Brand Designer (mid-level)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Brand Designer (mid-level)

Company: QIMA

Location: Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Marketing / Creative Operations

Date Posted: October 1, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Execute and scale QIMA's brand identity across global marketing, digital, and commercial touchpoints, ensuring visual consistency and impact.

• Collaborate on the development and expansion of QIMA's design system, creating practical templates and components for internal teams.

• Deliver high-quality day-to-day design assets for social content, press materials, presentations, event collateral, and more, aligning with business objectives.

• Partner with the Senior Brand Designer on complex projects and manage direct briefs with internal stakeholders, contributing to design intake and prioritization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a Marketing/Creative Operations context, focusing on brand execution, system development, and stakeholder collaboration to drive consistent visual communication for a global organization. The emphasis on "practical systems, templates, and ways of working" suggests a strong operational component to the design function.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design System & Brand Consistency:

  • Collaborate on QIMA’s design system, building and extending templates, guides, and components to meet evolving needs.
  • Adapt the design system for new tools, brands, formats, and use cases, ensuring asset consistency, practicality, and ease of use for global teams.
  • Proactively identify inefficiencies, unclear processes, or redundancies in the design workflow and propose actionable improvements.

• Day-to-Day Design Delivery:

  • Produce compelling design work for social media content, press releases, corporate presentations, event materials, and various recurring marketing and communication needs.
  • Create clear, polished, and on-brand assets that directly support key business priorities such as product launches, marketing campaigns, demand generation initiatives, and internal/external stakeholder communications.
  • Work autonomously from project briefs, demonstrating initiative to ask clarifying questions regarding requirements, target audience, and desired business outcomes when necessary.

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Partnership:

  • Partner closely with the Senior Brand Designer on high-priority and complex projects requiring strong conceptual thinking, meticulous execution, and robust stakeholder alignment.

  • Engage directly with internal stakeholders to manage briefs, establish realistic timelines, gather feedback, and execute revisions effectively.

  • Develop capabilities in design intake and prioritization processes, contributing to the team's focus on high-value and urgent design requests.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of tactical design execution and strategic operational contribution. The expectation to "spot what is slow, unclear, or repeated in the design workflow and propose better ways of working" indicates a need for process improvement thinking, aligning with Revenue Operations and GTM efficiency principles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field is typically expected for a mid-level role.

Experience: 3 to 5 years of professional experience in brand design, graphic design, or a similar creative role, with a preference for in-house or corporate environments.

Required Skills:

• Multidisciplinary Design Expertise: Proven experience across brand identity development, digital design (social media, web assets), presentation design, print collateral, and image editing.

• Core Design Tools Proficiency: Strong, hands-on working knowledge of Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), and Canva.

• AI-Assisted Workflows: Fluent and practical experience using AI design and content tools, specifically Claude and ChatGPT, with a demonstrated ability to quickly adopt new AI technologies.

• Design System Acumen: Comfort and experience working within established design systems, with the ability to contribute to their evolution and adaptation.

• Autonomous Work Capability: Proven ability to work independently from project briefs, interpret requirements, and deliver high-quality results without constant step-by-step guidance.

• Problem-Solving & Adaptability: A flexible, solution-oriented mindset capable of navigating constraints and shifting priorities effectively.

• Organization & Reliability: Demonstrated self-organization, reliability, and a commitment to meeting deadlines and follow-through on tasks.

• Curiosity & Business Acumen: A genuine desire to understand the target audience and underlying business objectives behind design deliverables.

• Client-Focused Communication: Comfortable and effective in direct communication with internal stakeholders, adept at asking insightful questions, and providing clear updates.

• Professional English Proficiency: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English for effective collaboration across international teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Video & Motion Graphics: Experience in video editing, motion graphics, or creating short-form video content.

• Additional Languages: Proficiency in languages other than English would be advantageous for global collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) is a significant differentiator, indicating QIMA's forward-thinking approach to creative operations and efficiency. The requirement for a portfolio demonstrating business outcomes, not just aesthetic quality, is crucial for operations-focused roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Business Impact Demonstration: Showcase a portfolio that clearly illustrates how design work has contributed to tangible business outcomes, such as successful brand launches, impactful campaigns, lead generation efforts, or effective commercial communications.

• Project Scope & Variety: Include examples that span the breadth of responsibilities: brand identity execution, digital assets (social, web), presentations, event materials, and template creation.

• Design System Contribution: If possible, provide examples of work that involved adapting or contributing to a design system, highlighting the practical application of brand guidelines.

• Problem/Solution Articulation: For each portfolio piece, be prepared to articulate the initial brief, the design challenges encountered, the solutions developed, and the resulting impact or learnings.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Optimization Examples: Be ready to discuss how you've analyzed and improved design workflows, making them more efficient or consistent, particularly in a multi-stakeholder or international environment.

• Template & Asset Management: Demonstrate understanding of how to create and manage reusable design assets and templates that empower non-designers to maintain brand consistency.

• AI Integration Case Studies: Prepare to discuss specific instances where AI tools were used to enhance design processes, accelerate delivery, or improve output quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations roles, a portfolio is not just a showcase of aesthetics but a demonstration of process, efficiency, and impact. The ability to articulate how design supports business goals and how processes were improved is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Mid-level Brand Designer with 3-5 years of experience in Madrid, Spain, the estimated annual salary range is between €30,000 and €45,000. This range accounts for the cost of living in Madrid, the company's international presence, and the specialized skills required, including AI tool proficiency.

Benefits:

• Hybrid Work Model: Offers flexibility with a blend of in-office and remote work, promoting work-life balance.

• Global Collaboration: Opportunity to work with international teams across Europe, Americas, and Asia, fostering cultural awareness and diverse perspectives.

• Professional Development: Potential for growth within the design team, including increased responsibility in project prioritization and strategic input.

• Creative Environment: A role within a growing company focused on trust and quality, with opportunities to contribute to brand evolution.

• Standard Spanish Benefits: Likely includes social security contributions, paid time off (vacation and holidays), and other statutory benefits as per Spanish labor law.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work arrangement allowing for flexibility in scheduling and location, balanced with in-office collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on publicly available data for similar roles in Madrid and considers the specific requirements of the job description, particularly the AI tool proficiency and international scope. QIMA's specific benefits package would need to be confirmed during the application process.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry, with a focus on ensuring product safety and quality across various sectors including Consumer Products, Food & Agrifood, Cosmetics & Personal Care, and Pharma & Biotech.

Company Size: QIMA employs over 6,000 people worldwide, indicating a substantial global organization with established processes but also a dynamic, growing environment. This size suggests opportunities for impact and structured career progression.

Founded: While the founding date isn't provided, the company's description as a leader with a platform built on significant data points suggests a mature, established entity that has scaled significantly.

Team Structure:

• Marketing Department: The role is within the Marketing department, implying close collaboration with marketing strategists, content creators, and campaign managers.

• Design Team Integration: The Brand Designer will work within a design team that includes a Senior Brand Designer, suggesting a hierarchical structure with mentorship opportunities.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role necessitates strong partnerships with internal stakeholders across various departments (commercial, communications, etc.) and international teams in Europe, Americas, and Asia.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Insights: QIMA leverages over 500 million real-world data points to provide actionable insights for clients, suggesting a culture that values data and evidence in decision-making.

• Human Expertise & Technology: The company combines on-the-ground human expertise with intelligent technology, indicating an approach that values both skilled individuals and efficient tools.

• Client-Centric Approach: A core value is a passion for clients, emphasizing a focus on delivering value and meeting client needs effectively.

Company Website: https://www.qima.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: QIMA's position as a leader in the TIC industry, coupled with its global reach and data-driven approach, suggests a professional and results-oriented environment. The emphasis on "integrity and simplicity" points to a culture that values transparency and efficiency.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is classified as Mid-level, typically requiring 3-5 years of experience. It bridges the gap between junior execution and senior strategic leadership. For a Brand Designer, this level involves taking on more complex projects, managing stakeholder relationships directly, and contributing to process improvements, moving beyond solely executing tasks to influencing how work is done.

Reporting Structure: The Brand Designer will report to the Senior Brand Designer. This structure allows for direct mentorship, guidance on complex projects, and a clear path for skill development within the design function. Collaboration will extend to various internal stakeholders across different departments and regions.

Operations Impact: While primarily a creative role, the Brand Designer's impact is operational through:

• Brand Consistency: Ensuring a unified and professional brand image across all global touchpoints, which directly supports marketing effectiveness and customer perception.

• Efficiency Gains: Developing and maintaining design systems, templates, and efficient workflows that enable marketing and commercial teams to operate more smoothly and quickly.

• Stakeholder Enablement: Providing clear, on-brand assets that empower internal teams to communicate effectively, supporting sales, marketing campaigns, and corporate messaging.

• Strategic Contribution: By understanding business goals and audience needs, the designer's work directly contributes to achieving marketing objectives and supporting commercial success.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Potential to grow into a more senior role focused on owning and evolving the design system, becoming a subject matter expert.

• Project Management: Opportunity to take on more complex projects, managing them from brief to completion with increasing autonomy and strategic input.

• Specialization: Potential to develop deeper expertise in areas like motion graphics, video, or digital product design, especially if the team expands in these areas.

• Cross-functional Influence: Gaining experience in design intake and prioritization can lead to roles with more strategic influence on marketing operations and brand strategy.

• International Exposure: Continued work with global teams can build valuable experience in cross-cultural communication and global brand management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a solid foundation for growth within a global marketing and operations framework. The emphasis on process improvement and AI integration suggests a forward-looking career path that aligns with evolving industry demands.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work environment, combining in-office collaboration with remote flexibility. This model is designed to balance team cohesion and in-person brainstorming with individual focus and work-life balance.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Madrid, Spain, specifically within the Community of Madrid. This location offers access to a vibrant city and a European hub for business.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Space: The office environment likely facilitates in-person collaboration, team meetings, and brainstorming sessions, particularly important for design reviews and strategic alignment with the Senior Brand Designer and other stakeholders.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva) and AI tools is expected, supporting efficient and modern design practices.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities to interact with the Senior Brand Designer, marketing colleagues, and potentially other internal stakeholders, fostering a dynamic and communicative work atmosphere.

Work Schedule: The standard working hours are 40 per week, with the hybrid model offering flexibility in how these hours are structured and where they are performed, provided business needs and collaboration requirements are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model at QIMA in Madrid is designed to foster both focused individual work and dynamic team collaboration, crucial for a role that bridges creative execution with operational efficiency and cross-functional communication.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Focus on your CV (in English) and portfolio. Ensure your CV highlights relevant experience and skills, and your portfolio clearly demonstrates the required qualifications and business impact.

• Screening Call: A potential initial call with HR or a hiring manager to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and understand your career aspirations.

• Design Assessment/Case Study: Expect a practical design exercise or a case study that requires you to apply your skills to a hypothetical QIMA-related challenge. This will likely involve using core tools (Figma, Adobe Suite, AI) and presenting your approach and rationale.

• Portfolio Presentation & Stakeholder Interview: A more in-depth session where you present your portfolio, discuss your design process, explain how your work achieved business outcomes, and answer questions about your experience with design systems, AI tools, and stakeholder management. You'll likely meet with the Senior Brand Designer and potentially other marketing or design leads.

• Final Interview: Possibly a final conversation with a department head or senior leader to confirm cultural fit, strategic alignment, and overall suitability for the role and company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Impact: Select projects that best showcase your ability to connect design with business objectives (e.g., campaign success, brand growth, demand generation).

• Showcase Process: For each project, briefly outline the brief, your thought process, challenges, solutions, and the outcomes. Include sketches, wireframes, or early concepts if relevant to demonstrate your approach.

• Highlight Tool Proficiency: Clearly indicate the tools used for each project, especially Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and AI tools.

• Design System Examples: If you have experience with design systems, showcase how you've worked within or contributed to them.

• AI Integration: If possible, include a project where AI tools played a significant role in your workflow or output.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and accompanied by clear, concise descriptions. Use English for all materials.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand QIMA's Brand: Research QIMA's current branding, target audience, and business objectives. Familiarize yourself with their website and marketing materials.

• Practice AI Workflows: Be prepared to demonstrate your proficiency with Claude and ChatGPT in a design context. Think about how you would use them for ideation, content generation, or even design exploration.

• Design System Thinking: Review common design system components and best practices. Consider how you would adapt or extend a system for a growing global company.

• Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating your design decisions and rationale clearly and persuasively, as if presenting to internal clients with varying levels of design understanding.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio demonstrating business outcomes and proficiency with AI tools is critical. Candidates should prepare to articulate not just what they designed, but why and how it contributed to business goals.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and creating scalable UI/UX assets. Proficiency expected for UI design, component building, and design system integration.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Core suite including Illustrator (vector graphics, logo work), Photoshop (image editing, manipulation), and InDesign (layout, print collateral, presentations).

• Canva: Required for its ease of use, template-based design, and accessibility for quick content creation, especially for social media and internal presentations.

Analytics & Reporting: While not a primary focus for this design role, understanding how design impacts metrics (e.g., engagement rates on social media, conversion rates on landing pages) is beneficial. Designers may interact with analytics dashboards to understand performance.

CRM & Automation: Designers may create assets for CRM-driven campaigns or marketing automation platforms, requiring an understanding of asset requirements for these systems.

AI & Content Tools:

• Claude & ChatGPT: Non-negotiable requirements. Expected to be used for idea generation, content refinement, drafting copy for design assets, and potentially exploring AI-driven design workflows.

• Emerging AI Design Tools: Demonstrated willingness and ability to quickly adopt and integrate new AI tools as they become relevant to the design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for AI tool proficiency (Claude, ChatGPT) is a significant indicator of QIMA's modern approach to creative operations and efficiency. Designers are expected to leverage these tools to enhance productivity and output.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Client-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and serving the needs of internal stakeholders and ultimately, QIMA's external clients, ensuring design work directly supports business objectives.

• Integrity & Simplicity: Values that translate into clear, honest communication and straightforward, effective design solutions. Avoidance of unnecessary complexity in processes and deliverables.

• Data-Driven Decisions: While a design role, there's an expectation to understand and contribute to efforts that are informed by data and aimed at measurable outcomes.

• Efficiency & Agility: A culture that values smart ways of working, leveraging technology (especially AI) and streamlined processes to achieve results quickly and effectively.

• Collaboration: Emphasis on working together across teams and geographies, sharing knowledge, and supporting colleagues to achieve common goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The design team works closely with marketing, communications, and commercial departments, requiring effective communication and understanding of diverse departmental needs.

• Feedback & Iteration: An environment that encourages constructive feedback and iterative design processes to refine work and ensure alignment with stakeholders.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that promotes sharing best practices, learnings from design projects, and insights gained from using new tools or methodologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core values of integrity, simplicity, and client-centricity, combined with a data-driven and efficient operational approach, define QIMA's culture. Designers are expected to embody these values in their work and interactions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Global Brand Consistency: Maintaining a cohesive brand identity across diverse markets and cultures requires careful execution and understanding of regional nuances.

• Balancing Speed & Quality: Delivering high-quality design work efficiently within tight deadlines, especially in a fast-paced international environment.

• Integrating AI Effectively: Continuously learning and applying new AI tools to enhance workflows without compromising creative integrity or brand standards.

• Stakeholder Management: Effectively managing expectations, gathering clear briefs, and incorporating feedback from a wide range of internal stakeholders with varying design knowledge.

• Evolving Design Systems: Keeping design systems up-to-date and practical for a growing organization with diverse needs.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI Tool Training: Opportunities to deepen expertise in AI-assisted design and content generation tools.

• Design System Ownership: Potential to take on more responsibility for the design system's architecture, maintenance, and documentation.

• Cross-Disciplinary Projects: Exposure to different marketing campaigns, product launches, and communication initiatives, broadening design experience.

• Mentorship from Senior Designer: Direct guidance and learning from a more experienced designer on complex projects and strategic thinking.

• International Collaboration Skills: Developing nuanced communication and project management skills for global teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a mid-level designer in a global organization, offering significant opportunities for professional growth in areas like AI integration, process optimization, and strategic brand management.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used AI tools (like Claude or ChatGPT) to improve a design project's efficiency or outcome. What was the impact?" (Focus on practical application and quantifiable results.)

• "How would you approach ensuring brand consistency for a new product launch across multiple regions with different market nuances?" (Demonstrate understanding of global branding and stakeholder management.)

• "Walk us through a complex design project from your portfolio. What was the business problem, your process, the key decisions you made, and the final results?" (Prepare a concise narrative focusing on business impact and problem-solving.)

• "How do you prioritize design requests when multiple stakeholders have urgent needs?" (Showcase organizational skills, communication strategies, and understanding of business value.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about QIMA's mission and the TIC industry? How do you see design contributing to our goals?" (Research QIMA's website and industry position.)

• "Describe your ideal work environment and how you collaborate with colleagues from different departments." (Align your response with QIMA's emphasis on collaboration, integrity, and client focus.)

• "How do you stay updated on the latest design trends and AI technologies?" (Demonstrate continuous learning and proactive skill development.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each project as a narrative – the challenge, your solution, and the impact.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data or metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, conversion rates, positive feedback).

• Tool Demonstration: Be ready to briefly explain or showcase how specific tools, especially Figma and AI applications, were used effectively.

• Concise Explanations: Keep your descriptions clear, direct, and focused on the value delivered. Avoid jargon where possible, or explain it clearly.

• Engage the Interviewer: Ask clarifying questions and be prepared to discuss alternative approaches or answer hypothetical scenarios related to your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skills, but also an understanding of business objectives, operational efficiency, and the ability to leverage modern tools like AI for impactful results.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on SmartRecruiters.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your multidisciplinary design skills, experience with core tools (Figma, Adobe Suite, Canva), AI proficiency, and ability to connect design to business outcomes. Ensure your portfolio is in English.

• Tailor Your CV: Update your CV to highlight your 3-5 years of relevant experience, focusing on brand design, digital, presentations, social media, and any experience with design systems or AI workflows. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, problem-solving approach, and the business impact of your work for each portfolio piece. Be ready to discuss your experience with AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT.

• Research QIMA: Familiarize yourself with QIMA’s mission, industry, brand identity, and values to tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.