Brand Design Manager - Liven
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: Brand Design Manager
Company: SKELAR (for Liven)
Location: Remote (Ukraine, Poland)
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Brand Design & Management
Date Posted: March 05, 2026
Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (5+ years, with 2+ years in leadership)
Remote Status: Fully Remote
🚀 Role Summary
-
Lead the evolution and development of Liven's brand identity, expanding the visual system across all user touchpoints and marketing channels.
-
Drive the creative strategy and visual direction for major brand initiatives, campaigns, and organic channel communications (SMM, PR).
-
Manage and mentor a team of designers, fostering a culture of strong design, continuous improvement, and professional growth.
-
Optimize design processes and workflows to enhance efficiency, speed, and quality of asset delivery.
-
Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, and PR teams to translate business goals into compelling visual solutions.
📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Brand Design Manager with significant operational and leadership responsibilities, going beyond pure design execution. The emphasis on "managing operations," "planning team resources," "building processes," and "optimizing design processes" indicates a strong need for someone adept at both creative direction and efficient operational management within a design function. The target market (US) and industry (health & wellness) are critical context for strategic brand development.
📈 Primary Responsibilities
-
Brand Identity Evolution: Drive the creation of new brand assets, expand the comprehensive visual system (typography, colors, illustrations, iconography, photo style), and ensure unwavering brand consistency across all platforms, including App Stores, social media, PR materials, and digital campaigns.
-
Creative Strategy & Direction: Set the visual bar and overall creative direction for the design team, conceptualize and develop impactful campaign ideas, and explore new creative formats and approaches to elevate brand presence.
-
Organic Channel Visual Strategy: Partner with the marketing team to define and implement the visual approach for Social Media Marketing (SMM), Public Relations (PR), and core brand communications, ensuring distinct brand recognizability and adaptation to channel-specific nuances.
-
Design Operations Management: Plan and allocate team resources effectively, own and manage tasks and workstreams within the brand backlog, prioritize initiatives, and establish robust processes for seamless collaboration with internal stakeholders (Marketing, Product, PR, Growth).
-
Team Leadership & Mentorship: Conduct regular design reviews, provide constructive feedback, identify individual growth areas for designers, cultivate a high-performing design culture, and actively support professional development and career progression within the team.
-
Process Optimization: Design, implement, and maintain efficient design templates, introduce automation where applicable, significantly reduce the time from concept to final asset delivery, and build a scalable system that enables the team to work faster without compromising quality.
📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate a dual focus: strategic creative leadership and operational efficiency within the design function. This manager is expected to actively "manage operations," "build processes," and "optimize design processes," indicating a need for strong project management, workflow design, and team resource allocation skills.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong academic foundation in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Marketing, or a related field is implied by the experience and portfolio requirements.
Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience in brand design, with a minimum of 2 years in a managerial, lead, or supervisory role overseeing design projects and/or teams.
Required Skills:
-
Brand System Development: Proven ability to build and expand comprehensive brand systems, including visual identity, typography, color palettes, illustration styles, and iconography.
-
Creative Campaign Design: Demonstrated experience in conceptualizing and executing impactful visual campaigns across multiple media (digital, print, motion).
-
Strategic Brand Thinking: Capacity to understand and articulate how visual design influences brand positioning, market perception, and key business metrics.
-
Leadership & Team Management: Experience in leading design teams, setting objectives, providing performance feedback, and motivating creative professionals.
-
Figma Proficiency: Advanced skill in using Figma for design, prototyping, and collaboration.
-
Adobe Creative Suite Mastery: High proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects (or similar motion design tools).
-
US Market Acumen: Strong understanding of the US consumer market and an innate sense for brand tonality and visual aesthetics appealing to an American audience.
-
Communication & Stakeholder Management: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present and defend design decisions effectively to diverse stakeholders.
Preferred Skills:
-
Brand Guideline Creation: Experience in developing comprehensive brand guidelines from inception or leading significant rebrands.
-
Motion Design Expertise: Understanding of motion design principles and the ability to create or art-direct animations.
-
Consumer Tech/Wellness Experience: Prior experience in the consumer technology, health & wellness, or lifestyle product sectors.
-
Marketing Funnel Knowledge: Familiarity with marketing frameworks and understanding of the customer journey funnel (awareness to retention).
-
3D Graphics or AI Tools: Experience with advanced visual generation tools.
-
PR/Event Visuals: Experience creating visuals for public relations, podcasts, or events.
-
English Fluency: Upper-Intermediate or above English proficiency (beyond professional necessity).
📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on strategic thinking, leadership, and US market understanding suggests that candidates will be evaluated not just on design execution but on their ability to drive business impact through brand strategy and manage operational aspects of a design function.
📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
-
Brand System Showcase: A dedicated section demonstrating the creation or significant evolution of a brand's visual system, including detailed examples of typography, color, iconography, and illustration.
-
Campaign Design Examples: Clear presentation of at least 2-3 major brand campaigns, highlighting concept development, execution across different channels, and intended impact.
-
Brand Guideline Documentation: Evidence of experience in developing or contributing to comprehensive brand guidelines, showcasing an understanding of brand governance.
-
Cross-Media Representation: Portfolio pieces should span various media, including digital (web, social, app), print, and ideally, motion graphics or animation examples.
-
Process & Rationale: For each project, a clear explanation of the design process, the strategic rationale behind key decisions, and the business objectives addressed.
Process Documentation:
-
Workflow Design: Ability to illustrate designed workflows for asset creation, review, and approval processes within a team or cross-functionally.
-
Automation & Efficiency: Examples or descriptions of how processes have been optimized through templates, automation, or system implementation to improve speed and quality.
-
Performance Measurement: How design project success is measured and communicated, linking visual output to business metrics or user engagement.
📝 Enhancement Note: Given the explicit mention of "optimizing design processes" and "managing operations," the portfolio should not only showcase creative output but also demonstrate the candidate's ability to structure, manage, and improve design workflows and team operations. This is a critical differentiator for this role.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range:
Given the role's seniority (5+ years, 2+ years management), specialized skills (brand systems, US market focus), and remote nature within Ukraine/Poland, a competitive salary range would typically be estimated as follows:
-
For Ukraine: ₴100,000 - 180,000 UAH per month (gross)
-
For Poland: 15,000 - 25,000 PLN per month (gross)
These estimates are based on industry benchmarks for senior-level Brand Design Managers in the tech/consumer products sector in Eastern Europe, considering the remote work arrangement and the company's likely positioning.
Benefits:
-
Health & Wellbeing Focus: Comprehensive medical insurance, a dedicated well-being program focusing on mental health, and access to sports communities (running club, yoga, boxing, etc.).
-
Professional Development: Access to a professional community, specialized training, a knowledge base, and a company library for continuous learning.
-
Work Environment: Autonomous offices with amenities like breakfast, lunch, lounge areas, walking pads, and massage chairs (though this role is remote, the company culture supports well-being).
-
Financial & Social Security: Stable social package and support during challenging times.
-
Remote Work Perks: Opportunity to work remotely from Ukraine or Poland, with conditions designed for stable work.
Working Hours:
-
Standard full-time working hours (40 hours per week) are expected.
-
The role requires flexibility to collaborate with teams across different time zones, particularly for alignment with US market activities and internal stakeholder meetings.
-
Emphasis on efficiency and speed suggests a results-oriented work environment.
📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimation based on the role's seniority, responsibilities, and the specified remote locations (Ukraine/Poland). These figures are indicative and should be verified by the applicant. The extensive list of benefits highlights the company's commitment to employee well-being and professional growth, which is a significant draw for operations and management roles.
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company Culture
Industry: Health & Wellness Technology, Self-Discovery, Mental Well-being. Liven operates in a rapidly growing and increasingly important sector, aiming to provide digital tools and services for personal growth and mental health.
Company Size: The description implies a growing company with established products (2.5M users for the app) but still retaining an agile, experimental "Day 1" spirit. SKELAR is a tech company that likely supports Liven's growth.
Founded: While the founding year of Liven isn't explicitly stated, the company's mission and product suite suggest a modern, forward-thinking organization. SKELAR is a tech company, implying a focus on innovation and scalable solutions.
Team Structure:
-
Design Team: The Brand Design Manager will lead a team of designers. The size isn't specified but is likely growing, requiring strong leadership and process management.
-
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close collaboration is expected with Marketing, Product, PR, and Growth teams. This necessitates strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
-
Reporting: The manager will likely report to a Head of Marketing, Creative Director, or a similar senior leadership role within the marketing or product organization.
Methodology:
-
Curiosity-Driven: The company culture is built on curiosity, encouraging exploration, asking questions, and tackling the unknown. This translates to an experimental approach to product development and brand building.
-
Data-Informed: While not explicitly stated for design, the overall company ethos suggests decisions are informed by user data and performance metrics, particularly for growth and product development.
-
Agile & Iterative: The "Day 1" spirit and focus on experimentation point to an agile, iterative approach to product and brand development, balancing quality with speed.
Company Website: https://www.skelar.tech
📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Curiosity," "Day 1 spirit," and "experimentation" highlights a dynamic and fast-paced environment. For an operations-focused role like this manager, understanding how to build processes within such a culture will be key.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: This role is a significant step into management and strategic brand leadership. It's beyond a senior individual contributor role and firmly within management, requiring the ability to scale design output through a team and optimized processes.
Reporting Structure: The Brand Design Manager will lead a team of designers and report to a higher-level marketing or creative executive. This position acts as a crucial bridge between strategic brand vision and practical execution.
Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on Liven's brand perception, market penetration (especially in the US), and user acquisition/retention through compelling visual communication. By optimizing design operations, the manager directly contributes to marketing efficiency and speed to market.
Growth Opportunities:
-
Strategic Leadership: Opportunity to shape the long-term brand vision and creative direction for a growing wellness product with a significant user base.
-
Team Building & Development: Develop leadership skills by building, mentoring, and growing a high-performing design team.
-
Process Innovation: Implement and refine design operations, workflow automation, and project management systems, creating a scalable and efficient design function.
-
Industry Expansion: Gain deep expertise in the health & wellness and consumer tech sectors, working with a brand targeting the competitive US market.
-
Potential for broader creative leadership: Success in this role can open doors to Directorships or VP-level roles in creative or brand management.
📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers a clear path for growth from a senior design position to a management and strategic leadership role, with a strong emphasis on operational excellence and team development within a dynamic industry.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type: While the company offers physical offices (Kyiv, Warsaw) with amenities, this specific role is fully remote. The company culture still values well-being and focus, which can translate to remote work expectations.
Office Location(s): Remote work is supported in Ukraine and Poland. The company also has physical offices in Kyiv and Warsaw.
Workspace Context:
-
Remote Autonomy: The role offers significant autonomy, allowing for flexible work arrangements within the specified regions.
-
Collaboration Tools: Expect heavy reliance on digital collaboration tools (Figma, Slack, project management software) to maintain team cohesion and cross-functional alignment.
-
Focus on Well-being: The company emphasizes employee well-being, which can inform how remote work is structured, encouraging breaks and a healthy work-life balance.
Work Schedule:
-
The role operates on a full-time basis (40 hours/week).
-
Flexibility is expected, especially for collaborating with US-based teams and stakeholders, potentially requiring adjustments to standard working hours for key meetings or campaign launches.
-
The emphasis on balancing quality and speed suggests an environment that values productivity and efficient time management.
📝 Enhancement Note: The remote nature of the role, combined with the company's emphasis on well-being and focus, suggests an environment that supports productive work from home, with an expectation of efficient time management and proactive communication.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
-
Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by the recruitment team to assess alignment with core requirements.
-
Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager focusing on your experience, leadership style, strategic thinking, and operational approach to brand design. Be prepared to discuss your portfolio in detail.
-
Design Challenge/Case Study: You may be asked to complete a task or present a case study related to brand development, campaign concept, or process optimization. This will assess your strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and ability to articulate your rationale.
-
Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Marketing, Product, or Growth to evaluate your collaboration skills, communication style, and cultural fit.
-
Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss overall vision and strategic alignment.
Portfolio Review Tips:
-
Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the business objectives for each project and the impact your design work had (e.g., increased engagement, brand recognition, market share).
-
Showcase Process: Don't just show the final assets. Detail your strategic thinking, design process, research, and decision-making rationale.
-
Highlight Management/Operations: If possible, include examples of how you've managed design projects, led teams, or optimized design processes.
-
Tailor to Liven: Emphasize work that demonstrates understanding of the US market, consumer tech, or health/wellness sectors. Show how you approach brand building for a mission-driven company.
-
Prepare for Presentation: Be ready to walk through 2-3 key projects in detail, explaining your role, challenges, solutions, and outcomes.
Challenge Preparation:
-
Brand Strategy: Be ready to discuss how you would approach evolving or building a brand identity for a digital wellness product targeting the US market.
-
Process Improvement: Prepare to discuss how you would assess and improve a design team's workflow for speed and quality.
-
Team Management: Think about how you motivate designers, provide feedback, and foster a collaborative environment.
-
Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating design decisions and their business implications clearly and concisely.
📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "managing operations," "optimizing design processes," and "strategic thinking" means the interview process will likely go deep into how candidates operate, manage teams, and drive efficiency, not just their creative output.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
-
Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and system building. Proficiency at an expert level is expected.
-
Adobe Creative Suite:
- Photoshop: For image manipulation and asset creation.
- Illustrator: For vector graphics, logos, and complex illustrations.
- After Effects: Highly preferred for motion graphics, animation, and video content.
Analytics & Reporting:
-
Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude): Understanding how to interpret data to inform design decisions and measure impact.
-
Data Visualization Tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker Studio): While not directly used by designers, understanding how data is presented can inform dashboard design and reporting needs.
CRM & Automation:
-
Project Management Software: Tools like Asana, Jira, Monday.com, or Trello for task management, workflow tracking, and resource planning.
-
Collaboration Platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams for daily communication and team coordination.
-
Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems: Experience with or understanding of how DAM systems organize and distribute brand assets.
📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite is non-negotiable. The inclusion of "optimizing design processes" and "resource planning" implies a need for familiarity with project management and workflow tools.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
-
Curiosity: Embracing the unknown, asking questions, and exploring new approaches to brand building and design challenges.
-
Impact: A strong focus on delivering tangible value to users and the business, with design work directly contributing to Liven's mission and growth.
-
Ownership & Trust: High degree of autonomy and responsibility, with the freedom to act and drive initiatives forward.
-
Efficiency & Speed: Balancing high-quality creative output with the need for rapid iteration and timely delivery in a competitive market.
-
Collaboration: Working effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve shared goals and integrate brand vision across all touchpoints.
Collaboration Style:
-
Cross-functional Integration: Actively engaging with Marketing, Product, and PR to ensure brand consistency and strategic alignment across all initiatives.
-
Open Feedback Culture: Encouraging constructive feedback within the design team and with stakeholders to foster continuous improvement.
-
Data-Driven Discussions: Using insights and metrics to inform design decisions and demonstrate the value of creative work.
-
Proactive Communication: Maintaining clear and consistent communication, especially in a remote environment, to keep all parties informed and aligned.
📝 Enhancement Note: The core values of "Curiosity" and "Impact" are central to Liven's identity. For a manager, translating these values into actionable design processes and team behaviors will be key.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
-
Balancing Quality & Speed: The need to deliver high-quality creative assets quickly in a fast-paced environment, especially when targeting the competitive US market.
-
Brand Consistency Across Diverse Products: Ensuring a unified brand identity across the app, online coaching, and supplements, each with potentially different user journeys.
-
Evolving Digital Landscape: Staying ahead of design trends, platform changes, and new technologies (like AI tools) to maintain brand relevance.
-
Remote Team Management: Effectively leading, motivating, and fostering a strong team culture within a distributed workforce.
-
Measuring Design ROI: Quantifying the impact of brand design on business metrics in a way that resonates with stakeholders.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
-
Strategic Brand Leadership: Deepen expertise in developing and executing brand strategy for a mission-driven consumer tech company.
-
Team Building & Management: Hone leadership skills through direct team management and development.
-
Process Optimization Expertise: Develop advanced skills in workflow design, automation, and operational efficiency within a creative function.
-
US Market Penetration: Gain invaluable experience in navigating and succeeding in a highly competitive global market.
-
Industry Exposure: Immerse in the health & wellness and self-discovery sectors, working with innovative products that impact millions.
📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in operationalizing creative excellence within a fast-moving, remote environment. Growth opportunities are significant for those looking to transition into strategic brand leadership and operational management.
💡 Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
-
"How would you approach evolving Liven's brand identity to specifically target and resonate with the US market, considering competitors like Headspace and Calm?" (Focus on strategic thinking, market understanding)
-
"Describe a process you've implemented or optimized to improve the speed and quality of design asset delivery within a team. What were the key steps and outcomes?" (Focus on operations, process improvement)
Company & Culture Questions:
-
"Based on our mission and values, how would you foster a 'culture of curiosity' within the design team?" (Focus on values alignment, team culture)
-
"How do you balance creative vision with stakeholder feedback and business objectives? Can you provide an example?" (Focus on stakeholder management, communication)
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
-
Structure: For each case study, present: Problem/Objective -> Your Role -> Research/Strategy -> Design Process & Solutions -> Key Challenges & How You Overcame Them -> Results/Impact.
-
Highlight Operations: When discussing projects, point out any instances where you managed timelines, resources, or workflows. If you have a separate project showcasing process improvement, highlight that.
-
Quantify Impact: Use data and metrics wherever possible to demonstrate the business value of your design work.
-
US Market Context: For relevant projects, explain how you considered the US audience and market dynamics.
-
Conciseness: Be prepared to present your key projects within a set time frame, focusing on the most relevant aspects for this role.
📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss not only your design skills but also your operational acumen, leadership philosophy, and strategic approach to brand building. Demonstrating how you manage processes and teams will be as crucial as showcasing your creative portfolio.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this Brand Design Manager position:
-
Submit your CV and Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible and clearly showcases your brand system development, campaign design, and leadership experience.
-
Tailor your Resume: Highlight experience in brand identity, visual systems, team management, process optimization, and any relevant industry (consumer tech, health & wellness). Use keywords from the job description.
-
Prepare your Portfolio Presentation: Select 2-3 key projects that best represent your abilities in brand strategy, creative direction, and operational management. Be ready to discuss your process, rationale, and impact.
-
Research Liven and SKELAR: Understand their mission, products, target audience (especially the US market), and company culture. Articulate how your vision aligns with theirs.
-
Practice your Interview Answers: Prepare for questions related to brand strategy, team leadership, process optimization, stakeholder management, and your approach to design challenges.
⚠️ 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.
Application Requirements
Candidates must possess over 5 years of experience in brand design, including at least 2 years in a managerial or lead capacity, supported by a strong portfolio showcasing brand systems and campaign design across various media. Essential requirements include strategic thinking, leadership experience, proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite, and a strong understanding of the US market tonality.