The posting
We’re looking for a Senior Art Director with a great eye, sharp conceptual instincts, and a deep foundation in design. At sweetgreen, you’ll take an idea from first thought to a fully realized visual world, one that makes real food feel craveable, current, and unmistakably ours. You’ll shape how the brand looks and feels across our restaurants, our menu launches, our partnerships, and the culture we show up in.
You should be as comfortable developing a campaign concept as you are adjusting type by three points. You care about the big idea and the craft that makes it land.
What you’ll do
- Develop original concepts and visual ideas for brand and campaign work, from seasonal menu launches to chef and brand partnerships
- Translate ideas into ownable visual worlds across film, photography, social, digital, OOH, print, and the restaurant experience itself
- Establish visual direction across typography, composition, color, photography, illustration, and motion, and protect the sweetgreen identity while pushing it forward
- Design and art direct hands-on, from early explorations and moodboards through final execution, building comps, layouts, storyboards, and presentations that bring the thinking to life
- Partner closely with copywriters so concept and visual execution feel inseparable
- Art direct photo and film shoots, working with our in-house Photographer & Content Specialist as well as directors, stylists, and external partners, and make sure the food always looks real, fresh, and appetizing
- Extend campaign ideas into cohesive systems that flex across channels and markets without losing their point of view
- Manage, mentor, and give clear, thoughtful feedback to designers and junior creatives, raising the craft bar across the team
- Present and defend creative thinking clearly to internal teams and senior stakeholders
- Stay close to culture, food, art, design, fashion, photography, film, and emerging visual languages, and bring what you see back to the work
What we’re looking for
- 6-7+ years of art direction and design experience, ideally at a leading creative agency or a highly regarded in-house creative team
- A portfolio that shows exceptional taste, conceptual thinking, and visual craft
- Deep understanding of typography, layout, hierarchy, composition, color, and image-making
- Strong graphic design skills and the ability to execute your own ideas at a high level
- Experience creating integrated campaigns across multiple channels and formats
- Strong understanding of photography and film, with experience directing shoots from concept through post
- Experience leading or mentoring designers or junior creatives
- Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
- An understanding of motion and how visual systems behave beyond static design
- Strong presentation skills and the ability to explain the thinking behind your decisions
- The ability to work independently, self-edit, and push an idea further without constant direction
- A collaborative, low-ego approach and a genuine desire to make the work better
- A passion for food, sustainability, and culture is a plus
The person
You have taste, and you can explain why something works. You’re conceptual, but you’re also a maker. You can see the world of a campaign before it exists, then work through every detail required to make it real. And you make the people around you better.
What you'll get:
- Highly competitive pay + bonus plan
- Three different medical plans to suit your and your family's needs
- Dental and Vision insurance
- Flexible PTO plan
- 401k program
- Employee HSA and FSA
- Complimentary greens
- An opportunity to make a real impact on the people around you, both by growing them and by connecting them to real food
- To live the sweetlife and celebrate your passion + purpose
- A collaborative team of people who live our core values and have your back
- A clear career path with opportunities for development, both personally and professionally
- Free sweetgreen swag
Come join the sweetlife!
About sweetgreen
Sweetgreen is a national restaurant brand dedicated to building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Since 2007, Sweetgreen has reimagined fast food to be fresh, flavorful, and rooted in relationships with farmers and communities. As we grow, we are committed to developing our people in our restaurants and at our support center, so that everyone can be part of the movement. When you join Sweetgreen, you not only invest in your own future but help create spaces where food, people, and purpose come together
Salary range for this role:
Starting salary range based on experience
$110,000—$147,000 USD
Sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for all employees and applicants, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service in the uniformed services of the United States, or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.
California residents: Review our applicant privacy notice HERE.
sweetgreen participates in the federal government's E-Verify program to determine employment eligibility. To learn more about the E-Verify program, please click here.
