Sr. Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Graphic Designer Company: Lightmatter Location: Mountain View, CA Job Type: Full-Time Category: Marketing Operations / Brand Design Date Posted: 2025-09-26T21:21:09 Experience Level: 8+ Years (Senior Level) Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the visual identity and brand narrative development for Lightmatter, an innovator in AI data center infrastructure.
• Drive end-to-end creative initiatives, from concept to execution, across digital and physical touchpoints.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, agencies, and external partners to ensure cohesive and impactful brand storytelling.
• Optimize user experiences through website design enhancements, UX/UI improvements, and compelling content creation.
• Develop and maintain brand assets, guidelines, and templates to ensure consistent brand representation across all channels.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Sr. Graphic Designer," the detailed responsibilities, especially regarding website updates, UX/UI collaboration, campaign support, and cross-functional work with Product Marketing and Sales, indicate a role that blends core graphic design with elements of marketing operations and brand strategy. The emphasis on "shaping the visual identity" and "brand narrative DNA" suggests a strategic contribution beyond traditional design execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Originate and execute creative concepts, visuals, and content to elevate the consumer experience across all Lightmatter channels, focusing on compelling brand stories.
• Sharpen creative direction and ensure storytelling excellence in collaboration with narrative designers and brand experts.
• Lead website design and content updates for Lightmatter.co, working with agency partners and developers for implementation.
• Create a wide range of marketing materials, including social media graphics, blog illustrations, sales decks, event collateral, and case studies.
• Develop engaging motion graphics and edit videos for social media, campaigns, events, and digital platforms.
• Refine and evolve the Lightmatter brand identity, producing essential brand assets such as figure illustrations, iconography, and visual templates.
• Design assets for integrated marketing campaigns, email newsletters, and paid advertising initiatives.
• Collaborate on UX/UI enhancements to improve website usability and optimize landing pages for conversion.
• Partner cross-functionally with Product Marketing and Sales teams to ensure effective project execution and alignment with business goals.
• Support the planning and execution of company events through design contributions.
• Provide creative feedback and direction to agencies or freelance designers as needed.
• Stay current with emerging digital technologies, design trends, and best practices to continuously innovate.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of "UX/UI Enhancements" and "website usability and optimize landing pages for conversion" points to a need for understanding user-centric design principles and their impact on marketing and sales funnel performance, which are key components of marketing operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s of Fine Arts (BFA), Graphic Design, or a closely related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years of professional industry experience, preferably within brand teams at a company or in a creative agency setting.
• Proven track record managing 3–5 projects or priorities concurrently in a fast-paced environment, consistently meeting deadlines.

Required Skills:

• Portfolio: A strong, comprehensive portfolio showcasing expertise in brand identity development, marketing collateral, website design, illustration, motion graphics, and video editing.
• Design Software Proficiency: Expert-level proficiency in Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere Pro).
• Web Technologies: Experience with content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Webflow, or similar platforms for website updates and maintenance.
• UX/UI Understanding: Solid grasp of UX/UI best practices and foundational knowledge of front-end development principles.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present ideas clearly, craft persuasive decks, and secure stakeholder buy-in.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated ability to leverage consumer insights for data-backed recommendations aligned with marketing plans.
• Collaboration: Experience working effectively with designers, brand narrative experts, art directors, and cross-functional teams, incorporating feedback while maintaining project momentum.

Preferred Skills:

• Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA).
• Familiarity with HTML and CSS.
• Experience working within a technical field, particularly semiconductors or hardware industries.
• Understanding of SEO principles and web traffic metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 8+ years of experience, coupled with responsibilities like leading initiatives, shaping brand identity, and strategic thinking based on consumer insights, positions this role at a senior or lead level. The emphasis on "strategic thinker experienced in consumer insights to create data-backed recommendations aligned with marketing plan" is a strong indicator of operations-adjacent responsibilities in marketing strategy.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase end-to-end campaign development, demonstrating strategic thinking from brief to final execution.
• Include case studies highlighting website redesigns or significant content updates, emphasizing user experience improvements and conversion optimization.
• Present examples of brand guideline development or evolution, demonstrating ability to maintain brand consistency across diverse media.
• Feature projects involving motion graphics and video editing, illustrating storytelling capabilities and technical execution.
• Demonstrate proficiency in creating sales enablement materials like decks and case studies, highlighting impact on sales cycles.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of contribution to or creation of brand guidelines and asset libraries, outlining processes for their use and evolution.
• Examples of workflow for website updates, including collaboration with developers and CMS management.
• Case studies detailing how design processes were adapted or optimized to meet specific campaign goals or overcome creative challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "strong portfolio showcasing brand, marketing, web, illustration, motion graphics, and video editing work" is crucial. For a senior role, this portfolio should not just display finished products but also hint at the strategic thinking, process, and problem-solving involved in achieving those results, aligning with operations expectations for demonstrable impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $154,000 - $169,000 USD per year. This range is based on the provided information and typical market rates for a Sr. Graphic Designer with 8+ years of experience in the Mountain View, CA area, considering the company's valuation and industry.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Savings Matching Program
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development opportunities
• Commuter Benefits
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Equity grants (for full-time employees)

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with a flexible, hybrid workplace model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $154,000 - $169,000 USD for Mountain View, CA, aligns with senior-level creative roles in a high cost-of-living tech hub. The "Flexible, hybrid workplace model" offers operational flexibility.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Advanced AI Data Center Infrastructure, Photonics Technology. Lightmatter is at the forefront of revolutionizing AI and HPC workloads with light-speed connectivity, positioning them as a key player in the rapidly growing AI hardware sector. Company Size: The company has raised significant funding ($400 million Series D, $4.4 billion valuation), suggesting substantial growth and a scaling workforce. While an exact employee count isn't provided, it's likely a mid-to-large-sized tech company with dedicated departments for marketing, engineering, and operations. Founded: Information not explicitly provided in the raw data, but the Series D funding indicates a company that has moved beyond its early startup phase and is in a significant growth and expansion period.

Team Structure:

• The Sr. Graphic Designer will report directly to the Head of Brand Marketing, indicating a clear reporting line within the marketing department.
• This role requires significant cross-functional collaboration, particularly with Product Marketing, Sales, and potentially engineering teams, suggesting a matrixed or highly integrated team environment.
• Collaboration with external agencies and freelancers is also a key aspect of the team's operational model.

Methodology:

• A strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making, leveraging "consumer insights" and "data-backed recommendations" to inform marketing strategies and design choices.
• A commitment to "storytelling excellence" and crafting "hyper meaningful brand stories" suggests a narrative-centric approach to marketing and communication.
• The company fosters continuous learning and adaptation, encouraging employees to "stay up-to-date with new digital technologies and best practices."

Company Website: https://www.lightmatter.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's focus on cutting-edge AI and photonics implies a culture that values innovation, technical expertise, and rapid problem-solving. The marketing team's role is crucial in translating complex technology into understandable and compelling narratives for a diverse audience.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Designer. This level signifies a high degree of autonomy, strategic input, and responsibility for key brand initiatives. The role is expected to mentor or guide junior designers and external partners, driving best practices.

Reporting Structure: Reports to the Head of Brand Marketing. This position offers direct exposure to senior marketing leadership and strategic planning.

Operations Impact: The Sr. Graphic Designer's work directly influences brand perception, marketing campaign effectiveness, sales enablement, and overall customer experience. By creating compelling visuals and narratives, this role contributes significantly to lead generation, brand awareness, and stakeholder engagement, impacting revenue indirectly through effective marketing and sales support.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Art Director role, managing a small team or overseeing larger creative projects.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like motion graphics, UX/UI for technical products, or brand strategy for high-tech industries.
• Cross-functional Expertise: Gain valuable experience in product marketing, sales enablement, and corporate branding within a rapidly scaling tech company.
• Industry Exposure: Become an expert designer in the high-growth AI data center infrastructure sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role's senior designation and its strategic responsibilities (shaping visual identity, data-backed recommendations) suggest a pathway towards leadership or specialized senior individual contributor roles within marketing or operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. Lightmatter offers a "Flexible, hybrid workplace model," indicating a blend of in-office collaboration and remote flexibility. Office Location(s): Mountain View, CA. This location places the company within Silicon Valley, a hub for tech innovation and talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires close collaboration with internal teams (Product Marketing, Sales) and external partners (agencies, developers), suggesting an environment that values teamwork and communication.
• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma) and CMS platforms, enabling efficient workflow and creative output.
• Innovation Focus: Working within a company at the cutting edge of AI data center infrastructure fosters an environment of constant learning and engagement with advanced technologies.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time, with flexibility afforded by the hybrid model, allowing for effective management of design projects and personal work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment, impacting how operations, collaboration, and project management are conducted. It requires strong self-management and communication skills from the employee.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and creative output.
• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion focused on experience, strategic thinking, and fit with the brand marketing team.
• Design Challenge/Portfolio Review: A practical exercise or in-depth review of the candidate's portfolio, assessing creative problem-solving, technical skills, and ability to articulate design rationale. Expect to discuss how your work aligns with brand strategy and business goals.
• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Marketing, Sales, or other relevant departments to evaluate collaboration skills and understanding of business needs.
• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership to discuss overall vision and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate expertise in brand development, marketing campaigns, website design, and motion graphics.
• Highlight Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the objective, your role, the process you followed, and the measurable results or impact achieved (e.g., improved engagement, conversion lift, brand consistency).
• Showcase Process: Include sketches, wireframes, or mood boards to illustrate your creative thinking and problem-solving approach.
• Tailor to Lightmatter: Emphasize projects that show an understanding of technical products or complex industries, and how you translated that into accessible visuals.
• Prepare for Presentation: Be ready to walk through your portfolio, explaining your design decisions and how they supported specific business or marketing objectives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Anticipate Design Tasks: Be prepared for a design challenge that might involve creating marketing collateral for a new product, updating a website section, or developing a social media campaign concept.
• Focus on Strategy: Demonstrate how you would approach the challenge strategically, considering the target audience, brand guidelines, and business objectives.
• Time Management: Practice completing design tasks within a set timeframe, simulating interview conditions.
• Articulate Rationale: Be ready to clearly explain your design choices, tools used, and potential impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "strong portfolio" and "strategic thinker experienced in consumer insights" means the interview process will heavily scrutinize not just aesthetic skill but also the strategic application of design to achieve business outcomes, a key operational consideration.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: For UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows.
• Adobe Creative Suite:
  • Photoshop: Image editing, manipulation, and digital painting.
  • Illustrator: Vector graphics, logo design, and complex illustrations.
  • InDesign: Layout design for print and digital collateral (brochures, decks, case studies).
  • After Effects: Motion graphics, animation, and visual effects for videos and digital content.
  • Premiere Pro: Video editing and post-production.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Tools (e.g., Google Analytics): Understanding of web traffic metrics and SEO principles (preferred qualification). This implies a need to interpret data to inform design decisions for website optimization.

CRM & Automation:

• CMS Platforms (WordPress, Webflow): For website content management and updates.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and the full Adobe Creative Suite is non-negotiable. The mention of CMS platforms and preferred knowledge of SEO/web traffic metrics indicates an operational awareness of how design integrates with digital marketing performance and content management systems.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Excellence: A culture that values pushing boundaries in technology and design, striving for "extreme-scale" solutions and "giant leaps in human progress."
• Impact-Driven: A focus on making a tangible impact, both technologically and through effective communication that supports business goals.
• Collaboration & Expertise: Encourages working with "brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders," valuing deep expertise and cross-functional teamwork.
• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to staying ahead by embracing new technologies and best practices.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Design work is deeply integrated with Product Marketing, Sales, and potentially engineering, requiring proactive communication and alignment.
• Agency/Freelancer Management: Experience in providing clear direction and feedback to external creative partners.
• Narrative-Centric: A strong emphasis on developing cohesive brand narratives, requiring designers to work closely with content and marketing strategists.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company’s mission-driven nature ("leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure") suggests a culture that attracts passionate individuals. The marketing team's role is to translate this technical ambition into relatable and inspiring visual communications.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Complex Technology: Effectively communicating the intricacies of photonics and AI data center infrastructure to diverse audiences through design.
• Brand Evolution: Balancing the need for a consistent, established brand identity with the dynamic nature of a rapidly growing tech company and evolving market trends.
• Pace of Innovation: Keeping up with the fast-paced development cycles in AI and hardware, and translating those advancements into timely marketing materials.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring design strategies are aligned with the diverse needs and priorities of Product Marketing, Sales, and Engineering.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into High-Tech: Gain specialized knowledge in AI, HPC, and photonics industries, enhancing design relevance and strategic understanding.
• Brand Strategy Expansion: Opportunity to influence and shape the visual identity of a high-valuation, cutting-edge technology company.
• Digital Marketing Integration: Enhance skills in UX/UI optimization, SEO, and campaign performance analysis through collaboration.
• Mentorship: Potential to learn from senior marketing leadership and experienced technical professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for a designer who can not only execute creatively but also think strategically and adapt to a technically complex and fast-moving environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to translate a complex technical product into a compelling visual story. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, strategic thinking, and impact.)
• "How do you ensure brand consistency across multiple channels and touchpoints, especially when working with external agencies and internal teams?" (Highlight your understanding of brand governance and collaboration.)
• "Walk us through a website redesign or significant update you led. What were the key UX/UI considerations, and how did you measure success?" (Prepare a case study focusing on user-centric design and measurable results.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Lightmatter's mission and technology?" (Research the company's products and market impact.)
• "How do you approach collaboration with non-designers, such as engineers or sales teams, to ensure your designs meet their needs?" (Emphasize communication and empathy.)
• "How do you stay updated on the latest design trends and technologies, and how do you incorporate them into your work?" (Showcase a commitment to continuous learning.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio to tell a story. Begin with your strongest, most relevant projects. For each project, clearly state the problem, your solution, your role, and the results.
• Quantify Success: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the impact of your design work (e.g., increased website traffic, improved conversion rates, higher engagement).
• Showcase Process, Not Just Polish: Include early-stage concepts, wireframes, or mood boards to illustrate your creative thinking and problem-solving journey.
• Highlight Versatility: Ensure your presentation covers the breadth of skills required: branding, web design, motion graphics, and marketing collateral.
• Tailor to the Role: Explicitly connect your past work and skills to the responsibilities outlined in the job description, demonstrating why you are a strong fit for Lightmatter.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the emphasis on strategic thinking and data-backed recommendations, expect interview questions to probe your analytical abilities and how you use insights to drive design decisions, not just your aesthetic talent.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. Graphic Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features examples of brand development, marketing campaigns, website design, and motion graphics relevant to a tech company. Tailor your case studies to highlight strategic thinking and measurable impact.
• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 8+ years of experience, specific tool proficiencies (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite), and experience with website updates and UX/UI. Quantify achievements where possible.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Lightmatter's products, mission, and recent news. Understand their position in the AI data center infrastructure market and their competitive landscape.
• Prepare for the Design Challenge: Anticipate a design task that might require you to translate complex technology into accessible visuals or develop campaign assets. Practice articulating your strategic approach and design rationale.

⚠️ 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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