Junior Art Director

About Cymbiotika At Cymbiotika, we believe that wellness starts with trust. That’s why we’re committed to creating supplements that are not only effective but also transparent. From the moment you pick up one of our products, you’ll know exactly what’s inside—no hidden ingredients, no confusing labels. We take pride in using only the highest-quality ingredients, carefully sourced and backed by science, to ensure you’re getting the best of nature and innovation in every supplement.

We understand that health is personal, which is why our supplements are designed to work with your body, not against it. By focusing on bioavailability and using advanced liposomal delivery systems, we ensure that your body can absorb and use the nutrients to their fullest potential. Our goal is simple: to help you feel your best, with products you can trust, made with ingredients you feel good about.

With Cymbiotika, you’re not just taking a supplement—you’re joining a community of people who value wellness, science, and the power of transparency. We’re here to empower you on your journey to better health, every step of the way.

Role Overview

As Junior Art Director, Omni-Channel & Retail Support, you will own the creative pipeline for retail, partnership, and packaging — leading a team of four while operating with the independence and judgment of someone on the direct path to Art Director. You will be trusted to run retail and packaging creative largely end to end, from concept through production-ready files, and to represent creative in cross-functional rooms with R&D, retail partners, and operations.

You will guide the visual direction of retail campaigns, product launches, and packaging across new and lifecycle SKUs, while mentoring a small team of designers. Because so much of retail today lives on digital shelf — retailer.com PDPs, Amazon, partner sites — this role also requires real digital design fluency, not just physical packaging and print. In addition to delivering best-in-class creative yourself, you will play the key role in translating brand and retail strategy into cohesive, production-ready creative across every retail, digital, and packaging touchpoint.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Direction & Retail/Packaging Leadership

• Own concept development and visual direction for retail campaigns and partnership creative.
• Build concept toolkits based on retail concepting and cascade them across the retail/packaging team.
• Direct packaging design across new product launches and lifecycle updates (cartons and packets).
• Provide art direction and final review for retail displays, in-store signage, and POS/threshold ads.
• Maintain brand consistency across retail and packaging touchpoints, including partnership/customer lockups and badges.

Cross-Functional & Compliance Collaboration

• Partner directly with R&D to manage SFPs and COAs through the packaging production process.
• Interface with retail, wholesale, and investor relations partners on decks and sell sheets.
• Manage die-line and print production files and the associated print vendor relationships.
• Support education/wholesale decks, sell sheets, investor decks, and PR materials with retail-ready creative.

Design Execution & Oversight

• Lead execution of PDP pages (Cymbiotika and retail), product renders, and in-store renders.
• Oversee retail packaging assistance, print materials, and insert design.
• Direct and quality-check AI-generated image workflows for renders and packaging concepts.
• Own delivery of threshold ads and partnership in-store signage.

Team Management & Mentorship

• Manage and mentor a team of four: Sr. Graphic Designer, Graphic Designer, Retail Display Designer, and Sr. Packaging Designer.
• Provide structured feedback, creative direction, and project guidance across retail and packaging workstreams.
• Own workload prioritization and act as the first point of escalation for the retail/packaging pod.
• Partner with project management to protect production timelines (die-lines, print vendors, regulatory labeling) as critical path.

Innovation & Process Development

• Champion AI-generated image and rendering workflows for packaging and retail.
• Improve packaging production workflows, templates, and die-line/file organization systems.
• Identify scalable creative solutions for retail and packaging that support company growth.

Additional Duties: Perform other related duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned based on business needs and organizational priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Packaging Design, Visual Communication, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5–7+ years of design experience with a strong portfolio spanning packaging, retail, print, and digital; CPG, wellness, or beauty industry experience strongly preferred.
• Working digital experience (PDP pages, landing pages, digital/social ads, email) — retail creative increasingly lives on digital shelf and partner sites, so comfort designing for both physical and digital retail touchpoints is required.
• Proven experience managing and mentoring a team of designers, ideally including at least one senior-level direct report.
• Direct experience owning packaging from concept through die-line/print-ready files, including regulatory and compliance coordination (COAs, labeling).
• Skilled in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator/InDesign essential for packaging), Figma, and AI-generated image/rendering tools.
• Strong understanding of brand strategy, retail merchandising, and packaging structure and production.
• Demonstrated readiness for Art Director-level ownership — comfortable operating with minimal oversight and representing creative in cross-functional and leadership conversations.
• Collaborative, with experience working directly with R&D, retail/wholesale, and operations teams.

Work Location & Schedule

This position follows an enforced hybrid schedule, requiring team members to be present in our San Diego, California office at least four days per week (Monday–Thursday). Fridays are available for remote work. This role also requires attendance at all in-person monthly team meetings and quarterly company events.

Physical Requirements

This role primarily involves office-based work and requires the ability to occasionally lift, carry, or move items up to 20–30 pounds, such as files or office supplies. Employees should be able to sit or stand for extended periods and perform frequent computer-based tasks, including prolonged exposure to a computer screen.

Compensation & Total Rewards

The salary range for this position is $105,000-115,000 annually. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.

Cymbiotika offers a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support employee wellness, growth, and work-life balance. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage with employer-paid plan options, 401(k) with company match, paid holidays and PTO, flexible work-from-home Fridays, wellness and fitness perks, employee product discounts, catered team lunches, team-building events, and additional lifestyle benefits!