Freelance - Senior Brand Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Freelance Brand Designer

Company: Finary

Location: Paris, Île-de-France, France (Remote within EU/UK, ±2h CET)

Job Type: Freelance Contract, Full-Time Equivalent

Category: Brand Design, Marketing Operations

Date Posted: 2026-06-08

Experience Level: 4+ Years

Remote Status: Remote (with hybrid elements for in-person meetings)

🚀 Role Summary

• Own and execute Finary's brand design strategy across Growth, Marketing, and Content teams, ensuring consistent visual identity and messaging.

• Develop and maintain scalable brand systems, including reusable Figma templates and design components, to accelerate asset production and enhance team efficiency.

• Drive brand consistency and impact through high-quality visual asset creation for diverse channels, including paid ads, social media, email, landing pages, and product launches.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to translate campaign objectives and business needs into compelling visual narratives and performance-driven creative.

• Leverage AI tools to enhance creative exploration, prototyping, production workflows, and overall design execution speed and quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is framed as a freelance contract with an expectation of 2-3 days per week commitment, aligning with a full-time equivalent workload for a senior-level professional. The focus on "craft at speed" and "scalable systems" indicates a need for a designer who can balance high creative standards with efficient production, a common requirement in fast-paced tech environments. The emphasis on AI fluency suggests a forward-thinking company that integrates cutting-edge tools into its operational workflows.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and deliver a wide range of marketing and content assets, including paid advertisements, social media visuals, YouTube thumbnails, email newsletter graphics, landing page hero images, event kits, and promotional merchandise.

• Build and evolve a practical, scalable brand system that encompasses reusable Figma templates, campaign layout systems, social and ad templates, and modular components to significantly increase asset production speed and consistency.

• Proactively contribute creative input to briefs, asking clarifying questions, proposing multiple visual directions, and directly linking design decisions to campaign objectives and acquisition/conversion goals.

• Develop and document clear, usable brand guidelines and practical brand rules to empower Growth, Marketing, and Content teams to create more consistent and impactful work independently.

• Conceptualize and develop creative campaign directions, not solely focusing on final asset production, ensuring alignment with Finary's overall brand strategy and market positioning.

• Manage project timelines, feedback loops, and stakeholder communications effectively to ensure timely delivery of high-quality design assets.

• Integrate AI tools into the design workflow for accelerated exploration, rapid prototyping, iterative content refinement, and efficient production tasks.

• Ensure all brand and marketing creative is cohesive with Finary's broader product experience, emphasizing clarity, elegance, and subtlety.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of execution and system-building. The emphasis on "high reuse" and "increasing reuse of approved templates and modules" points to a strategic need for efficiency and scalability within the design function, which is critical for a growing company like Finary. The expectation to "develop campaign concepts and creative directions" elevates this role beyond pure execution to strategic creative partnership.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Not specified, but a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience is valued over formal degrees.

Experience: Minimum 4+ years of professional experience in brand design, with a preference for experience gained at top-tier startups or design studios.

Required Skills:

• Brand Design Craft: Exceptional visual taste and a high bar for quality across all design outputs.

• Brand Systems Thinking: Proven ability to build, evolve, and maintain comprehensive brand systems, including style guides, templates, and component libraries.

• Marketing & Growth Design: Deep understanding of how visual design drives marketing initiatives, user acquisition, and conversion rates.

• AI Tool Proficiency: Demonstrated experience integrating AI tools into the creative process for prototyping, production, and experimentation.

• Figma Expertise: Advanced proficiency in Figma for collaborative design, template creation, and system building.

• Cross-Medium Execution: Ability to execute high-quality designs across various mediums, including digital ads, social media, email, landing pages, iconography, and illustration.

• Independent Execution: Capacity to work autonomously from a brief, proactively propose solutions, and manage projects from concept to completion.

• Communication Skills: Clear and concise communication for explaining design rationale and collaborating effectively with diverse teams.

• Collaborative Mindset: Low ego, high standards, and a collaborative approach to working with Growth, Marketing, Product, Content, and Design teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Motion Design: Experience in creating animated assets or motion graphics for marketing campaigns.

• UX Writing Integration: Understanding of how visuals and copy work together to create effective user experiences and marketing messages.

• Performance Creative Optimization: Familiarity with A/B testing creative elements and optimizing visuals for campaign performance.

• Illustration Skills: Ability to create custom illustrations that align with brand aesthetics.

• Fintech Industry Experience: Familiarity with the financial technology sector and its specific design considerations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The preference for startup or studio experience suggests a need for a candidate accustomed to fast-paced environments, iterative design, and a hands-on approach to building foundational design assets and systems. The explicit mention of AI tools as a requirement, not just a plus, indicates Finary's commitment to leveraging technology for creative efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Visual Craft & Brand Systems: Showcase a strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional visual taste, a sophisticated understanding of brand identity, and the ability to build and scale comprehensive brand systems. Include examples of design guidelines, template creation (preferably in Figma), and reusable components.

• Marketing & Growth Impact: Present case studies that illustrate how your design work has directly contributed to marketing objectives, user acquisition, campaign performance, and conversion rate optimization. Quantifiable results are highly valued.

• Cross-Medium Execution: Include examples of design work across diverse mediums such as digital advertising (paid social, display), social media content, email marketing assets, landing page visuals, iconography, and illustrations.

• AI Integration: Highlight specific instances where AI tools were used in your workflow, detailing the tools and the impact on efficiency, exploration, or creative output.

• System-Mindedness: Demonstrate your ability to create practical, reusable design solutions that increase speed and consistency for teams.

Process Documentation:

• Template & Component Design: Provide examples of well-structured and documented Figma templates or design system components that facilitate efficient asset creation for marketing and content teams.

• Brand Guideline Contributions: Showcase experience in developing or contributing to clear, usable brand guidelines that empower non-designers to create on-brand assets.

• Workflow Optimization: Explain your process for managing design projects, incorporating feedback, and ensuring timely delivery, especially within fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is critical for this role, serving as the primary evidence of a candidate's ability to combine high-level craft with practical system-building and performance-oriented design. Emphasis should be placed on demonstrating not just aesthetic skill, but also strategic thinking and the ability to create scalable solutions that directly benefit marketing and growth efforts.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: €350 - €550 per day, commensurate with experience and demonstrated impact.

Benefits:

• Competitive Compensation: A freelance contract with a day rate aligned with senior-level expertise and the expected contribution to Finary's growth.

• Hybrid Setup: The opportunity to work remotely within the EU/UK, with in-person team meetings held in Paris approximately six times per year, fostering collaboration and team cohesion.

• Flexibility: Approximately 2-3 days per week commitment, with adaptability based on campaign needs and business priorities.

• Impactful Work: Contribute to a product that empowers individuals to take control of their financial future, offering a sense of purpose and mission-driven work.

• AI-Driven Environment: Work in a company that actively embraces and integrates AI into its core workflows, providing opportunities to stay at the forefront of technological advancements in design.

Working Hours: Flexible, with an expectation of approximately 40 hours per week equivalent, managed to meet campaign and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The target day rate is based on industry benchmarks for senior freelance brand designers in Western Europe, considering the specified location (Paris) and the requirement for specialized skills like AI fluency and brand systems development. The "hybrid setup" implies that while remote work is standard, occasional travel to Paris for in-person collaboration is expected, which is common for senior freelance roles requiring deep integration with the core team.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Fintech, Personal Finance Technology. Finary operates within the rapidly evolving financial technology sector, aiming to democratize investing and financial management through innovative digital solutions. This context implies a need for design that builds trust, clarity, and accessibility.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the mention of a €25M Series B funding round in September 2025 and crossing 1,000,000 users suggests a company that is scaling rapidly, likely in the range of 50-200 employees, with significant growth potential.

Founded: 2021. Finary is a relatively young but fast-growing company, indicating a dynamic and agile work environment where processes are still being refined and built.

Team Structure:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires close collaboration with Growth, Marketing, Content, and Product teams, indicating a matrixed or project-based team structure where designers work alongside specialists from various disciplines.

• High-Performing A-Players: Finary emphasizes hiring "A-players" who are kind and demanding, fostering an environment of high expectations, ownership, and continuous improvement.

• Decentralized Work Environment: Teammates are located across France and Europe, with regular in-person meetups in Paris, suggesting a hybrid work model that balances remote flexibility with in-person strategic alignment.

Methodology:

• AI Fluency as a Core Skill: Finary prioritizes AI fluency, expecting employees to integrate AI into their daily workflows as a primary reflex, not an afterthought. This suggests a data-driven, efficiency-focused approach to all operations, including design.

• Radical Candor & Directness: The culture is described as direct, transparent, and built on radical candor, encouraging open challenges and commitment.

• Ownership & Agility: The company values ownership from day one, moving fast, aiming high, and treating initiative as the default.

Company Website: https://finary.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Finary's focus on rapid growth, significant funding, and a strong emphasis on AI fluency and direct culture suggests that this freelance role is not just about executing tasks but about contributing to the strategic development of a brand in a competitive and innovative market. The "hybrid setup" with in-person meetups indicates a deliberate effort to build team cohesion despite geographical dispersion.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Freelance Brand Designer. This position is for an experienced individual contributor (IC) who can operate with a high degree of autonomy. The role demands not only execution but also system-building, strategic input, and creative leadership within their domain. It's positioned as a significant contribution to the company's growth and brand presence.

Reporting Structure: While a freelance role, the designer will likely report to a Marketing Lead, Brand Manager, or Head of Growth, collaborating closely with various department heads. The emphasis is on direct communication and collaboration rather than a rigid hierarchical structure.

Operations Impact: The brand designer's work is directly tied to Finary's success in user acquisition, engagement, and brand perception. By creating compelling marketing assets and scalable brand systems, the role directly influences campaign performance, conversion rates, and the overall trustworthiness and appeal of the Finary brand in the competitive fintech space.

Growth Opportunities:

• Deepening Brand System Expertise: Opportunity to significantly shape and evolve Finary's brand system, establishing best practices and reusable assets that will have a lasting impact.

• Performance Creative Strategy: Gain hands-on experience in optimizing creative for performance marketing and user acquisition, learning how design directly correlates with business outcomes.

• AI Tool Mastery: Continuous exploration and application of cutting-edge AI tools within a creative workflow, fostering advanced digital proficiency.

• Exposure to High-Growth Startup Environment: Experience the rapid scaling and strategic decision-making processes of a well-funded, fast-growing tech company.

• Potential for Long-Term Engagement: Successful freelancers who demonstrate strong performance and cultural fit may be considered for ongoing or expanded engagements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Career Level" is defined as a Senior IC, emphasizing that while it's a freelance role, the expectations are for strategic contribution and system ownership, akin to a senior in-house designer. The "Growth Opportunities" focus on skill development and impact within the specific context of a fast-growing fintech startup.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Finary operates a hybrid model. While the role is remote for day-to-day work, there are in-person team meetings held in Paris approximately six times a year. This suggests a blend of remote autonomy and in-person collaboration designed to foster team cohesion and strategic alignment.

Office Location(s): The company has a presence and holds in-person meetups in Paris, France. Remote work is expected from within the EU/UK, with a preference for candidates within ±2 hours of CET to facilitate collaboration across time zones.

Workspace Context:

• Remote-First Culture: The primary work environment is remote, requiring self-discipline, effective time management, and strong digital communication skills.

• Collaborative Digital Tools: Expect to utilize a suite of digital collaboration tools (e.g., Figma, Slack, Notion) for communication, design, and project management.

• In-Person Collaboration: Periodic physical meetups in Paris offer opportunities for intensive team building, strategic planning, and in-person brainstorming sessions with colleagues from various departments.

• AI-Integrated Workflow: The work environment emphasizes the integration of AI tools, suggesting a modern, technology-forward approach to design and content creation.

Work Schedule: The role requires approximately 2-3 days per week commitment, translating to around 16-24 hours per week, with flexibility to adapt to campaign and launch needs. While there's flexibility, meeting deadlines and project requirements is paramount.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "hybrid setup" with mandated in-person meetings in Paris is a key characteristic of Finary's work environment for remote employees. This indicates a company that values both the flexibility of remote work and the benefits of face-to-face interaction for strategic alignment and team building.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Focus on a strong portfolio that showcases visual craft, brand systems thinking, performance marketing experience, and AI tool integration. A compelling cover letter explaining your interest in Finary's mission is crucial.

• Portfolio Deep Dive & Skills Assessment: Expect a session with the hiring team (likely Marketing or Design leadership) to walk through your portfolio. Be prepared to discuss specific projects, your design process, how you've used AI, and how your work aligns with Finary's brand and growth objectives.

• Creative Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a small design challenge or present a more detailed case study on a past project, focusing on problem-solving, strategic thinking, and execution within constraints.

• Cultural Fit & Collaboration Discussion: Assess your ability to work independently, collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, and thrive in Finary's culture of radical candor, ownership, and AI fluency.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase System Building: Clearly present your experience in developing and scaling brand systems, including Figma templates, reusable components, and style guides.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, provide metrics or data demonstrating the effectiveness of your designs for marketing campaigns, user acquisition, or conversion rates.

• Highlight AI Integration: Dedicate a section or specific examples to showcase how you've effectively used AI tools to enhance your design process and outcomes.

• Tell a Story: For each project, explain the brief, your strategic approach, the challenges faced, your solutions, and the results. Connect your visual decisions to business goals.

• Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, easy to navigate, and clearly articulates your skills and experience.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Finary's Brand: Research Finary's current brand identity, marketing efforts, and target audience.

• Focus on Performance: If given a challenge, think about how to design for conversion and user acquisition, not just aesthetics.

• AI Strategy: Be ready to discuss how you would leverage AI tools to solve the specific challenge presented.

• System Thinking: Consider how your solution could be scaled or templated for future use.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application and interview process will heavily weigh the portfolio as direct evidence of capability. Candidates should prepare to articulate their design process, strategic thinking, and the tangible impact of their work, with a specific emphasis on how they integrate AI and build scalable systems for performance marketing.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and building scalable design systems and templates.

• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects): Likely used for advanced image editing, vector graphics, and motion design.

• AI Design Tools: Proficiency with various AI tools for image generation, content augmentation, prototyping, and workflow automation (specific tools may vary but familiarity with the category is key).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Figma Analytics/Sharing Features: For tracking template usage and design system adoption.

• General Understanding of Marketing Analytics: Familiarity with metrics from platforms like Google Ads, Meta Ads, social media analytics, and website analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand creative performance.

CRM & Automation:

• Figma's Collaboration Features: For feedback and iteration loops.

• Project Management Tools: Likely tools like Notion, Asana, or Trello for task management and workflow tracking.

• Communication Platforms: Slack or similar for real-time team communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes design execution and collaboration tools, with a significant emphasis on Figma and AI-driven creative tools. While not directly managing CRM or automation systems, understanding how designs integrate with these platforms and impact performance metrics is crucial.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• AI Fluency: A fundamental expectation that all team members leverage AI to work smarter, faster, and more creatively. This is a core differentiator for Finary.

• Ownership & Initiative: Employees are expected to take responsibility for their work, proactively identify opportunities, and drive projects forward with minimal oversight.

• Radical Candor & Transparency: Open, direct, and honest communication is encouraged, fostering a culture where constructive feedback is given and received openly to drive improvement.

• High Craft & High Speed: A commitment to delivering work of exceptional quality ("craft") while operating with the agility and efficiency required in a fast-paced startup environment.

• Impact-Driven: Focus on delivering tangible results that contribute directly to Finary's mission and business objectives, particularly in user acquisition and brand building.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers work closely with Growth, Marketing, Content, and Product teams, requiring strong communication and the ability to understand and support diverse objectives.

• Proactive Contribution: Rather than passively receiving briefs, team members are encouraged to bring their own ideas, challenge assumptions, and proactively contribute to strategy.

• Low Ego, High Standards: A culture that prioritizes collective success and high-quality output over individual ego, fostering a supportive yet demanding environment.

• Feedback Loops: Open to iterative feedback and collaborative problem-solving to refine designs and strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: Finary's culture is clearly defined by its emphasis on AI, ownership, and radical candor. For a designer, this means being proactive, data-aware (regarding performance), and comfortable with direct feedback, all while maintaining a high standard of creative output.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Craft and Speed: The primary challenge is to maintain a high level of creative quality and strategic thinking while consistently delivering assets at the rapid pace required for growth marketing and frequent launches.

• Scalability of Brand Systems: Developing brand systems and templates that remain effective and relevant as Finary scales and its product/marketing efforts evolve.

• AI Integration Learning Curve: Continuously learning and adapting to new AI tools and workflows to maximize their potential in the design process.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively translating diverse stakeholder needs and campaign objectives into cohesive and impactful design solutions.

• Performance Creative Optimization: Continuously learning and adapting creative strategies based on performance data and market feedback, ensuring designs drive measurable results.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI Design Skills: Deepen expertise in utilizing AI tools for creative exploration, rapid prototyping, and efficient production, becoming a leader in AI-assisted design.

• Performance Marketing Design Mastery: Gain extensive experience in designing for user acquisition and conversion, understanding the direct impact of creative on business metrics.

• Brand System Architecture: Contribute significantly to the architecture and evolution of Finary's brand system, potentially setting standards for future creative output.

• Fintech Brand Strategy: Develop a nuanced understanding of brand building within the fintech sector, learning how to communicate trust, accessibility, and innovation.

• Exposure to Startup Growth Dynamics: Observe and contribute to the strategic decision-making processes of a rapidly scaling technology company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are common in fast-paced, high-growth tech companies, particularly in design roles that support marketing and growth. The opportunities are framed around developing specialized skills in AI, performance marketing, and brand system development within this dynamic context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach building a reusable template system in Figma for social media ads that balances creative flexibility with brand consistency?"

• "Describe a time you used AI tools to significantly accelerate your design process or explore creative directions you wouldn't have otherwise considered. What was the outcome?"

• "How do you ensure your visual design decisions directly support acquisition and conversion goals in performance marketing campaigns?"

• "Walk us through your process for developing campaign concepts and creative directions, not just final assets. How do you incorporate feedback?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Finary's mission to change how money works for people, and how does that resonate with your design philosophy?"

• "How do you embody the value of 'ownership' in your freelance work, and how have you proactively contributed to projects beyond the initial brief?"

• "Describe your experience working within a culture of 'radical candor.' How do you give and receive constructive feedback?"

• "How do you see AI influencing the future of brand design, and how do you stay current with these advancements?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate: The Problem/Brief, Your Strategic Approach, The Solution (showcasing craft and system thinking), The Impact (quantified results if possible), and Your Role (especially regarding AI integration).

• Demonstrate System Thinking: Dedicate specific slides or sections to showcase your brand system work, Figma templates, and how they drive efficiency.

• Highlight AI Use Cases: Explicitly point out where and how you used AI tools, explaining the benefits achieved.

• Connect to Finary's Needs: Tailor your presentation to highlight examples that align with Finary's focus on growth, marketing, and performance.

• Be Ready for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your process, decision-making, and how you handle feedback and constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of creative expertise, strategic thinking, system-building capabilities, and a proactive, AI-integrated approach. Candidates need to articulate how their skills directly support Finary's growth and brand objectives.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Freelance Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Tailor your Cover Letter: Clearly articulate why you are drawn to Finary's mission and how your specific skills in brand design, system building, and AI fluency align with the role's requirements.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features examples of strong visual craft, scalable brand systems (ideally with Figma examples), performance marketing creative, and your application of AI tools in the design process.

• Prepare Your Walkthrough: Be ready to present your portfolio, discussing specific projects, your design process, and how your work drives measurable impact. Practice explaining your rationale and how you integrate AI.

• Research Finary: Understand Finary's product, target audience, current marketing efforts, and company values to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.

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