What is a design chief and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a design chief. For example, did you know that they make an average of $49.68 an hour? That's $103,343 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 6,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreDesign ChiefUS Average
Salary
7.7

Avg. Salary $103,343

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
4.2

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 10.42%

Black or African American 3.42%

Hispanic or Latino 10.63%

Unknown 4.99%

White 70.17%

Gender

female 25.20%

male 74.80%

Age - 37
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37
Stress Level
4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.5

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.9

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a design chief

  1. Explore design chief education requirements

    Most common design chief degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.5 %

    Associate

    15.5 %

    Master's

    11.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific design chief skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Website Design9.92%
    Design Process9.15%
    User Experience6.80%
    Product Design6.74%
    CSS5.91%
  3. Complete relevant design chief training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New design chiefs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a design chief based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real design chief resumes.
  4. Research design chief duties and responsibilities

    • Manage REVIT models for various BIM projects including updating, cleaning, and linking arch models for MEP design.
    • Create and present artwork and PowerPoint presentations for senior management, the sales and marketing group, and dealer viewing.
    • Compile PowerPoint presentations for trend inspiration and verification involving motion and music.
    • Elicit and gather user and business requirements through design sessions, brainstorming and prototyping.
  5. Prepare your design chief resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your design chief resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a design chief resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Design Chief Resume templates

    Build a professional Design Chief resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Design Chief resume.
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  6. Apply for design chief jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a design chief job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Design Chief Job

Zippi

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Average design chief salary

The average Design Chief salary in the United States is $103,343 per year or $50 per hour. Design chief salaries range between $45,000 and $233,000 per year.

Average Design Chief Salary
$103,343 Yearly
$49.68 hourly

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How do design chiefs rate their job?

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Design Chief reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Creativity, Innovation, Intact Brand Integrity through Brand Guidelines


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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