Senior Art Director (Product) — North Actionsports

Location: Katwijk, Netherlands (On-site)

Department: Creative / Graphic Design

Reports To: Chief Brand Officer

Employment Type: Full-Time

The Role in a Nutshell

At North Actionsports, home to iconic watersports brands including North Kiteboarding, North Foils, North Windsurfing, and Mystic, we design and build world-class equipment for riders who demand the highest levels of performance and reliability. Everything we create, from first concept to final production, is driven by innovation, precision engineering, and a deep connection to life on the water.

As the Senior Art Director (Product), you will hold the ultimate creative vision for how the North and Mystic brands are manifested across our entire product portfolio. You are the strategic and creative anchor, sitting at the intersection of brand strategy, product management, and visual execution. While the Product Graphic Designer focuses on the execution of graphics, colorways, and seasonal artwork, you define the overarching visual philosophy, brand design language, and identity systems that guide them.

This is a high-level creative leadership role that requires a master storyteller who understands how brand ethos translates into physical hardgoods. You will oversee the visual direction of our equipment, ensuring that every harness, wetsuit, Kite, Wing, foil component, and control bar feels the part.

What You Will Be Working On

You will lead the high-level visual and artistic direction across the full North hardgoods and Mystic equipment range, including:

• Kites, wings and sails.
• Kiteboards, foil boards and windsurf boards.
• Hardware, control bars, and foils
• Wetsuits, harnesses, and impact vests
• Accessories, gear bags, and travel luggage
• Apparel and water wear

Key Responsibilities

1. Overarching Creative Vision & Brand Governance

• Define, evolve, and guard the long-term product visual identity, design language, and brand DNA for the designated brands within North Actionsports.
• Author and maintain comprehensive product-level visual guidelines, ensuring scalability and consistency across multiple seasons and product families.
• Translate macro-level brand strategies into concrete, inspiring design directions that the product graphic design team can execute.

2. Seasonal Direction & Strategy

• Conceptualize and launch the annual and seasonal creative frameworks (mood boards, conceptual themes, narrative directions, and signature design elements).
• Oversee and sign off on the annual color architecture and graphic systems developed by the product graphic design team, ensuring they align with the brand’s premium market positioning.

3. Creative Leadership & Team Mentorship

• Act as the direct creative mentor to Product Graphic Designers, guiding their execution from initial concepts to factory-ready artwork.
• Foster an environment of creative excellence, pushing boundaries in material expression, finishes, and branding techniques.
• Review prototypes, pre-production samples, and final product layouts to ensure absolute alignment with the approved artistic vision.

4. Cross-Functional & Category Alignment

• Partner closely with Category Directors and Product Managers to align artistic vision with commercial priorities, launch timelines, and market opportunities.
• Serve as the primary creative bridge between the Marketing/Brand team and the Product Development team, ensuring the product looks as impactful on the water and in retail as it does in global marketing campaigns.

5. Technical & Manufacturing Collaboration

• Collaborate with Technical Leads and Technical Designers to deeply understand the constraints of specialized materials (neoprene, composites, hardware alloys).
• Ensure that high-level creative ambitions are grounded in real-world feasibility, durability, and on-water performance without sacrificing aesthetic integrity.

Who You Are

• Experienced Leader: 5+ years of relevant experience in creative direction, art direction, or premium graphic design leadership, ideally within the action sports, outdoor gear, or premium performance equipment industries.
• Visionary Storyteller: A proven track record of building cohesive, multi-season visual identity systems for physical products. You know how to make a product tell a story through its form, finish, and branding.
• Aesthetic Authority: Exceptional eye for typography, color theory, material expression, and minimalist, high-performance aesthetics.
• Strategic & Collaborative: Able to command a room, present complex creative concepts to executive stakeholders, and effortlessly collaborate with technical engineers and factory suppliers.
• Watersports Enthusiast: A deep, authentic connection to watersports (kiteboarding, foiling, windsurfing, or surfing). You understand the culture, the riders, and how equipment needs to perform under extreme conditions.

Why Join North

• Shape an Icon: Hold the creative keys to the visual future of some of the most respected brands in watersports.
• See Your Vision in Action: Watch your concepts go from mood boards to being pushed to the absolute limit by world-class athletes on the water.
• Thrive on Progression: Work within a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment surrounded by people who live and breathe the sport.
• Beautiful Location: Work from our creative hub in the Netherlands, a stone’s throw from world-class riding spots.

How to Apply

This is an on-site role based in the Netherlands.

Please share your CV, a motivation letter, and a link to your portfolio (demonstrating comprehensive product branding, art direction, or advanced graphic systems) with Mequisa@northasg.com and thenuri.gajaweera@northasg.com by 10th of July 2026.

Apply Here

Apply Here

North Actionsports is looking for a Marketing Intern in the Netherlands

Do you dream of working in the kite or foil industry?
You don’t think Lord of Tram and KOTA are new Netflix shows?

👉 Then this internship might just be what you are looking for!

📍 Location: Katwijk, The Netherlands
📅 Duration: 6 months, starting in summer 2026

Your Missions

Your main role will be to support the Marketing team and assist in launching new collections.
You’ll also work closely with our Digital Marketing Manager, Country Marketing Manager, and Creative Content Producer. I promise an internship that will give you insight into all facets of marketing!

What We’re Looking For

✅You must be enrolled at an EU University for the entire duration of the internship and have the right to work in the Netherlands without sponsorship

✅You are fluent in speaking and writing in English (Dutch is a plus, but not required)

✅A genuine interest in marketing, project management, and social media

✅Someone highly organized and able to juggle multiple projects at once

✅A proactive, independent person who’s eager to learn

✅A strong motivation to join the outdoor sports industry; if you kite or foil, that’s a big plus!

Why Join Us?

🌊 Work for North, a leading brand in the market, within a team of passionate riders

🌍 Join a young, dynamic, and international team

🍽️ Free meals at the office

🚴‍♂️ Commuting allowance

If this sounds like you, send an email in English with a short introduction and your CV to:
📩Lauriane@northasg.com and Niamh.murray@northasg.com by the 07th of June 2026.

As an E-commerce / Digital Marketing Intern, you will have the opportunity to work closely with our experienced team to gain insight into the world of E-commerce and Digital Marketing. You will contribute to various projects and initiatives, learn the latest digital marketing strategies, and assist in managing our online store. This internship will provide you with practical skills and a comprehensive understanding of the digital marketing landscape.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in the creation and management of digital marketing campaigns, including CPC, email marketing, and social media.
• Conduct market research and analyse data to identify trends and opportunities.
• Collaborate with our content and design teams to create engaging online content.
• Support the management of our E-commerce website, including product listings, pricing, and inventory management.
• Monitor and report on website and social media analytics, providing insights for improvement.
• Assist in optimising our website for better search engine rankings (SEO).

 

Requirements:

• Student HBO in your 3rd or 4th year
• Minimum 4 days per week available for a minimum of 3 months
• You are interested in digital marketing and want to broaden your e-commerce horizons.
• Affinity with board sports (kite, wind, surf, wake), not mandatory, but very enjoyable!
• Commercial awareness and market knowledge
• Enthusiastic and hands-on mentality team player
• Fluent in English both verbal and written 

 

What we offer:

• An international environment that respects diversity, equality, and individuality
• Working in a dynamic and quickly growing organisation, active in more than 70 countries
• Trainee salary: €540 per month (based on 40 hours per week)
• Employee Discount
• Lunch at work
• Lots of fun, get-togethers, and parties
• Time on the water with your colleagues

Send your motivation and resume to: leander@northasg.com

*This position is open again from July 2026.

Join our e-commerce team as a Digital Design Intern and play a key role in improving the usability and online presence of our e-commerce platforms. You’ll gain hands-on experience in optimising user journeys, designing intuitive interfaces, and crafting visual assets to strengthen our brand’s online presence. Help shape our platform while learning practical skills and gain experience in designing for an e-commerce landscape.

 

Responsibilities:

• Help create digital marketing campaigns, including email marketing and social media content.
• Ensure the brand identity is consistent across all platforms.
• Assist in maintaining design libraries and systems.
• Learn and grow with feedback and mentoring from other UX designers, graphic designs and Digital Specialists.
• Have a good eye for photography and learn to choose the best content for online campaigns.

 

Requirements:

• Currently a 3rd or 4th-year digital design student.
• Good in Figma and basic knowledge of Photoshop, and ideally other Adobe Creative Suite tools.
• Interest in board sports (kiteboarding, windsurfing, surfing, wakeboarding) is a plus, but not required.
• Minimum 4 days per week available for a minimum of 3 months.
• Enthusiastic and hands-on mentality team player.
• Strong in English both verbal and written.

 

What we offer: 

• An international environment that respects diversity, equality, and individuality.
• Working in a dynamic and quickly growing organisation, active in more than 70 countries.
• Trainee salary: €540 per month (based on 40 hours per week).
• Employee Discount.
• Lunch at work.
• Lots of fun, get-togethers, and parties.
• Time on the water with your colleagues.

Send your motivation and resume to: leander@northasg.com