Creative Designer - Team Lead - Paytm Ads

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Creative Designer - Team Lead - Paytm Ads

Company: Paytm

Location: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Job Type: On-roll, Full-Time

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations

Date Posted: July 24, 2026

Experience Level: 8-10 years (with 1-2 years in a lead role)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the visual communication and creative strategy for Paytm Ads' in-app advertising campaigns and marketing collateral development.

• Lead and mentor a team of junior designers, ensuring high-quality output and adherence to brand guidelines and campaign objectives.

• Collaborate extensively with business, marketing, product, and account management teams to translate campaign briefs into impactful, performance-driven creative assets.

• Drive creative A/B testing and performance optimization initiatives, leveraging ad performance metrics to inform design iterations and enhance campaign effectiveness.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the role is titled "Creative Designer - Team Lead," its focus on ad performance metrics (CTR, eCPM), cross-functional collaboration with business and product teams, and optimization of ad creatives for a digital advertising platform positions it strongly within the realm of Marketing Operations or Creative Operations, with a significant GTM (Go-To-Market) impact. The emphasis on process streamlining and template development for a self-serve platform further reinforces this operational aspect.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design process for all in-app ad creatives, including banners, static visuals, and video snippets, ensuring alignment with brand identity and campaign goals.

• Develop and execute creative strategies for marketing collaterals such as case studies, sales decks, social media content, and other promotional assets for both merchant and consumer-facing campaigns.

• Manage, mentor, and provide constructive feedback to a team of junior designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance design environment.

• Act as the primary design liaison between the Ads team and internal stakeholders (category teams, account managers, product owners), ensuring clear communication of campaign objectives, timelines, and design requirements.

• Initiate and manage bi-weekly A/B testing of creative assets, analyzing performance metrics (CTR, eCPM) to derive actionable insights and drive continuous improvement in creative effectiveness.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of creative guidelines, templates, and best practices for Paytm's self-serve advertising platform to ensure visual consistency and scalability.

• Maintain design consistency across all touchpoints and platforms within the Paytm Ads ecosystem, ensuring a cohesive brand experience for users and advertisers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a blend of creative leadership and operational oversight. The inclusion of "Creative Testing & Performance Optimisation" and "Process & System Design" with specific mention of A/B testing and self-serve platform development suggests a strong operational component beyond purely creative execution, aligning with modern Marketing Operations functions that bridge creative output with performance outcomes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Marketing, or a related field is typically preferred for roles of this seniority and scope. Demonstrated through portfolio and experience. Experience:

• 8-10 years of comprehensive experience in creative design, visual communication, or digital advertising design.

• Minimum of 1-2 years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or managerial role, demonstrating the ability to guide and mentor a design team.

• Proven experience working with cross-functional teams, including business, marketing, product management, and sales stakeholders.

• Experience in an ad-tech, digital marketing, or performance marketing environment is highly preferred.

• Previous experience working with external clients or brand teams is a valuable asset. Required Skills:

• Creative Direction & Strategy: Ability to define and execute a compelling visual strategy that aligns with business objectives and brand guidelines.

• Visual Communication: Exceptional ability to translate complex ideas and campaign briefs into clear, engaging, and persuasive visual assets.

• Team Management & Mentorship: Proven experience in leading, guiding, and developing junior designers, providing constructive feedback, and managing team workflow.

• Adobe Creative Suite Proficiency: Expert-level skills in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Premiere Pro for creating a wide range of digital assets, including static graphics, animations, and video content.

• Figma Proficiency: Strong command of Figma for collaborative design workflows, prototyping, and creating scalable design systems.

• A/B Testing & Performance Analysis: Understanding of creative testing methodologies and the ability to interpret ad performance metrics (e.g., CTR, eCPM) to drive design improvements.

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, manage expectations, and build strong working relationships.

• Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize tasks, and meet tight deadlines consistently.

• Portfolio Presentation: Ability to articulate design choices, process, and outcomes effectively through a strong visual portfolio.

Preferred Skills:

• Motion Graphics & Animation: Basic knowledge or working experience in motion graphics and animation principles, with a plus for proficiency in tools beyond After Effects.

• Performance Marketing Acumen: Deep understanding of performance marketing principles and how creative impacts campaign results.

• Brand Identity Development: Experience in developing or maintaining brand guidelines for digital platforms.

• Self-Serve Platform Design: Familiarity with designing for or contributing to the development of user-friendly self-serve platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Qualifications" section has been expanded to detail specific types of experience and skills crucial for a lead role in a performance-oriented creative operations function. The emphasis on both creative tools (Adobe Suite, Figma) and analytical skills (A/B testing, performance metrics) highlights the operational nature of this design leadership position.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Comprehensive Visual Showcase: A strong, well-curated portfolio is paramount, demonstrating a breadth of work including: *

In-app ad creatives (banners, interstitials, various formats).

• Marketing collateral (sales decks, case studies, social media graphics).

• Video snippets or animated ad examples.

• Examples of creative testing or iteration based on performance data.

• Leadership & Process Examples: Include case studies or examples that showcase your ability to:

  • Lead design projects from concept to completion.
  • Manage and mentor junior designers.
  • Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
  • Streamline design processes or develop templates/guidelines.

• Performance-Oriented Design: Highlight projects where your design directly contributed to measurable campaign success (e.g., increased CTR, improved conversion rates). Quantify impact where possible.

• Tool Proficiency Demonstration: While not always explicit, your portfolio should implicitly demonstrate mastery of required design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma) through the quality and complexity of the work presented.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss how you would design or optimize creative workflows for a fast-paced ad platform, ensuring efficiency and scalability.

• Template & Guideline Development: Demonstrate experience in creating design systems, templates, or style guides that ensure brand consistency and empower self-serve usage by other teams.

• Performance Measurement Integration: Showcase how you integrate performance data (e.g., CTR, eCPM) into the design process, from initial concept to iterative improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section emphasizes that for a lead role in creative operations, the portfolio must go beyond purely aesthetic work. It needs to demonstrate leadership, process thinking, and a data-driven approach to creative development, directly aligning with operational excellence and GTM impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Given the experience level (8-10 years, 1-2 years leadership), location (Noida, India), and the nature of the role within a leading tech company like Paytm, the estimated annual salary range for a Creative Designer - Team Lead is likely to be between ₹15,00,000 and ₹25,00,000 (Indian Rupees) per annum. This range accounts for base salary, potential bonuses, and performance-based incentives.

• Methodology: This estimate is based on market research for senior creative and design lead roles in the Indian tech and ad-tech sector, considering the cost of living in Noida, and Paytm's typical compensation structures for experienced professionals. Specific compensation will be determined by the candidate's experience, skills, and interview performance.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Coverage for medical expenses for employees and potentially dependents.

• Retirement Savings Plans: Contributions to employee provident funds (EPF) or similar retirement schemes as per Indian labor laws.

• Paid Time Off: Generous annual leave, sick leave, and public holidays.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for training, workshops, and potentially attending industry conferences to enhance design and leadership skills.

• Employee Stock Options/Performance Bonuses: Potential for stock options or performance-based bonuses tied to individual and company performance.

• Wellness Programs: Access to wellness initiatives, fitness benefits, or mental health support resources.

• Subsidized Meals/Cafeteria: On-site food facilities or meal allowances.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, typically 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday. While the role demands flexibility and meeting deadlines, Paytm generally fosters a culture that respects work-life balance, though periods of intense activity around campaign launches or critical deadlines may require extended hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is provided based on typical industry benchmarks for senior roles in India's tech sector, acknowledging that actual figures depend on individual qualifications and negotiation. Benefits are inferred based on standard offerings for large, reputable tech companies in India.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech), Digital Payments, Digital Advertising. Paytm operates at the intersection of these dynamic sectors, driving innovation and digital transformation in India.

Company Size: Paytm is a large organization, indicated by its significant employee base and market presence. This implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for impact within specific verticals like Paytm Ads.

Founded: Paytm was founded in 2010. Its journey from a mobile recharge platform to a comprehensive financial services and payments ecosystem highlights its agility, growth-oriented mindset, and commitment to technological innovation.

Team Structure:

• Paytm Ads Vertical: This team focuses on leveraging Paytm's massive user base (300M+ users) to provide targeted advertising solutions for businesses.

• Design Team: The Creative Designer - Team Lead will manage a team of junior designers within the Paytm Ads vertical, responsible for all visual content.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires close interaction with business development, category management, marketing, product management, and account management teams to align creative efforts with commercial objectives.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Emphasizing the use of performance metrics (CTR, eCPM) to inform and refine creative strategies.

• Agile Development: Operating within a fast-paced environment that likely employs agile methodologies for campaign execution and product development.

• User-Centric Approach: Focusing on creating engaging and effective advertising experiences for both consumers and merchants on the Paytm platform.

• Process Standardization: Developing repeatable processes, templates, and guidelines to ensure efficiency and consistency across a high volume of creative output.

Company Website: https://paytm.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company and industry context is tailored to Paytm's known business model, emphasizing the ad-tech aspect of the role and its connection to financial services and a massive user base. The team structure highlights the collaborative nature required for this position.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a mid-to-senior level position within the Creative Operations or Marketing Operations domain. It signifies a move from individual contributor to a leadership role, where strategic input, team management, and process ownership become key responsibilities. The focus is on driving operational efficiency and measurable creative impact within the advertising vertical.

Reporting Structure: The Creative Designer - Team Lead will likely report to a Head of Marketing, Head of Ads Product, or a senior Marketing Operations Manager. They will, in turn, manage a team of junior designers. This structure provides a clear reporting line while empowering the lead to manage their team and creative output.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the revenue generated by Paytm Ads. By creating high-performing creatives, optimizing ad campaigns through testing, and streamlining design processes, this role contributes to increased advertiser satisfaction, higher campaign ROI, and ultimately, greater revenue for Paytm Ads. The ability to effectively communicate design's impact on business metrics is crucial.

Growth Opportunities:

• Senior Leadership in Creative/Marketing Operations: Progression to a senior manager or director role, overseeing larger design teams, broader marketing operations functions, or strategic creative initiatives across Paytm.

• Specialization: Deepening expertise in ad-tech creative strategy, performance marketing design, or user experience (UX) for advertising platforms.

• Cross-functional Moves: Opportunity to move into product marketing, brand management, or even product management roles within the ad-tech or broader FinTech space, leveraging the understanding of creative impact on business outcomes.

• Team Expansion: Growing the design team under their management and taking on more complex projects and strategic initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis frames the role within operations career paths, highlighting the transition to leadership and the strategic impact on business metrics like revenue and advertiser success, which are key considerations for operations professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, indicating an on-site work environment. This suggests a traditional office setting with dedicated workspaces.

Office Location(s): Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. This is a major commercial and technological hub, offering good connectivity and access to talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic workspace that encourages collaboration among designers, marketers, product managers, and business development teams. Open-plan offices or shared project spaces are common in such tech environments.

• Tools & Technology: Access to high-performance workstations equipped with the latest design software (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma) and potentially project management tools.

• Team Interaction: Regular team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and project reviews will be integral to the daily workflow, fostering a sense of shared purpose and collective problem-solving.

• Fast-Paced Culture: The environment is described as "fast-paced" and "entrepreneurial," implying a need for adaptability, quick decision-making, and a proactive approach to challenges.

Work Schedule:

• Primarily Monday to Friday, standard business hours (approx. 40 hours/week). However, the nature of ad campaigns and deadlines may necessitate flexibility, with potential for occasional weekend work or extended hours during critical campaign launches or project phases.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the "Work Environment" is fleshed out to reflect typical conditions in a large Indian tech company's office, emphasizing collaboration, access to tools, and the fast-paced nature of the ad-tech industry.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on experience, leadership, and alignment with the role's core requirements.

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, discussing specific projects, your design process, your leadership approach, and how you've driven results. Be prepared to articulate your contributions to campaign performance and team management.

• Skills Assessment/Design Challenge: A practical assessment may be given, potentially involving a design task related to ad creatives or marketing collateral, or a case study requiring strategic thinking about creative optimization. This might be timed and could involve presenting your solution.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Interviews with stakeholders from business, marketing, and product teams to assess your collaboration skills, understanding of business objectives, and ability to communicate effectively across disciplines.

• Team Lead/Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview with the direct hiring manager to discuss leadership philosophy, team management strategies, and overall fit within the Paytm Ads team.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 5-7 of your strongest projects that best represent your leadership, creative execution, and performance-driven design capabilities. Ensure a mix of campaign types and collateral.

• Showcase Leadership: For team lead roles, explicitly highlight projects where you managed junior designers, guided their work, or influenced team strategy.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics (e.g., CTR improvements, conversion lift, engagement rates) to demonstrate the business impact of your creative work.

• Detail Your Process: For each project, briefly explain the brief, your strategic approach, the challenges faced, your solution, and the outcome. Emphasize your role and decision-making process.

• Be Ready for "Why": Be prepared to explain the rationale behind your design choices, especially in relation to campaign goals and target audiences.

• Address Platform Specifics: If possible, include examples relevant to digital advertising, performance marketing, or mobile app creatives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, ensure you fully grasp the objectives, target audience, and constraints provided.

• Focus on Strategy: Demonstrate not just design skill, but strategic thinking. How does your proposed creative align with Paytm Ads' business goals and user behavior?

• Consider Performance: Think about how your creative could be tested and optimized for performance. Mention potential A/B testing variations.

• Time Management: Practice completing design tasks within a limited timeframe, prioritizing key elements.

• Presentation Readiness: Prepare to present your solution concisely and persuasively, highlighting key design decisions and their strategic justification.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides detailed, operations-focused advice on preparing for interviews and presenting a portfolio, emphasizing the need to demonstrate leadership, strategic thinking, and data-driven results, which are critical for operations roles.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite:

  • Photoshop: For image editing, manipulation, and creating static digital assets.
  • Illustrator: For vector graphics, logos, icons, and detailed illustrations.
  • After Effects: For motion graphics, animations, video compositing, and dynamic ad creatives.
  • Premiere Pro: For video editing, cutting, and assembling video ad content.

• Figma: A collaborative interface design tool essential for UI/UX design, prototyping, and creating design systems, especially for a self-serve platform.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Ad Performance Platforms: While not direct design tools, familiarity with platforms that provide metrics like CTR (Click-Through Rate) and eCPM (Effective Cost Per Mille/Thousand Impressions) is crucial. This could include internal Paytm ad analytics dashboards or common industry ad platforms.

• Data Visualization Tools (Potential): Basic understanding or experience with tools that present data visually could be beneficial for understanding campaign performance reports.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management Tools: Familiarity with tools like Asana, Jira, Trello, or similar platforms used for managing design tasks, workflows, and team collaboration.

• Collaboration Platforms: Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams for day-to-day communication and team coordination.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are directly from the job description, with added context on their specific applications within a creative operations and ad-tech environment. The inclusion of analytics and collaboration tools emphasizes the operational aspect of the role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Performance-Driven: A strong emphasis on achieving measurable results, particularly in terms of ad campaign performance (CTR, eCPM). The design output is directly tied to business outcomes.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Utilizing performance metrics and A/B testing results to guide creative strategy and iterative improvements.

• Efficiency & Scalability: A commitment to streamlining design processes, developing templates, and contributing to self-serve platforms to enable efficient scaling of creative production.

• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Alignment: Valuing strong partnerships with business, marketing, and product teams to ensure creative efforts are aligned with broader company objectives.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Encouraging new creative approaches and adapting quickly to evolving ad-tech trends and market demands in a fast-paced environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive Communication: Regularly engaging with stakeholders to understand needs, provide updates, and gather feedback.

• Feedback Integration: Openness to constructive criticism and the ability to integrate feedback from various teams to refine creative output.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, design learnings, and insights across the design team and with relevant departments.

• Agile & Iterative: Working in an agile manner, with a willingness to iterate on designs based on testing results and evolving campaign requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section translates the company's stated values and operational focus into specific behaviors and expectations for a creative operations leader, emphasizing data, efficiency, and collaboration.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creative Excellence with Performance Demands: Constantly navigating the tension between artistic vision and the need for data-driven, conversion-focused creative assets.

• Managing High Volume & Tight Deadlines: The ad-tech space is fast-paced, requiring the ability to produce a high volume of creative assets under significant time pressure while maintaining quality.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively managing expectations and requirements from diverse stakeholders (business, product, marketing) who may have different priorities for creative output.

• Evolving Ad-Tech Landscape: Staying abreast of the latest trends in digital advertising, creative technologies, and platform capabilities to ensure Paytm Ads remains competitive.

• Leading and Developing a Team: Mentoring junior designers, fostering their growth, and ensuring consistent quality and output from the team.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Creative Techniques: Opportunities to hone skills in motion graphics, video production, and interactive design for digital advertising.

• Ad-Tech & Performance Marketing Expertise: Deepening knowledge of advertising platforms, campaign optimization strategies, and the impact of creative on key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Leadership Development: Formal or informal training in team management, strategic planning, stakeholder communication, and project leadership.

• Industry Exposure: Potential to attend industry conferences, webinars, and workshops related to design, marketing, and ad-tech.

• Strategic Contribution: Opportunity to influence the broader creative and marketing strategy for a rapidly growing ad platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: This analysis identifies potential challenges specific to the ad-tech creative operations domain and outlines clear growth paths, focusing on skill development and career progression relevant to operations professionals.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to leading a design team responsible for performance-driven ad creatives. How do you balance creative innovation with strict performance metrics like CTR and eCPM?" (Focus on leadership, process, and data integration.)

• "Walk us through a time you had to manage conflicting feedback from multiple stakeholders (e.g., Sales, Product, Marketing) on a critical ad campaign. How did you achieve alignment and deliver a successful creative?" (Focus on stakeholder management, communication, and problem-solving.)

• "How would you design a framework for A/B testing creatives for a new ad product on the Paytm platform? What metrics would you prioritize, and how would you use the results to iterate?" (Focus on process design, analytical thinking, and optimization.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Paytm Ads and this specific role? How do you see your skills contributing to our mission of serving 500 million Indians?" (Demonstrate research into Paytm's business model and the ad-tech vertical.)

• "How do you foster a collaborative and high-performing design team environment, especially within a fast-paced tech company?" (Discuss your leadership style and team management philosophy.)

• "How do you measure the success and impact of creative work beyond aesthetics? What KPIs are most important to you?" (Highlight your understanding of operations and business impact.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with an overview of your leadership experience and then dive into 2-3 key projects. For each project, clearly state the objective, your role, the creative process, the challenges, your strategic decisions, and the quantifiable results.

• Highlight Process & Operations: Emphasize how you managed workflows, collaborated with teams, and used data to inform decisions. If you developed templates or streamlined processes, showcase that.

• Quantify Everything Possible: Use numbers (e.g., "Increased CTR by X%", "Reduced design turnaround time by Y hours," "Managed a team of Z designers") to demonstrate tangible impact.

• Engage Your Audience: Be enthusiastic, articulate your passion for design and its impact on business, and be prepared to answer in-depth questions about your work and decision-making.

• Tailor to Paytm Ads: Connect your experience and portfolio examples to the specific needs of Paytm Ads, such as performance marketing, user acquisition, or merchant engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This preparation guide focuses on strategic questions and portfolio presentation tactics that are highly relevant to operations roles, emphasizing the need to demonstrate leadership, process thinking, and measurable impact.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations-aligned creative leadership position:

• Submit Your Application: Apply through the provided link on jobs.lever.co/paytm. Ensure your application is complete and all fields are accurately filled.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords from the job description, such as "Creative Direction," "Team Management," "Performance Marketing," "Ad-Tech," "Adobe Creative Suite," "Figma," and "A/B Testing." Quantify achievements wherever possible to demonstrate impact.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Prepare a digital portfolio (PDF or website link) that showcases your strongest work, with a specific emphasis on ad creatives, marketing collateral, and examples of your leadership or process improvement initiatives. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your experience, leadership philosophy, and how your skills align with Paytm Ads' goals during interviews. Practice presenting your portfolio and discussing specific projects, focusing on strategy, process, and results.

• Research Paytm Ads: Understand Paytm's business model, its position in the Indian market, and the specific offerings and target audience of Paytm Ads. Familiarize yourself with their current advertising campaigns and brand messaging to better align your responses.

⚠️ 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.