Social Art Director - New York City

HOURGLASS COSMETICS - Social Art Director (Hybrid Role - NYC Based) 

Connected by creativity and driven by purpose. Hourglass Cosmetics is a vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand, redefining luxury cosmetics with high-performance products, innovative formulas, and award-winning franchises. Recognized by Forbes, Fast Company and Time Magazine as one of the most inventive beauty companies, Hourglass leads the industry with its breakthrough products and its commitment to animal welfare. Founded in 2004, Hourglass is globally available in 32 markets and 4,600 doors including Sephora, Ulta, Neiman Marcus, Selfridges, Space NK and more. Hourglass became part of the Unilever Prestige division in 2017. Discover more about the Hourglass brand story and mission on our website hourglasscosmetics.com

The Social Art Director will help shape how Hourglass shows up on social by defining the brand’s next evolution in visual storytelling and creative excellence across platforms. This role will conceptualize social franchises, elevate the brand’s look and feel in line with luxury social trends, and push Hourglass’ storytelling into the cultural conversation. 

A key creative partner to the Creative Director, the Social Art Director will bring a deep understanding of the intersection between beauty, culture, and social media, blending elevated art direction with agility and innovation. This person will concept and direct high-impact social campaigns, refresh the visual identity for social, and lead the creation of content that feels modern, ownable, and distinctly Hourglass. 

The ideal candidate is fluent in both low-fi and high-fi creation, with strong experience shooting, editing, and directing content for Instagram and TikTok. They are equally comfortable leading creative strategy and producing work hands-on. 

 WHAT YOU DO: 

• Partner closely with the Creative Director to define and evolve the Hourglass social aesthetic, creative direction, and visual tone across platforms. 
• Concept, art direct, and oversee the execution of social-first campaigns and content series that align with brand strategy and seasonal priorities. 
• Develop new social franchises and recurring content formats that deepen engagement and brand storytelling, ensuring creative relevance in beauty and culture. 
• Lead creative ideation for both high-production and low-production content, overseeing photoshoot production and art directing shoots. 
• As an in-house photographer, shooting and editing both low-fi and high-fi images and videos yourself.   
• Collaborate closely with the Social team to respond to strategy, creative briefs, and data insights, ensuring content is both visually exceptional and strategically effective. 
• Work closely with the wider Creative team of designers, art directors, video directors, and editors to concept, execute, and deliver world-class creative across all social touchpoints. 
• Guide content creators and designers on art direction, composition, lighting, and post-production to ensure visual consistency and quality. 
• Create and edit content natively within Instagram and TikTok, leveraging in-app tools, trends, and sounds to stay culturally relevant. 
• Maintain a forward view on emerging social and creative trends, competitive landscape, and influencer collaborations, proactively proposing new ideas for how Hourglass shows up in the world. 
• Source and collaborate with external creative partners (photographers, stylists, artists, composers, creators) who align with the Hourglass aesthetic and values. 

 YOU’LL LOVE THIS JOB IF: 

• You are CREATIVE: You think visually, conceptually, and culturally, always looking for fresh ways to tell stories through beauty. 
• You are CULTURALLY TUNED-IN: You know what’s happening in art, fashion, and music, and you can translate those influences into luxury social storytelling. 
• You are HANDS-ON: You love ideating and creating, from sketching concepts to directing shoots to editing final cuts. 
• You are STRATEGIC: You connect creative ideas to brand goals and know how to create content that performs. 
• You are AGILE: You can pivot quickly, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and deliver excellence on tight timelines. 
• You are PASSIONATE ABOUT SOCIAL AND BEAUTY: You live and breathe social, and are passionate about beauty, you understand the artistry, the texture, the light, and how to make it feel aspirational yet real. 

 QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Minimum 5 years of art direction and content creation experience, ideally within luxury beauty, fashion, or lifestyle. 
• Proven experience developing social-first campaigns and content series that drive engagement and align to brand objectives. 
• Advanced understanding of Instagram, TikTok, and emerging platforms, and how to optimize creative for each. 
• Strong portfolio showcasing high-end creative work that bridges luxury aesthetics with cultural relevance. Portfolio must show both content shot by vendors as well as shot by yourself.  
• Skilled in photography, video, editing, and creative storytelling with a sharp eye for lighting, composition, and detail. 
• Experience directing and producing shoots for social, both large-scale and small-scale production. 
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, InDesign) and in-app editing tools for TikTok and Instagram. 
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally with creative, marketing, and social teams. 
• Must be able to work from the New York office at least 60% of the time. 

The expected base salary range for this position is $120,000 to $135,000 per year. The exact base salary is determined by various factors including experience, skills, education, geographic location, and budget.

This position is also eligible for participation in the company discretionary bonus plan, based on personal performance and company results.

In addition to base salary, Hourglass Cosmetics offers a competitive benefits package to eligible employees, including medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, accident insurance, critical illness insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings plans and company match, paid family leave, education-related programs, paid holidays, discretionary vacation time, and more.

Hourglass is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive its business results and to create a better future every day for its diverse employees, global consumers, partners and communities. If you are an individual with a disability and need accommodation in order to apply for a job listing, please contact us at 310-392-7799 or careers@hourglasscosmetics.com.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities.

Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination under Federal law. For more information, please see EEO is the Law.