Senior Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Graphic Designer Company: The Helper Bees Location: Austin, Texas, United States Job Type: Full-Time Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations Date Posted: September 12, 2025 Experience Level: 7+ Years

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the creative design function for a fast-growing, mission-driven company recognized on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Startup Employers.
• Develop and execute visual strategies across all marketing channels, ensuring brand consistency and impactful communication of complex concepts.
• Mentor and guide junior design talent, fostering a collaborative and high-performing creative team environment.
• Collaborate with product and marketing teams to create cohesive user experiences and client-facing materials that highlight the company’s value proposition.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior Graphic Designer," the responsibilities, particularly leading the design team, mentoring junior designers, and supporting UI/UX, indicate a role with significant operational and leadership components within the marketing and creative functions. This suggests a strong emphasis on process, brand governance, and team management, aligning with a "Creative Operations" or "Marketing Operations with a creative focus" categorization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Brand Stewardship: Develop, maintain, and enforce comprehensive brand guidelines to ensure visual consistency across all company touchpoints, from digital marketing campaigns to internal presentations.
• Creative Asset Development: Conceptualize and produce a diverse range of high-quality marketing collateral, including digital ads, social media graphics, website assets, brochures, presentations, and email campaign visuals.
• Design Leadership & Mentorship: Lead the design team by providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and mentorship to junior designers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring the delivery of exceptional creative output.
• Concept Visualization: Translate complex ideas, data, and service offerings into clear, visually compelling, and easily understandable graphics that resonate with target audiences.
• Stakeholder Collaboration & Feedback Integration: Present design concepts to internal stakeholders, actively solicit feedback, and iterate on designs to meet project objectives and refine visual communication.
• UI/UX Support: Collaborate with the product team on UI/UX design elements for digital products, ensuring a seamless, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing user experience that aligns with brand standards.
• Client-Facing Material Creation: Design professional and persuasive client-facing materials that effectively articulate the company's product benefits and value proposition.
• Trend Analysis & Innovation: Stay abreast of emerging graphic design trends, software advancements, and best practices to inject fresh perspectives and innovative approaches into design projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic brand management, hands-on creative execution, and team leadership. The emphasis on "distilling complex concepts into clear visuals" and supporting UI/UX points to a need for analytical thinking and user-centric design processes, common in operations-focused roles that bridge creative output with business objectives.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Graphic Arts, Design, Communications, or a closely related field is preferred.

Experience: A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in graphic design, with a proven track record of creating impactful visual communications.

Required Skills:

• Design Fundamentals: Deep understanding of core design principles, including typography, color theory, layout, and composition for both print and digital media.
• Software Proficiency: Expert-level command of industry-standard design software: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Sketch.
• Brand Management: Proven ability to develop, implement, and maintain brand guidelines and visual identity systems.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated experience working effectively with marketing, product, and other cross-functional teams.
• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and present concepts clearly to diverse stakeholders.
• Project Management: Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple design projects simultaneously, adapt to changing priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Problem-Solving: Aptitude for identifying design challenges and developing creative, effective visual solutions.
• Self-Motivation & Proactivity: Ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive projects forward with minimal supervision.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to design, ensuring accuracy and adherence to specifications.

Preferred Skills:

• Web Design Fundamentals: Familiarity with web design principles and best practices.
• WordPress Proficiency: Experience designing within or for WordPress CMS.
• Salesforce Familiarity: Basic understanding of Salesforce, particularly as it relates to marketing or sales collateral.
• UI/UX Design Experience: Prior experience contributing to UI/UX design processes for digital products.
• Mentorship Experience: Previous experience guiding or mentoring junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for proficiency in specific design software (Adobe Suite, Sketch) and preferred familiarity with WordPress and Salesforce are critical for any operations role involving marketing technology stacks or content management systems. This indicates the need for the designer to understand how their work integrates into broader business systems.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated Brand Consistency: Showcase examples of maintaining and evolving brand identity across various media and campaigns, highlighting your understanding of brand governance.
• Process Improvement Case Studies: Include projects that illustrate your ability to streamline design workflows, improve asset production efficiency, or implement new design processes that enhanced team output.
• Complex Concept Visualization: Present projects where you successfully translated intricate information or abstract concepts into clear, compelling visual narratives.
• Impactful Marketing Material Examples: Highlight a range of marketing collateral (digital ads, presentations, social media graphics) that demonstrate strategic thinking and measurable impact on campaign goals.
• UI/UX Design Contributions: If applicable, include examples of your involvement in UI/UX design, showcasing your user-centric approach and ability to contribute to product design.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Provide examples or descriptions of how you have designed or optimized design workflows to improve efficiency, collaboration, and asset delivery.
• Implementation & Automation: Detail any instances where you implemented design tools, templates, or automated processes to enhance productivity or ensure brand compliance.
• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Explain how you measure the effectiveness of design work, whether through engagement metrics for digital assets or feedback on client-facing materials.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role with mentorship responsibilities, a portfolio should not only showcase creative output but also demonstrate an understanding of process, efficiency, and strategic impact. This includes evidence of how the designer has improved workflows, managed projects systematically, and contributed to measurable business outcomes through their design leadership.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $80,000 - $90,000 per year

Benefits:

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Retirement Savings: Opportunities for 401(k) or similar retirement savings plans, potentially with employer matching.
• Paid Time Off: Generous paid time off (PTO), including vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to support work-life balance.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continued learning, training, and professional growth in graphic design and related fields.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support services for personal and professional challenges.
• Company Recognition: Being part of a company recognized on Forbes' list of America’s Best Startup Employers.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, standard business hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The listed salary range is competitive for a Senior Graphic Designer role in Austin, TX, aligning with industry benchmarks for experienced professionals. The benefits package is typical for a full-time position in a growing tech-enabled company.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / Home Care Services. The Helper Bees operates in a dynamic sector focused on leveraging technology to improve in-home care for older adults, bridging the gap between technology and personalized care.

Company Size: The provided data does not specify company size, but being recognized as a "Startup Employer" suggests a growth-oriented environment, likely with a few hundred employees, offering opportunities for impact and visibility.

Founded: The company was founded to address a clear need in the elder care community, indicating a mission-driven approach rooted in providing meaningful solutions.

Team Structure:

• Marketing Team: The Senior Graphic Designer will collaborate closely with the Marketing team, implying a structured departmental setup with defined responsibilities.
• Design Team: The role explicitly involves leading and mentoring junior designers, suggesting the existence of a small but growing internal design team or function.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires interaction with product teams and other company stakeholders, indicating a collaborative work environment where design input is valued across departments.

Methodology:

• Agile & Iterative: The company's core value of "Quickly iterate through solutions" suggests an agile and fast-paced work environment where rapid prototyping and continuous improvement are key.
• Impact-Oriented: The value "Seek ways to create immediate impact" emphasizes a results-driven culture where proactive contributions are encouraged.
• Team-Centric: Values like "Bee the teammate you want to work with" and "Ask questions, answer questions" highlight a collaborative and communicative culture.
• Celebration of Wins: A commitment to "Take the time to celebrate wins" fosters a positive and appreciative work atmosphere.

Company Website: thehelperbees.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission and core values paint a picture of a purposeful, fast-paced, and collaborative organization. For a Senior Graphic Designer, this means contributing to a mission that directly impacts people's lives while navigating a dynamic, growth-oriented startup environment. Understanding these values is crucial for cultural fit.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Individual Contributor with leadership and mentorship responsibilities. It represents a significant step up from a junior designer, requiring strategic thinking, brand ownership, and team guidance.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Graphic Designer will likely report to a Marketing Manager, Director of Marketing, or Creative Director, depending on the organizational structure. They will directly manage or mentor junior designers.

Operations Impact: The Senior Graphic Designer's work directly influences brand perception, marketing campaign effectiveness, user experience of digital products, and client engagement. Their ability to translate complex information into clear visuals is critical for driving business objectives, supporting sales enablement, and enhancing customer understanding.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Creative Director or Head of Design role as the company scales.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in UI/UX design, marketing automation visuals, or brand strategy.
• Process Improvement: Lead initiatives to refine design operations, implement new tools, or establish best practices for creative asset production.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Take on project leadership roles that span across marketing, product, and customer success teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career advancement within a growing company, moving from senior execution and mentorship to broader creative leadership and strategic operational impact within the marketing function.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role requires the candidate to be in the physical office multiple times each week and during special events as needed.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Austin, Texas. Remote work is permitted from approved locations within the United States on designated remote days.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office environment likely fosters collaboration with marketing, product, and other team members, providing opportunities for ideation and feedback.
• Technology Enabled: Access to necessary design software, hardware, and potentially collaborative platforms for remote work.
• In-Office Interaction: Expect regular in-person meetings, brainstorming sessions, and team events to build camaraderie and facilitate project alignment.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility for remote work days. The hybrid model requires a balance between in-office presence for collaboration and remote work for focused individual tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role requires strong self-management skills and the ability to seamlessly transition between in-office collaboration and remote, focused work. Candidates must be comfortable with this blended work model and ensure they can maintain productivity and connectivity in both settings.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and salary expectations.
• Portfolio Review & Skills Assessment: A deeper dive into the candidate's portfolio, often with a hiring manager or senior team member, to evaluate design quality, process thinking, and leadership potential. This may include a design challenge.
• Team/Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with potential collaborators (e.g., marketing team members, product managers) to assess communication, teamwork, and alignment with company values.
• Final Interview: Often with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Marketing, CEO) to discuss strategic vision, cultural alignment, and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 5-7 of your strongest projects that best showcase your senior-level skills, leadership, and ability to handle complex concepts.
• Highlight Process & Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the brief, your role, the design process you followed (including any optimization or workflow improvements), the challenges faced, and the measurable results or impact achieved. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
• Showcase Brand Governance: Include examples demonstrating your ability to maintain brand consistency and guide others in its application.
• Demonstrate Mentorship: If possible, include examples of how you've mentored junior designers or led creative initiatives.
• Be Prepared to Discuss: Anticipate questions about your design choices, your approach to feedback, your experience with UI/UX, and your leadership style.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: If a design challenge is provided, thoroughly read and understand the objectives, target audience, and constraints.
• Focus on Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate not just creative execution but also strategic thinking. Consider the business goals behind the design task.
• Time Management: Allocate your time wisely during the challenge, ensuring you have time for concept development, execution, and a brief explanation of your rationale.
• Presentation Clarity: Be ready to present your solution clearly and concisely, explaining your design decisions and how they address the brief.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Graphic Designer role, the interview process will heavily scrutinize the portfolio for evidence of leadership, strategic thinking, process adherence, and the ability to mentor. Candidates should prepare to articulate not just what they designed, but why and how it achieved business objectives, and how they managed the process and team.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop (raster graphics editing, photo manipulation), Illustrator (vector graphics, logos, illustrations), InDesign (layout, print design, digital publishing). Mastery is expected.
• Sketch: For UI/UX design, wireframing, and prototyping. Proficiency is highly valued.
• Project Management Software: Potentially Asana, Trello, Jira, or similar for task tracking and workflow management.
• Collaboration Tools: Slack, Microsoft Teams for daily communication.
• Cloud Storage/File Sharing: Google Drive, Dropbox, or similar for asset management and sharing.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Familiarity with Google Analytics or similar tools to understand website performance and user behavior, informing design decisions.
• Social Media Analytics: Understanding metrics from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn to optimize social graphics.

CRM & Automation:

• WordPress: For website content management and design implementation.
• Salesforce: Familiarity is a plus, suggesting potential integration points for marketing collateral or lead generation assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack indicates a need for a designer who is not only creative but also technically proficient and adaptable to marketing technology systems. Understanding how design assets integrate into platforms like WordPress and CRM systems like Salesforce is a key operational aspect of this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Impact-Driven: A strong emphasis on making a tangible difference, aligning with the company's mission to help people stay home longer.
• Agility & Iteration: Comfort with a fast-paced environment that requires quick problem-solving and continuous refinement of solutions.
• Teamwork & Support: Commitment to being a supportive and collaborative team member, actively helping and encouraging colleagues.
• Open Communication: Encouraging questions and sharing knowledge to foster collective understanding and problem-solving.
• Celebration & Recognition: A culture that values acknowledging and celebrating achievements, big or small.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive Engagement: Expected to actively participate in discussions, offer insights, and seek out opportunities to contribute.
• Feedback Integration: Openness to receiving and incorporating feedback from peers, managers, and stakeholders to improve design outcomes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share expertise, mentor junior designers, and contribute to a learning environment.
• Efficient Communication: Utilizing designated channels (Slack, email, meetings) effectively to ensure clear and timely communication on projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Cultural alignment is critical in a startup environment. The Senior Graphic Designer should demonstrate initiative, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to the company's mission and values. The emphasis on iteration and asking questions suggests an environment where continuous learning and adaptation are valued.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creative Vision with Brand Consistency: Ensuring innovative design solutions remain within established brand guidelines and effectively communicate complex messages.
• Managing Multiple Stakeholder Needs: Effectively navigating feedback and priorities from various departments (Marketing, Product, Sales) to deliver cohesive designs.
• Fast-Paced Iteration: Adapting quickly to changing project requirements and market feedback in a startup environment.
• Mentoring Junior Talent: Developing the skills to effectively guide and support the growth of junior designers while maintaining high-quality output.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Software & Techniques: Opportunities to learn new features, plugins, or advanced workflows in Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, or emerging design tools.
• UI/UX Specialization: Deepen expertise in user interface and user experience design principles and practices.
• Brand Strategy: Gain exposure to broader brand strategy development and implementation.
• Leadership Skills: Develop management and mentorship capabilities through hands-on experience.
• Industry Exposure: Potentially attend industry conferences or workshops related to graphic design, marketing, or UX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a senior creative role in a growing company, offering significant opportunities for professional development in both creative and leadership capacities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design Process & Problem Solving: "Describe a time you had to simplify a complex concept into a visual. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your thinking, iteration, and impact.)
• Brand Management: "How do you ensure brand consistency across a wide range of marketing materials, especially when working with a team?" (Highlight your approach to brand guidelines and team collaboration.)
• Leadership & Mentorship: "Tell me about your experience mentoring junior designers. What is your approach to providing feedback and fostering growth?" (Prepare specific examples of guidance you've provided.)
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: "Describe a situation where you received conflicting feedback on a design. How did you resolve it?" (Showcase your communication, negotiation, and decision-making skills.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• Mission Alignment: "What resonates with you about The Helper Bees' mission and values?" (Research the company's mission and be prepared to connect your personal values and professional goals.)
• Work Environment: "How do you adapt to a fast-paced, iterative work environment? What are your expectations for a hybrid work setup?" (Demonstrate your flexibility and understanding of startup culture.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame your portfolio pieces as stories. Start with the problem or objective, explain your role and creative process, detail the solution, and conclude with the impact or results.
• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data or metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, conversion rates, positive stakeholder feedback).
• Showcase Process: Be ready to walk through the thinking behind your designs, including initial sketches, mood boards, and iterations, to illustrate your problem-solving approach.
• Highlight Leadership: If you have leadership examples, weave them into your project discussions or have a dedicated section to showcase your mentorship experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should emphasize demonstrating not only creative talent but also strategic thinking, process orientation, leadership potential, and a strong cultural fit with The Helper Bees' values.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the recruiting platform.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating brand governance, complex concept visualization, and any experience in mentoring junior designers or improving design workflows.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 7+ years of experience, proficiency in key design software (Adobe Suite, Sketch), and any experience with WordPress or Salesforce. Highlight achievements with quantifiable results where possible.
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, leadership approach, and how you align with The Helper Bees' mission and values. Prepare to discuss specific examples from your portfolio.
• Company Research: Thoroughly review The Helper Bees' website, mission, and core values to prepare for questions about cultural fit and your understanding of their business.

⚠️ 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.