How to hire a lead designer

How to hire a lead designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a lead designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a lead designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a lead designer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a lead designer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a lead designer that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of lead designer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Lead Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$37-74
   Designer/Art Director	An art director collaborates with the design and art staff for books, public relations firms, advertising agencies, or newspaper publishers. Art directors create designs and layouts that embody the organization and send the message they want the audience to get... Show more	$28-75
   Graphic Designer, Marketing	A graphic designer of marketing specializes in developing creative imagery as part of a company's marketing efforts. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with the marketing team to share insights and strategies, conceptualizing designs in adherence to objectives and deadlines, and preparing presentations... Show more	$16-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • User Experience
   • Architecture
   • UI
   • Design Solutions
   • Project Management
   • CSS
   • Client Facing
   • Lead Design
   • Design Concepts
   • Web Design
   • HTML
   • CAD
   • Design Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead development of HTML5, CSS3 and mobile platform prototypes.
   • Lead team in fit meetings and collaborate with TD on sketch updates.
   • Lead & design all creative content stemming from apparel design to web identity.
   • Prepare HTML, CSS and JavaScript coding guides and best practices, and implement, enforce through peer code reviews.
   • Provide expertise skills in CSS, dynamic HTML, java script, and Java development languages.
   • Develop interactive UI features, database schema design, security module design and development.

   More lead designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your lead designer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A lead designer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a lead designer in Montana may be lower than in California, and an entry-level lead designer usually earns less than a senior-level lead designer. Additionally, a lead designer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average lead designer salary

   $110,001yearly

   $52.89 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead designer salary

   $78,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average lead designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$153,913	$74
   2	Washington	$126,688	$61
   3	Arizona	$124,599	$60
   4	Oregon	$116,872	$56
   5	District of Columbia	$110,273	$53
   6	New Jersey	$108,029	$52
   7	Utah	$107,490	$52
   8	Colorado	$107,290	$52
   9	Virginia	$106,145	$51
   10	Massachusetts	$106,040	$51
   11	New York	$103,164	$50
   12	Texas	$100,767	$48
   13	Michigan	$100,713	$48
   14	Pennsylvania	$100,568	$48
   15	Connecticut	$98,582	$47
   16	Missouri	$98,069	$47
   17	Illinois	$97,668	$47
   18	Nebraska	$96,768	$47
   19	North Carolina	$95,539	$46
   20	Minnesota	$95,023	$46

   Average lead designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Airbnb	$178,429	$85.78
   2	Meta	$175,915	$84.57	268
   3	Waymo	$165,015	$79.33	5
   4	DoorDash	$162,908	$78.32	49
   5	Google	$161,321	$77.56	91
   6	eBay	$159,701	$76.78	2
   7	Grubhub	$159,654	$76.76
   8	Aspiration	$155,830	$74.92
   9	Atlassian	$155,827	$74.92	7
   10	The Walt Disney Company	$155,767	$74.89	28
   11	Apple	$155,433	$74.73	52
   12	Microsoft	$152,074	$73.11	43
   13	Square	$150,570	$72.39
   14	Walmart	$149,967	$72.10	28
   15	Duolingo	$146,890	$70.62	7
   16	CHANEL	$145,488	$69.95
   17	Nike	$145,109	$69.76	104
   18	Ziff Davis	$142,268	$68.40
   19	Warner Bros.	$141,507	$68.03	10
   20	Roblox	$141,193	$67.88	12

4. Writing a lead designer job description

   A lead designer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a lead designer job description:

   Lead designer job description example

   JP Morgan Chase is taking on an exciting adventure creating checkout and other payments solutions with a solid design foundation. As a Lead Designer you will come on board as a co-owner to help create checkout and the design system that powers it.
   Responsibilities
   Define design guidelines and best practices to be used across all ecosystems Create, maintain, and evolve design system tokens and components Work with engineering and product to make sure the design system is 1:1 across all platforms Collaborate with designers, product owners, and engineers to create new features Communicate design system updates and their intentions Build a design system community by hosting Office Hours and Q&As Advocate for the design system and its proper use Announce design system updates and socialize them amongst designers Take and incorporate designer feedback for the design system Identify, scope, and implement high impact opportunities for the design system Ensure all UI and experiences are accessible Write documentation
   Qualifications
   Experience working on at least two design systems A deep understanding of tokens and how to manage them A large attention to detail. You "sweat the small stuff" The ability to own and manage a design project from start to end Fluency in Figma best practices Being highly collaborative Experience working on a design system across platforms: iOS, Android, Web, etc Bonus: Specific experience with relevant financial tech UI
   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the oldest financial institutions, offers innovative financial solutions to millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Our history spans over 200 years and today we are a leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management.
   
   We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
   
   The health and safety of our colleagues, candidates, clients and communities has been a top priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. JPMorgan Chase was awarded the "WELL Health-Safety Rating" for all of our 6,200 locations globally based on our operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.
   
   As a part of our commitment to health and safety, we have implemented various COVID-related health and safety requirements for our workforce. Employees are expected to follow the Firm's current COVID-19 or other infectious disease health and safety requirements, including local requirements. Requirements include sharing information including your vaccine card in the firm's vaccine record tool, and may include mask wearing. Requirements may change in the future with the evolving public health landscape. JPMorgan Chase will consider accommodation requests as required by applicable law.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find lead designers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your lead designer job on Zippia to find and recruit lead designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with lead designer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new lead designer

   Once you've selected the best lead designer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new lead designer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a lead designer?