Digital Design Lead

About the role:
Morningstar's Creative Services team is looking for an experienced Lead Digital Designer with a genuine commitment to building exceptional, user-centered digital experiences. In this role, you'll lead design work across our digital platforms, collaborating with Creative Services peers, the Corporate Digital Web team, and cross-functional partners in marketing, product, and technology. Through thoughtful, high-impact design, you'll help shape Morningstar's global web presence - taking complex ideas and making them clear, useful experiences that serve both investors and clients.
The ideal candidate is AI-fluent-playing a key role in advancing how AI is thoughtfully applied within the design practice-helping explore, pilot, and lead the adoption of AI-enabled tools and workflows that augment design thinking, accelerate iteration, and improve clarity-while upholding Morningstar's standards for quality, ethics, brand integrity, and human-centered design.
This position is based in our Chicago office and follows a hybrid model with a minimum of four days onsite. We intentionally prioritize in-person collaboration, as we've found it strengthens creative quality, alignment, and team momentum.
Our creative culture:
Morningstar is a collaborative environment where creative roles work across disciplines and regions with a strong commitment to craft. Our design heritage is rooted in helping people around the world make confident investing decisions. We work as integrated teams - sharing feedback, solving problems together, and supporting each other's growth. We look for team members who bring good judgment, empathy, and a collaborative mindset to every project, and who can navigate business trade-offs and competing priorities while maintaining Morningstar's standard of design excellence. The Creative Services team embraces brand consistency and increased efficiency by building design systems and leaning into AI for scale and innovation.
Job responsibilities:

• Design a wide range of digital content - web experiences, design systems, data visualizations, and interactive experiences.

• Take an active role in the design process from discovery through delivery, helping shape B2B solutions that engage and inform.

• Apply strong core design skills - especially in typography, composition, information hierarchy, and data visualization - to create delightful, engaging experiences that reinforce the Morningstar brand.

• Proven fluency with AI-enabled content workflows, including experience evaluating, piloting, or operationalizing AI tools that improve content quality, efficiency, or governance.

• Solve challenging information and communication design problems and be able to present multiple concepts for consideration, with sound rationale.

• Contribute to competitive assessments and gather inputs that inform strategy and creative direction.

• Present and defend design solutions to cross-functional teams, be open to feedback and know how and when to defend design choices that balance business goals.

• Incorporate Morningstar design systems, brand standards, and digital best practices while educating both stakeholders and engineers.

• Connect and communicate with other design teams within Morningstar.

Qualifications:
Design

• 7+ years of experience designing digital products, interactions, large-scale websites, or applications.

• Experience contributing to and managing design systems, with the ability to educate stakeholders and partners on standards and best practices.

• Bachelor's or master's degree in digital/visual design, a related field, or equivalent experience.

• Strong skills in information hierarchy, typography, and data visualization.

• Ability to present design solutions clearly to project teams and stakeholders.

Communication & Collaboration

• Experience leading cross-functional projects that balance innovation and usability, with the ability to listen and anticipate needs from multiple teams.

• Comfortable presenting and defending design decisions to senior stakeholders and translating design rationale into business and user impact.

• Proven ability to build alignment across disciplines - including marketing, product, and engineering - while navigating competing priorities and feedback.

Work Style & Leadership

• Flexible and able to manage multiple projects and shifting priorities in a fast-moving environment.

• Self-directed and comfortable working independently, leveraging modern tools-including AI- to improve focus, efficiency, and the quality of design output.

• Experience mentoring or leading peers; interest in people leadership is a plus.

Tools & Technology

• Advanced proficiency in Figma and other design and prototyping tools.

• Familiarity with CMS platforms (Contentstack is a plus), HTML, and CSS.

• A working knowledge of AI-assisted design and productivity tools, and a sense of how to use them responsibly to augment creativity, efficiency, and decision-making.

How to apply:
Please include a portfolio of work you're most proud of, so you can tell stories about your experience and impact. We're interested in your designs and want to understand how you work with a team to solve problems.
Compensation and Benefits
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That's why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health
  
  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
  • Stock Ownership Potential
  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
• Physical Health
  
  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
• Emotional Health
  
  • Trust-Based Time Off
  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
  • Adoption Assistance
  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
  • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
  • Tuition Reimbursement
• Social Health
  
  • Charitable Matching Gifts program
  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program
  • Paid volunteering days
  • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range
$95,275.00-139,741.66
Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
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