Brand Design Lead, Brand Studio

As a leader within Motive’s Brand Studio, you will guide brand design excellence across a globally distributed organization. This role combines hands-on creative direction with mentorship, and includes evolving processes and AI-assisted workflows to scale a consistent visual identity worldwide.

Role Overview

You will lead brand design within Motive’s Brand Studio, establishing craft and consistency standards while supporting campaign creative direction, brand initiatives, and stakeholder alignment. The position also focuses on building scalable design systems and documentation, ensuring the brand system is applied effectively across regions, channels, and formats.

Responsibilities

• Lead brand design in Motive’s Brand Studio, setting a high bar for craft, consistency, and brand expression.
• Drive visual creative direction for campaigns, activations, and brand initiatives in partnership with Brand Studio and Marketing leadership.
• Provide hands-on design leadership for key moments, supporting concept and creative direction presentations to stakeholders and executives.
• Ensure Motive’s brand system is consistently and effectively applied across regions, channels, and formats.
• Manage, mentor, and grow a distributed team of designers across the US, Mexico and Pakistan.
• Define design standards, feedback rituals, and development paths to improve team performance and morale.
• Facilitate cross-time-zone collaboration to maintain clarity, alignment, and creative cohesion.
• Serve as a trusted creative partner to regional and global marketing teams.
• Evolve Brand Studio processes to support global scale, speed, and quality.
• Build and maintain scalable design systems, toolkits, and documentation that enable teams to move faster without losing brand integrity.
• Evaluate and develop AI-assisted creative workflows across ideation, exploration, localization, and production, using emerging tools thoughtfully.
• Work with Product Design, Marketing Ops, Content, and other teams to ensure creative workflows integrate with broader marketing systems and processes.
• Translate marketing and business objectives into visual concepts and creative solutions.
• Present and articulate design rationale, creative strategy, and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Balance creative ambition with practical execution, timelines, and resource considerations.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in graphic design, brand design, or creative roles, including 2+ years leading, mentoring, or managing designers.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating world-class identity design, brand systems, campaign design, and integrated marketing work.
• Ability to stay hands-on while providing creative direction, mentorship, and leadership to other designers.
• Proven experience leading and developing designers across regions or time zones.
• Figma-first mindset with deep expertise using Figma for collaborative design, system building, and team workflows.
• Experience building or evolving design systems and scalable creative processes.
• Strong conceptual thinking paired with exceptional attention to craft and detail.
• Ability to sell creative ideas and influence stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including comfort presenting to executive audiences.

Tools

• Figma

Compensation

USD 163,000 - 236,000 per year. Compensation is determined by geographic zone and includes the following ranges:

• San Francisco, California: $171,000 - $236,000 USD
• U.S. metropolitan areas: Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City Area, Seattle, Washington D.C.: $163,000 - $225,000 USD
• Other locations in the United States: $163,000 - $225,000 USD

Benefits

• Health, pharmacy, optical and dental care benefits
• Paid time off
• Sick time off
• Short term and long term disability coverage
• Life insurance
• 401k contribution
• Restricted stock units may be included in total compensation for certain roles

Location & Work Setting

San Francisco, CA (onsite).

Additional Information

• Motive values a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an equal opportunity employer.
• Please review the Candidate Privacy Notice and UK Candidate Privacy Notice (links provided by the employer).
• Applicants must be authorized to receive and access commodities and technologies controlled under U.S. Export Administration Regulations; Motive requires employees to be authorized to receive access to Motive products and technology.
• Some interviews or new-hire training sessions may be held in person at one of Motive’s global offices.