Design Director - Mona

Mona is seeking a Design Director to lead and shape the organisation’s visual expression across its diverse cultural and commercial activities.

This is a senior, hands-on role suited to a designer with a strong background in brand identity and design-led practice. We are particularly interested in candidates who have developed their craft within design or branding studios, and who bring a rigorous approach to typography, visual systems, and conceptual design, preferably with both cultural and commercial brands.

This is a design-led role rather than a marketing-led one, and will appeal to designers who value ideas, craft, and cultural context.

Reporting to the Director of Business + Brand, the Design Director will lead a small creative team while remaining closely involved in the work itself—setting direction, shaping ideas, and ensuring the quality and integrity of the design produced.

The scope of the role is unusually broad—spanning museum programming, hospitality, accommodation, wine, beer, publishing, and digital products—and requires a designer capable of bringing clarity, coherence, and ambition to complex and unconventional briefs.

Unlike many in-house roles, this position offers significant creative authorship and influence. The Design Director plays a central role in shaping how Mona and its associated ventures are expressed visually—developing ideas, guiding projects from concept to execution, and contributing directly to the cultural and creative identity of the organisation.

As Design Director, you will

• Lead and mentor a small multidisciplinary creative team (designers, content producers, and a copywriter), providing clear direction, constructive critique, and professional development.

• Create an environment where thoughtful ideas and strong design thinking can flourish, while maintaining high standards of craft and execution.

• Set and oversee creative direction across Mona’s visual communications and brand ecosystem, including Moorilla, Domaine A, Moo Brew, Manky Sally’s, Frying Pan and other associated ventures.

• Develop strong conceptual responses to briefs, translating complex ideas into clear and distinctive visual communication.

• Work hands-on across a wide range of design outputs—from brand identities and visual systems to publications, digital platforms, and environmental graphics—contributing directly to major projects and setting the creative benchmark for the team.

• Act as custodian of Mona’s visual identity, ensuring consistency, quality, and design integrity across all channels and touchpoints.

• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Digital, and senior stakeholders to translate strategic objectives into considered and compelling creative work.

• Work in partnership with the Communications Director to shape and evolve Mona’s broader creative direction and voice.

• Manage multiple projects concurrently, balancing creative ambition with timelines, budgets, and organisational priorities.

• Refine creative processes, studio workflows, and systems to support the delivery of high-quality work.

We are looking for someone who enjoys the process of developing ideas—through discussion, critique, iteration, and collaboration—and who is comfortable guiding others through that process.

About you

• You are an experienced design leader with a strong conceptual approach to problem-solving and a deep respect for craft. You are comfortable guiding a small team while remaining closely connected to the work itself.

• You bring clarity of thought, confidence in your judgement, and the ability to translate ideas into strong visual outcomes.

• You enjoy the responsibility of shaping both the direction of the work and the development of the people creating it.

• You are comfortable participating in and leading constructive design critique, and see this process as essential to producing strong creative work.

You will bring

• Significant experience within a design or branding studio environment, working in roles such as Senior Designer, Design Director, Art Director, or Creative Director.

• A portfolio demonstrating conceptually strong design work, including brand identities, publications, digital design, typographic systems, or visual identities.

• Exceptional visual design and typographic skills.

• Experience leading or mentoring a small creative team.

• Strong conceptual thinking and the ability to translate complex ideas into clear and distinctive visual communication.

• Experience delivering projects from concept through to execution across print, digital, and environmental formats, preferably executed across both cultural and commercial projects.

• The ability to articulate and defend creative decisions through thoughtful critique and collaboration.

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• High proficiency in relevant design tools and workflow platforms (including Asana or similar).

• A genuine interest in art, music, and contemporary culture.

• A tertiary qualification in Design, Fine Arts, or a related discipline (preferred).

Applying

Please submit your portfolio and CV, along with a brief cover note outlining your interest in the role.

Your portfolio should demonstrate your design thinking, conceptual approach, and contribution to the work, not just final outcomes.

Mona is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.