid media, organic social, email, web and OOH
• Ability to move fluidly between concepting, hands-on design, motion and AI-assisted production, selecting the right tools and approach for each project
• Experience providing clear art direction and constructive feedback to designers
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate creative thinking and confidently present work to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders
• Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity and move projects forward with minimal direction while knowing when to ask questions or escalate concerns
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, shifting timelines and high-volume workloads without sacrificing quality
• Proactive, clear communicator who raises workload, timing or project risks before they impact delivery
• Strong sense of ownership, accountability and follow-through from kickoff through final production
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to receive feedback, adapt quickly and help elevate the work of the broader creative team
• Strong working knowledge of web, email and UX design principles, including responsive design, hierarchy and channel-specific limitations
• Demonstrated curiosity around emerging creative technologies and AI tools, with the ability to use them to improve concepting, iteration and production efficiency while maintaining brand consistency

What success looks like

You bring strong ideas to the table and know how to turn them into polished, scalable creative. You understand when a project needs a big conceptual idea and when it needs a smart, repeatable system. You’re able to guide other creatives while still jumping into the work yourself. You communicate early, eliminate surprises and take ownership of your projects from beginning to end. When something is unclear or at risk, you ask questions and raise concerns before they become problems. You’re comfortable balancing multiple priorities, adapting when things change and maintaining a high creative standard even in a fast-moving environment. Most importantly, you help make both the work and the creative team stronger.

Additional Job Description Summary:

Rate is an Equal Opportunity Employer that welcomes and encourages all applicants to apply regardless of age, race, sex, religion, color, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or parental status, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy or other reason protected by law. The company offers a comprehensive benefits program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; critical care insurance; personal accidental insurance; commuter benefits; pet insurance; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program); and other supplemental benefits (e.g. legal planning assistance; identity theft protection; pet insurance; wellness resources). Please click this link to learn more about our benefit offerings for Washington State: Benefit Offerings for Washington State