YouTube Thumbnail Designer Art Director (Remote)

About the job
We’re looking for a Head of Design to lead our thumbnail designers team, which works with several major YouTube channels, and oversee the concept-selection process across several YouTube channels focused on technology, AI, SaaS, Tutorials, and Educational Content.

You’ll lead our designers team and own concept selection across several channels. Our team and AI tools generate concepts at volume — your job is to decide what wins, direct the team on what to improve, and turn our process into a system that keeps getting better. If you have a proven eye for what drives clicks, can lead and elevate designers, and think in CTR rather than aesthetics, this is a long-term opportunity to shape the packaging of large-scale channels.

Responsibilities

• Mandatory hands-on proficiency with AI design tools (Nano Banana Pro + Midjourney or Flux, or similar), including strong prompt-writing skills. You should be able to engineer and iterate on prompts to consistently raise the quality of generated concepts — not just use the tools, but improve how we use them — and stay ahead of a fast-moving AI landscape.
• Own the concept-selection process: review AI-generated and designer-created concepts and decide what goes into production and A/B testing.
• Direct thumbnail designers with clear, actionable instructions and feedback that raises the quality of the output.
• Run and guide competitor/topic research — identify what’s working in leading thumbnails for each topic and translate it into concept direction.
• Improve our concept workflow: refine prompts, inputs, and references so the concepts get stronger over time.
• Define and maintain A/B testing logic — decide what to test, read the results, and turn wins into repeatable principles.
• Maintain a knowledge base of what works per channel, so the team compounds its learning instead of guessing.
• Ensure title–thumbnail alignment and consistency with each channel’s style and brand guidelines.
• Manage throughput and deadlines across multiple channels and designers.
• Maintain and continuously improve the video packaging strategy.
• Mentor and grow the design team.

Requirements

• Proven track record of thumbnails that improved CTR — you can show results and metrics, not just visuals.
• Strong, demonstrable judgment on what makes a thumbnail win the click: contrast, emotion, readability at small sizes, intrigue, and packaging.
• Ability to articulate why a concept works — you can break thumbnails down into principles, not “I like it / I don’t.”
• Experience leading or directing designers, including giving feedback and resolving creative disagreements with data.
• Hands-on proficiency with AI design tools — such as Nano Banana Pro, Midjourney, Flux, or similar platforms — is required, along with strong prompt-engineering skills. You must be able to create, test, and refine prompts to consistently improve the quality of generated concepts. We’re looking for someone who can not only use these tools effectively but also enhance how we use them while staying current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
• Deep understanding of YouTube CTR, packaging, and A/B testing best practices.
• A data-over-ego mindset: when a test contradicts your taste, you follow the data and figure out why.
• Good English proficiency for briefs, feedback, and team communication.
• Reliable, proactive, and able to manage throughput across multiple channels.

Nice to Have

• Experience packaging tech, AI, SaaS, or educational channels.
• Hands-on design background (Photoshop, Figma, or equivalent) — useful for directing designers precisely.
• Experience building or improving AI concept-generation pipelines.
• Familiarity with face-consistency / character-consistency workflows.
• Experience building design teams or processes from scratch.

What We Offer

• Consistent, long-term work.
• Ownership of the packaging strategy for large-scale YouTube channels.
• A team and toolset already in place — AI generation, research, and designers — for you to lead, not build alone.
• Structured workflows with clear briefs and fast feedback.
• Professional, collaborative remote team.
• Access to the latest AI creative tools and workflows.
• Room to grow with a fast-scaling media company.

Hiring Process
If you’re passionate about creating YouTube thumbnails that win the click, confident in your judgment of what makes people click, and excited to lead a team while developing a rapidly improving AI-powered workflow, we’d love to see your work and learn how you think.