Creative Director
Leadership Creative role at northwoodspace. Los Angeles, CA · full-time · $150,000–$200,000 base.
Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Shape Northwood’s visual identity and keep it aligned with the company’s ambition and technical work
- Create and direct materials for investors, customers, recruiting, announcements, and the website
- Turn complex space systems into clear visual stories for customers, partners, regulators, and talent
- Lead photo, video, and design production across internal teams and outside creative partners
- Build reusable visual frameworks that help the company scale its output consistently
What you bring
- At least ten years in visual design, branding, or art direction, supported by a strong multi-format portfolio
- A record of creating and refining brand systems rather than only working within established guidelines
- Hands-on command of design tools plus the ability to take concepts through presentation, web, print, photo, and video execution
- Experience managing agencies, photographers, filmmakers, or other outside creative partners while retaining direction and quality control
- Strong judgment for turning technical subjects into credible visual stories and making decisions when information is incomplete
Who this fits
You’ll suit this role if you can move between making the work yourself and directing others, while partnering with founders and senior leaders on consequential communications. The role is based in Los Angeles and requires on-site work five days per week, with extended hours and weekends when needed. You must obtain and maintain a Top Secret Security Clearance and meet the listing’s U.S. space-technology export eligibility requirements.
From the employer
Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.
Role:
We are looking for a Creative Director to define how Northwood shows up in the world. You will partner closely with the CEO, founding team, and Head of Communications to build and execute our visual presence from the ground up.
You’ve taken ideas from first principles through to final production, aligning stakeholders and making tradeoffs without diluting quality. You operate fluidly between hands-on work and creative direction, leading internal efforts and external partners with equal clarity. You set the bar and ensure the work meets it, acting as the creative through-line across everything Northwood puts into the world.
Responsibilities:
Define and evolve Northwood’s visual identity, ensuring it reflects the vision, ambition, and clarity of the systems we build.
Concept and art direct major external touch points—from investor materials and announcements to customer-facing collateral, recruiting assets, and web presence.
Translate complex technical systems into clear, compelling visual narratives that can be understood by diverse audiences, including customers, partners, regulators, and talent.
Partner closely with the Head of Communications to bring Northwood’s narrative to life visually, ensuring alignment between what we say and how we show up.
Direct photo, video, and design production, working with external creatives (photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, agencies) to execute at a high level of quality.
Decide when to build in-house versus through external partners, and lead external engagements as the creative authority—setting direction, giving feedback, and maintaining a consistent standard.
Develop repeatable visual systems and frameworks that allow Northwood to scale its output without losing coherence or quality.
Act as a creative partner to leadership, shaping how the company communicates in high-stakes moments where clarity and credibility matter.
Establish and uphold a high bar for craft across all outputs, from small artifacts to flagship moments.
Qualifications:
10+ years of experience in visual design, brand, or art direction, with a portfolio that demonstrates a high bar for quality across different mediums.
Experience defining and evolving visual identity systems, not just executing within existing ones.
Strong conceptual thinking paired with the ability to carry ideas through to high-quality execution across formats (presentation, web, print, photo, video).
Hands-on proficiency in design tools and workflows; you are comfortable making the work yourself when needed.
Experience directing external partners (agencies, photographers, filmmakers, etc.) and maintaining creative control through production.
Ability to translate complex or technical concepts into clear, credible visual narratives for sophisticated audiences.
Strong creative judgment and the confidence to make decisions with incomplete information, especially in high-stakes or ambiguous situations.
Experience working closely with senior leadership or founders, with an understanding of how to shape company-level communication and perception.
Additional Requirements:
This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, we encourage you to initiate the application process promptly upon accepting this offer. Your ability to secure the necessary clearance is essential for fulfilling key responsibilities of the role. Should you be unable to obtain it, Northwood Space reserves the right to modify or terminate your employment to align with optional needs.
Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
This role requires being on-site 5 days per week
Compensation:
Compensation at Northwood Space is based on role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary depending on job-related skills, education, experience, and technical expertise. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Northwood. In addition to base salary, Northwood Space offers long-term incentives such as company stock options and discretionary performance bonuses. Benefits include equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, flexible spending accounts, flexible time off, 10 or more paid holidays per year, retirement savings plans, and opportunities for professional development.
Additional Information:
If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.