Brand Design Manager - Growth

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Brand Design Manager - Growth
Company: Plaid
Location: New York, New York, United States / San Francisco, California, United States
Job Type: Full-time
Category: Marketing Operations / Brand Marketing / Design Leadership
Date Posted: December 16, 2025
Experience Level: Senior to Lead (7-10+ years)
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a team of brand and production designers, driving creative excellence for growth marketing initiatives.
• Develop and execute high-impact, multi-channel campaigns that directly contribute to pipeline and performance goals.
• Establish and scale creative systems, templates, and production workflows to ensure efficiency and brand consistency.
• Partner strategically with Growth Marketing stakeholders to deliver weekly creative output and iterate based on performance insights.
• Manage external agencies and cultivate an external creative bench to supplement internal capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a Brand Design Manager, its deep integration with "Growth Marketing" and focus on "pipeline and performance goals" strongly aligns it with the strategic objectives typically managed or supported by Revenue Operations and Sales Operations. The emphasis on scalable systems, process efficiency, and data-informed creative iteration positions it within the broader GTM operations framework, requiring a candidate who can bridge creative execution with measurable business impact.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the creation of high-craft, high-impact creative assets across paid social, display ads, email marketing, webinars, and landing pages to achieve pipeline and performance objectives.
• Drive creative strategy and execution for integrated marketing campaigns that fuel Plaid's growth engine, ensuring alignment with overarching marketing goals.
• Manage, coach, and develop a team of brand designers and production designers, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Define, build, and maintain scalable design systems, Figma templates, and standardized production workflows to enhance creative velocity and ensure brand adherence.
• Collaborate closely with Growth Marketing leads, product marketing, and other cross-functional teams to translate business objectives into compelling creative concepts and campaigns.
• Oversee production workflows to ensure efficient, high-quality output, managing timelines and resource allocation effectively.
• Partner with marketing analytics to track campaign performance, derive actionable insights, and inform future creative strategies and optimizations.
• Manage and nurture relationships with external agencies and freelancers, ensuring consistent quality and alignment with Plaid's brand standards.
• Contribute to the Brand Design leadership team, influencing design strategy, upholding brand integrity across all channels, and nurturing a positive design culture.
• Actively participate in the ideation and development of new creative approaches and innovative marketing tactics to drive growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "establish systems and rituals that scale with increasing demand" and "partnering closely with marketing stakeholders to ship work weekly" highlights a strong need for process management and operational efficiency, typical of operations-focused roles. The emphasis on "balancing velocity with quality" and "tracking insights that inform future creative" also points to a data-driven approach that aligns with GTM operations principles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 7–10+ years of professional design experience, with a significant focus on brand identity, visual design, and multi-channel marketing campaigns.
• 2–3+ years of direct experience leading, managing, or mentoring brand designers and production designers, demonstrating strong people management and coaching abilities.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio: A robust portfolio showcasing exceptional craft in multi-channel marketing creative, with a clear emphasis on performance marketing campaigns (paid social, display ads, email). Evidence of driving measurable business impact through design is crucial.
• Creative Direction: Proven ability to set and maintain a high standard of creative excellence, brand consistency, and visual appeal across diverse marketing touchpoints.
• Team Leadership & Coaching: Demonstrated experience in leading design teams, providing constructive feedback, facilitating professional development, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Systems & Process Development: Expertise in building scalable design systems, creating reusable Figma templates, and establishing efficient production workflows to improve team velocity and output quality.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to partner effectively with marketing, product, and sales teams, understanding their needs and translating them into impactful creative solutions.
• Performance Marketing Creative: Deep understanding of the principles and best practices for designing effective creative assets for paid media channels, email marketing, and landing pages that drive conversions.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts, rationale, and strategic thinking to both creative and non-creative stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Animation Tools: Experience with animation tools such as Jitter, After Effects, or similar, to bring creative concepts to life.
• Production Design Tools: Familiarity with specialized tools designed for creative efficiency in performance marketing, such as Figma Buzz, Celtra, Bannerflow, or similar platforms.
• Fintech/SaaS Background: Prior experience working within the FinTech or SaaS industries, understanding the unique market dynamics and brand challenges.
• Agency Management: Experience managing external creative agencies, building relationships, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.
• Data Analysis & Optimization: Familiarity with performance metrics and the ability to use data insights to inform and optimize creative strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio demonstrating "strong craft across multi-channel marketing work" and "experience with performance marketing creative" implies that candidates should be prepared to showcase how their designs have directly contributed to business objectives like lead generation, pipeline growth, or customer acquisition, aligning with GTM operations metrics. The mention of "systems, templates, and scalable processes" is a direct nod to operational efficiency and scalability, a core tenet of operations roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Performance-Driven Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies of marketing campaigns you’ve led or significantly contributed to. Each case study should clearly outline the objective, your role, the creative strategy, the execution across various channels (e.g., paid social, email, landing pages), and most importantly, the quantifiable results (e.g., ROI, conversion rates, pipeline generated).
• System Design Examples: Include examples of design systems, scalable Figma templates, or style guides you have developed. Demonstrate how these systems improve efficiency, maintain brand consistency, and enable faster creative production for marketing teams.
• Process Documentation Snippets: Provide brief examples or descriptions of production workflows, creative briefs, or feedback loops you've implemented or optimized to ensure high-quality output and efficient collaboration.
• Leadership & Mentorship Examples: If possible, include examples of how you've coached or mentored designers, managed creative projects, or overseen agency partnerships, highlighting your ability to lead and scale creative operations.

Process Documentation:

• Be prepared to discuss your approach to establishing and refining creative production workflows, from brief intake to final delivery, emphasizing efficiency and quality control.
• Articulate how you would implement and maintain scalable design systems and templates to support high-velocity marketing campaigns.
• Explain your methods for collaborating with marketing stakeholders, gathering requirements, and incorporating performance data and feedback into iterative creative processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "quantifiable results (e.g., ROI, conversion rates, pipeline generated)" and the need to demonstrate how systems "improve efficiency" and "enable faster creative production" are directly transferable skills and expectations from operations roles. This section is critical for candidates to showcase their ability to manage and optimize creative processes akin to operational workflows.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Zone 1 (New York City and San Francisco Bay Area): $175,200 - $273,600 per year.
• Other Zones: Salary will vary based on the job's location, with defined zones impacting the range.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Financial Well-being: Equity (stock options), 401(k) plan with company match.
• Time Off: Generous paid time off, including holidays and sick leave.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continuous learning, training, and career advancement.
• Wellness Programs: Support for employee well-being, potentially including stipends or resources.
• Parental Leave: Paid parental leave for new parents.
• Life and Disability Insurance: Coverage to protect employees and their families.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. While the role requires on-site presence, flexibility in daily scheduling may be available, subject to team and business needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to New York City and San Francisco. For operations professionals, understanding how compensation is structured (base, equity, bonus) and how it aligns with market rates for similar roles in these high-cost-of-living areas is crucial. The detailed breakdown of zones indicates a structured approach to compensation, reflecting a mature organization.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: FinTech / Financial Services Technology Company Size: Plaid is a well-established, rapidly growing technology company with a significant global presence, indicating a dynamic and fast-paced environment. The company size suggests robust infrastructure, established processes, and opportunities for cross-functional collaboration.

Founded: 2013. This founding date places Plaid in the category of a mature startup that has successfully navigated significant growth and market adoption, implying a culture that balances innovation with established operational frameworks.

Team Structure:

• Design Organization: The Brand Design team is part of a unified design organization that reports directly to the CEO, signifying the high strategic importance of design at Plaid.
• Growth Marketing Design: This specific team focuses on all creative aspects of growth marketing, including paid media, email, webinars, and campaigns, directly fueling the company's growth engine.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close partnerships are expected with Growth Marketing leads, Product Design, Product Marketing, and other key stakeholders to ensure cohesive and impactful marketing efforts.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: The role emphasizes creating "high-craft, high-impact creative that hits pipeline and performance goals," indicating a strong reliance on data and analytics to inform creative decisions and measure success.
• Scalability & Efficiency: A key focus is on "establishing systems and rituals that scale with increasing demand," highlighting a commitment to operational efficiency and building repeatable processes.
• Agile Execution: The need to "balance velocity with quality in a fast-moving environment" and "ship work weekly" points towards an agile approach to creative production and campaign deployment.

Company Website: https://plaid.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the design organization reporting directly to the CEO and the specific focus of the Growth Marketing Design team on driving the "growth engine" underscores the strategic operational impact this role is expected to have. This is not just a creative function; it's a critical component of the Go-To-Market (GTM) operations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a Senior Manager/Lead level, managing both direct reports and external resources while also being a hands-on contributor. It sits at the intersection of creative leadership, team management, and operational execution within the marketing function.

Reporting Structure: The Brand Design Manager for Growth Marketing will report into a senior leader within the Brand Design team or potentially the broader Marketing organization. They will manage a team of brand and production designers and work closely with Growth Marketing leads.

Operations Impact: The Brand Design Manager is directly responsible for creating creative assets that "fuel Plaid’s growth engine" and "drive outsized impact and pipeline." This means their work has a direct correlation to revenue generation and customer acquisition, placing them firmly within the GTM operations sphere. They are expected to translate marketing objectives into measurable creative outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Director-level role overseeing larger creative teams or expanding responsibilities within brand strategy or marketing operations.
• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the creative direction and operational processes for a critical growth-driving function within a leading FinTech company.
• Skill Development: Deepen expertise in performance marketing creative, design systems, team management, and agency oversight within a dynamic, fast-paced tech environment.
• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broader experience by collaborating across various departments, understanding different facets of the business and their operational needs.
• FinTech Industry Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge and a strong network within the FinTech sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of "driving outsized impact and pipeline" and "fueling Plaid's growth engine" clearly positions this role as integral to GTM operations. The growth opportunities are framed around leadership, strategic influence, and operational excellence within a high-growth tech company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Plaid operates with an on-site work model, emphasizing in-person collaboration and team engagement. This suggests a traditional office environment designed for teamwork and spontaneous interaction.

Office Location(s): The role is available in Plaid's New York City and San Francisco offices, both major tech hubs offering vibrant work environments and access to talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Atmosphere: The on-site requirement suggests an environment where designers can easily collaborate with marketing stakeholders, other designers, and potentially product teams in person.
• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma is explicitly mentioned) and potentially specialized production software, supported by the company's tech infrastructure.
• Team Interaction: Opportunities for daily interaction with a dedicated team of designers and close working relationships with Growth Marketing leads, fostering a cohesive and efficient operational unit.

Work Schedule: While specific hours aren't detailed beyond "full-time," the on-site nature and the need to "ship work weekly" imply a structured schedule within standard business hours, with potential for some flexibility depending on project demands and team agreements. Emphasis is on consistent output and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "on-site" requirement is a key differentiator for operations roles, often indicating a preference for in-person collaboration, process adherence, and team cohesion, which can be vital for managing complex workflows and cross-functional projects.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and portfolio to assess foundational qualifications and alignment with the role's requirements.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion focused on your experience, leadership style, creative philosophy, and understanding of performance marketing and brand strategy. Expect questions about your approach to team management and process development.
• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you'll present your portfolio, highlighting specific case studies that demonstrate your craft, impact, and operational thinking. Be prepared to walk through your process, rationale, and results.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Growth Marketing and potentially other design or marketing leaders to assess your collaboration skills, strategic thinking, and cultural fit.
• Team/Culture Fit Interview: A conversation to evaluate how you would contribute to Plaid's design culture and team dynamics.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the business objective, your specific role, the creative solution, and the measurable results achieved (e.g., conversion lift, pipeline contribution, ROI). Quantify your impact whenever possible.
• Showcase Process & Systems: Highlight examples where you've built scalable design systems, templates, or optimized production workflows. Explain how these improvements led to greater efficiency or better outcomes.
• Demonstrate Leadership: Include examples of how you've led teams, mentored designers, managed projects, or successfully partnered with external agencies.
• Tailor to Growth Marketing: Emphasize projects that directly align with performance marketing, paid media, email, and landing page creative. Show an understanding of what drives results in these channels.
• Be Prepared for "How": Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, your approach to problem-solving, and how you manage competing priorities and deadlines.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready for potential exercises or case studies that assess your ability to develop creative concepts under pressure, optimize existing creative, or outline a strategy for a new campaign.
• Practice articulating your creative strategy and operational approach concisely and persuasively.
• Prepare to discuss how you would integrate performance data into your creative process and how you would manage a high-velocity creative production pipeline.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "quantifiable results," "scalable design systems," and "optimized production workflows" directly mirrors the expectations for operations roles. Candidates should frame their portfolio and interview responses to highlight their ability to manage and improve processes, not just execute creative tasks.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for design, template building, and system development. Proficiency in creating reusable components, design systems, and collaborative workflows is expected.
• Adobe Creative Suite: Likely required for advanced image editing, illustration, and potentially motion graphics.
• Animation Tools: Bonus points for experience with Jitter, Adobe After Effects, or similar software for creating dynamic campaign assets.
• Production Design Tools: Familiarity with platforms like Celtra, Bannerflow, or Figma Buzz is preferred for optimizing creative for performance marketing channels.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Marketing Analytics Platforms: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or platform-specific ad managers (e.g., Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads) to track campaign performance and derive insights.
• Data Visualization Tools: While not explicitly stated, familiarity with tools like Tableau, Looker, or even advanced Excel/Google Sheets for reporting on creative performance would be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Marketing Automation Platforms: Experience with platforms like Marketo, HubSpot, or similar is advantageous for understanding email campaign workflows and lead nurturing processes.
• Project Management Tools: Proficiency in tools such as Asana, Jira, Trello, or Monday.com is crucial for managing production workflows, timelines, and team tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and preferred tools like Celtra and Bannerflow indicates a need for designers who are not only creative but also operationally savvy with the tools that enable efficient, scalable creative production, a hallmark of modern GTM operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Impact-Oriented: A strong drive to create work that demonstrably contributes to business goals, particularly pipeline and performance metrics.
• Collaborative & Humble: A willingness to work closely with cross-functional teams, share knowledge, and approach challenges with a learning mindset.
• Efficient & Scalable: A commitment to building robust systems, processes, and templates that enable high-quality output at scale.
• Data-Informed: An appreciation for using data and insights to guide creative decisions and optimize campaign performance.
• Brand Stewardship: A dedication to upholding and evolving the Plaid brand identity across all touchpoints.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Actively engaging with Growth Marketing, Product Design, and other departments to ensure alignment and integrated campaign execution.
• Feedback Integration: Openness to receiving and providing constructive feedback to improve creative work and team processes.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture where best practices, learnings, and innovative approaches are shared openly within the design team and with marketing partners.
• Agile Iteration: A dynamic approach to creative development, allowing for quick iterations based on performance data and market feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "impact-oriented," "efficient & scalable," and "data-informed" values directly aligns with the core principles of operations management and GTM strategy. Candidates should demonstrate how their approach to design embodies these operational tenets.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Velocity and Quality: Maintaining high creative standards while producing a high volume of assets for fast-paced growth marketing campaigns.
• Measuring Creative Impact: Clearly attributing pipeline and performance gains directly to specific creative assets and campaigns across multiple channels.
• Scaling Creative Operations: Developing and implementing systems that can grow with Plaid's increasing marketing needs and global expansion.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent brand messaging and creative execution across diverse marketing initiatives and stakeholder expectations.
• Staying Ahead of Trends: Adapting to evolving digital marketing trends and platform best practices to keep creative fresh and effective.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Performance Marketing Mastery: Deepen expertise in designing for conversion-driven channels and optimizing creative based on granular performance data.
• Design Systems Leadership: Gain advanced skills in building and managing comprehensive design systems that support large-scale marketing efforts.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Develop robust people management and coaching skills within a high-performing creative team.
• FinTech Industry Insight: Become an expert in brand and creative strategy within the rapidly evolving FinTech landscape.
• Operational Process Improvement: Contribute to and refine the operational workflows that underpin Plaid's growth marketing creative output.

📝 Enhancement Note: These challenges and opportunities are typical for roles that bridge creative execution with business objectives. For operations professionals, recognizing the "scaling," "process improvement," and "data-driven" aspects of these challenges is key to framing their experience.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing a creative strategy for a new growth marketing campaign. How do you ensure it aligns with both brand objectives and performance goals?" (Focus on strategic alignment, data integration, and cross-functional input).
• "How would you establish and scale design systems and templates to support a high-velocity marketing team? Walk us through your approach." (Emphasize process, efficiency, and scalability, referencing Figma template creation).
• "Tell us about a time you had to balance creative quality with rapid production demands. What was your strategy, and what were the results?" (Highlight problem-solving, prioritization, and operational efficiency).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see brand design contributing to Plaid's mission of unlocking financial freedom for everyone?" (Connect creative work to the company's broader mission and customer impact).
• "Describe your ideal collaboration style with Growth Marketing stakeholders. How do you ensure effective communication and alignment?" (Focus on partnership, feedback loops, and shared objective ownership).
• "How do you stay current with design trends and performance marketing best practices, and how do you integrate these into your team's work?" (Demonstrate continuous learning and proactive adaptation).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Prioritize Impact: Select 2-3 case studies that clearly demonstrate your ability to drive measurable business results through creative. Quantify impact with metrics like conversion rates, pipeline growth, or ROI.
• Showcase Process & Systems: For each project, explain your thought process, the operational steps you took, and any systems or templates you developed or utilized that enabled efficiency and scalability.
• Highlight Leadership: If applicable, discuss your role in leading teams, managing projects, or directing external agencies, emphasizing your management and operational oversight capabilities.
• Tailor to Plaid: Frame your examples to align with Plaid's industry, mission, and the specific needs of a growth marketing function.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice emphasizes not just creative execution but also strategic thinking, operational process, and measurable impact – all critical components for GTM operations roles. Candidates should be ready to discuss their work through an operational lens.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Brand Design Manager - Growth position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Lever.co.
• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your experience in brand design, performance marketing creative, team leadership, and process/system development. Use keywords from the job description like "creative direction," "production workflows," "Figma," and "pipeline goals."
• Curate Your Portfolio: Select your strongest case studies that showcase multi-channel marketing impact, especially those with quantifiable results. Include examples of design systems, templates, or optimized workflows. Be prepared to discuss your process and operational contributions.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your experience in terms of leadership, creative strategy, operational efficiency, and measurable business impact. Be ready to discuss how you've managed teams and external resources effectively.
• Research Plaid: Understand Plaid's mission, products, and target audience. Consider how brand design can support their growth objectives and contribute to their mission of financial freedom.

⚠️ 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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