Designer, The Athletic
Contract
$67-70k
Subscription based publisher of sports content
Open for applications
Subscription based publisher of sports content
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
$67-70k
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To produce smarter coverage for die-hard fans and redefine the way fans get access to sports content by flipping the normal model for sports journalism.
Role
Who you are
- 2 - 3 years of relevant design experience
- Experience with collaboration and working on cross-functional teams
- An outstanding portfolio which showcases a variety of bold, intuitive designs
- Experience developing great user experiences
- A keen eye for detail and a willingness to learn and take feedback constructively
- Proficiency in design tools like Figma and Adobe Creative Suite
- Interest or basic experience in motion design or tools like After Effects is a plus
- Ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and communicate clearly with teammates
- Interest in sports, digital media, or advertising is a strong bonus
- Motivation to grow as a designer and contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team
What the job involves
- The Athletic seeks a highly proactive Designer to join our growing commercial design team
- As a Designer, you will play a central role partnering with world class consumer brands to deliver branded content and innovative interactive experiences on our site and app
- Ou will also help execute those experiences and see them through to final delivery
- There’s ample opportunity here for a multifaceted designer that thrives in a blue-sky environment, and can balance thinking and making, and wishes to help define our company’s principles around sponsor-centric initiatives
- This is a contract to cover for a team member on leave and will end on 2/7/2026
- Create clear, visually engaging designs for campaigns, pitch decks, social media, marketing assets, and digital experiences
- Work collaboratively with senior designers and the wider commercial team to bring partnership ideas to life
- Translate creative briefs and strategic goals into thoughtful design solutions that appeal to brands and readers
- Apply consistent visual styles, typography, and layouts that align with The Athletic’s brand
- Support design projects from concept to final delivery, receiving feedback and iterating with care
- Assist with preparing presentations and mockups for internal and external stakeholders
- Contribute to the design of digital experiences, including basic prototyping and interactive visuals
- Stay curious and engaged with trends in sports media, digital advertising, and design
Our take
The Athletic provides authentic, in-depth coverage written by journalists who know the teams they write about inside out. Its model bucks the trend of traditional sports journalism outfits by asking for a subscription rather than relying on ad-revenue.
Despite initial doubts that users would be willing to pay for sports journalistic content, the Athletic has found significant success and was acquired by the New York times in 2022.
This collaboration was criticised at the time by investors who believed that the Athletic was undersold. However, despite The Athletic operating at a loss since the takeover, it's clear that the New York Times perceives the subscription magazine as a long-term investment, predicting that it will be operating at a profit within the next 4 years. This will be aided by accelerated customer growth and the growing trend of subscription-based sports news.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Jan 2020
$50m
SERIES D
May 2019
$21.8m
SERIES C
Total funding: $139.5m
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Adam Hansmann
(President & Co-Founder)Previously a McKinsey Business Analyst and then Associate at Calera Capital.
Alex Mather
(CEO & Co-Founder)Vice President at startup building a community for athletes called Strava before founding The Athletic
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