Sr. Graphic Designer, Innovation

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Graphic Designer, Innovation Company: Taco Bell Location: Irvine, CA Job Type: Full-Time Category: Creative & Media / Art & Design / Marketing Date Posted: 2025-07-29T16:02:08 Experience Level: 5-10 Years Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Conceptualize and craft innovative design solutions that enhance visual communication across the omni-channel consumer journey, ensuring brand consistency and modern appeal.
• Drive design excellence for a dedicated creative category team, actively contributing to the entire project lifecycle from initial concept through to final completion.
• Foster strong cross-functional relationships to cultivate a collaborative and productive team environment, essential for GTM strategy execution.
• Mentor and inspire junior designers, guiding them to achieve brand goals with a distinct Taco Bell flair and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
• Uphold and champion best-in-class creative standards, ensuring exceptional quality across all projects, regardless of scale or complexity, to support overarching marketing and GTM objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a "Global Brand Creative" team, suggesting a significant impact on brand strategy and global marketing initiatives. The emphasis on "Innovation" implies a focus on future-forward design thinking, potentially involving new product launches, campaign concepts, and evolving brand experiences. This role requires a blend of creative artistry and strategic business acumen, aligning closely with GTM operations by translating brand vision into tangible, impactful visual assets that drive consumer engagement and market penetration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Provide expert design and conceptual solutions that result in cohesive messaging and branding, deeply aligned with the overarching creative strategy and Go-To-Market (GTM) plans.
• Drive design execution for a specific creative category team, contributing significantly to the creative process from initial ideation through to final delivery, ensuring alignment with sales and marketing objectives.
• Build and maintain robust cross-functional relationships with teams such as Marketing, Product Development, and Operations to foster a healthy and collaborative environment conducive to efficient GTM execution.
• Uphold and champion creative excellence on all projects, ensuring that every design, whether large-scale campaign or minor collateral, meets the highest brand standards and contributes to positive customer perception.
• Effectively communicate and compellingly present creative ideas and design rationale to stakeholders, including senior leadership, articulating the strategic value and potential business impact of design decisions.
• Collaborate closely with the copywriting team to develop integrated concepts and copy that are perfectly aligned with the brand voice and maintain the desired tone for maximum consumer resonance.
• Partner effectively with creative operations and project management functions to ensure meticulous execution against creative briefs, adherence to the creative review process, and timely delivery of assets critical for GTM timelines.
• Serve as a leading team member recognized for best-in-class creative output and a proactive, collaborative approach within the broader creative department.
• Understand and apply the unique creative approaches required to support specific category and pillar strategies, ensuring design efforts directly contribute to targeted business outcomes and revenue generation.
• Stay current with emerging design trends, advanced design tools, and industry best practices to continuously innovate and elevate Taco Bell's visual presence in the market.
• Report directly to the Category Art Director, receiving strategic guidance and contributing to team performance metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic role that interfaces with multiple departments, including those crucial for GTM success. The emphasis on "category team" and "pillar strategies" suggests a need to align design efforts with specific business unit goals and marketing campaigns, requiring an understanding of how design impacts sales performance and market share. The requirement to partner with "creative operations" highlights the importance of process efficiency and project management within the creative function.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Visual Communications, or a related field, OR equivalent practical experience demonstrating mastery of design principles.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5+ years of progressive experience in graphic design, with a strong emphasis on conceptual thinking and brand storytelling, preferably within a fast-paced consumer-facing industry.
• Proven track record of successfully managing multiple design projects simultaneously from concept to completion, consistently meeting deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Experience mentoring junior designers or leading creative initiatives, demonstrating leadership potential and a commitment to fostering team growth.

Required Skills:

• Conceptual Design & Strategy: Ability to translate business objectives and GTM strategies into compelling visual concepts and design solutions.
• Brand Stewardship: Deep understanding of brand identity, tone of voice, and the ability to maintain consistency across diverse marketing channels and consumer touchpoints.
• Adobe Creative Suite Proficiency: Expert-level command of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for creating high-quality visual assets.
• Presentation & Communication: Superior storytelling abilities with exceptional skills in presenting creative ideas, design rationale, and project outcomes to diverse stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to overcome design challenges and deliver effective solutions that meet business needs.
• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including copywriters, marketing, and operations, to achieve shared goals.

Preferred Skills:

• Digital Design Tools: Proficiency in Figma and Keynote for UI/UX design, prototyping, and presentation development, reflecting modern design workflows.
• Motion Graphics/Video: Familiarity with After Effects or similar tools for creating dynamic visual content that enhances engagement.
• Retail/QSR Design Experience: Specific experience designing for quick-service restaurants or retail environments, understanding the unique demands of these sectors.
• Trend Analysis: Ability to identify and integrate emerging design trends and technologies into creative work to maintain brand relevance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "equivalent experience" acknowledges that practical application and a strong portfolio can substitute for formal education. The emphasis on "strategic thinking" and "achieving business objectives through design" directly links the creative role to GTM and revenue generation, suggesting that candidates should be prepared to discuss how their design work has supported business goals. The inclusion of Figma and Keynote points to a need for modern digital design capabilities beyond traditional print.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Conceptual Depth: Showcase a minimum of 3-5 diverse projects demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, strategic rationale, and creative problem-solving aligned with brand objectives.
• Omni-Channel Execution: Include examples of designs applied across multiple touchpoints (e.g., digital ads, social media, in-store signage, packaging, internal communications) to illustrate adaptability and cohesive brand application.
• Process Documentation: For key projects, briefly outline the design process, including initial brief interpretation, concept development, stakeholder feedback integration, and final execution.
• Brand Consistency: Demonstrate a clear understanding and consistent application of brand guidelines while also showcasing innovative extensions of the brand identity.
• Impact Visualization: Where possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback illustrating the impact of your design work on campaign performance, consumer engagement, or business objectives.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss your personal design workflow, how you manage feedback loops, and how you optimize processes to ensure efficiency and quality.
• System Integration: Show an understanding of how design assets integrate with various platforms and systems (e.g., CMS, social media schedulers, digital advertising platforms) to ensure seamless deployment.
• Collaboration & Feedback: Provide examples of how you have collaborated with copywriters, marketing teams, and operations to refine concepts and ensure successful project outcomes.
• Tool Proficiency Showcase: Highlight projects that specifically demonstrate your proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Keynote, explaining how these tools were leveraged to achieve project goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are tailored to assess not just aesthetic skill but also strategic thinking, process management, and the ability to deliver designs that have a tangible impact on business objectives, which is crucial for GTM roles. The emphasis on "process documentation" within the portfolio indicates that hiring managers will want to understand the candidate's approach to creative problem-solving and workflow management.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $106,700 - $120,000 annually (plus bonus eligibility)

Benefits:

• Work-Life Balance & Flexibility:
  • Hybrid work schedule promoting a balance between remote work and in-office collaboration.
  • Year-round "Flex Day Friday" offering additional flexibility.
  • Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year, plus holidays and dedicated time off for volunteering.
• On-site Amenities & Wellness:
  • Onsite childcare facilities through Bright Horizons.
  • Onsite dining center with a Taco Bell restaurant, game room, dry cleaning, laundry services, and carwash.
  • Fully equipped onsite gym with access to fitness classes and personal trainer sessions.
• Financial & Health Security:
  • Generous parental leave for all new parents and an adoption assistance program.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with an immediate vesting 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands.
  • Comprehensive medical and dental insurance, including prescription drug benefits and 100% coverage for preventive care.
• Perks & Discounts:
  • Exclusive employee discounts on Taco Bell products and merchandise.
  • Company swag and other employee appreciation gifts.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, likely around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement and additional flexibility provided through "Flex Day Friday."

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Senior Graphic Designer role in Irvine, CA, considering the experience level and the company's stature. The extensive list of benefits, particularly the onsite amenities and generous time-off policies, indicates a strong focus on employee well-being and work-life integration, which can be a significant draw for professionals. The bonus eligibility suggests performance-based incentives tied to individual and company success.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Food & Beverage / Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) Company Size: Large (8,200+ restaurants globally, part of Yum! Brands) Founded: 1962

Company Description: Taco Bell is a global leader in the Mexican-inspired quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, known for its innovative menu, bold brand personality, and commitment to inclusivity and challenging the status quo. As part of Yum! Brands, Taco Bell benefits from the resources and scale of one of the world's largest restaurant groups, while maintaining its distinct "Cultural Rebel" identity. The company emphasizes a culture that celebrates diversity, self-expression, and a passion for creating a better future, all while having fun.

Team Structure:

• Global Brand Creative Team: This role is part of the Global Brand Creative team, reporting to a Category Art Director. This team is responsible for shaping and executing the visual brand identity across all consumer touchpoints.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Designers work closely with various departments, including Marketing, Product Development, Operations, and external agencies, to ensure cohesive brand messaging and GTM strategy execution.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Senior designers are expected to mentor junior team members, contributing to the development of a strong internal talent pipeline and fostering a culture of creative excellence and continuous improvement.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: While rooted in creative expression, design decisions are informed by consumer insights, market trends, and business objectives to maximize impact and align with GTM strategies.
• Conceptual Storytelling: Emphasis is placed on developing designs that tell a compelling story and evoke emotional connections with the brand's "Live Más" philosophy.
• Agile & Iterative Design: The fast-paced QSR environment necessitates an agile approach to design, involving iterative development, quick feedback loops, and adaptability to evolving campaign needs.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Taco Bell's culture is distinctively bold and inclusive ("Cultural Rebels," "Live Más"). This translates into a creative environment that values innovation, self-expression, and challenging norms. For a designer, this means opportunities to push creative boundaries while staying aligned with a strong, established brand identity. The "Innovation" aspect of the job title suggests a focus on forward-thinking projects that may influence future brand direction and GTM campaigns.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor / Lead Designer

• This role represents a significant step up from a mid-level designer, requiring advanced conceptualization skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor others. It's a position where one is expected to drive creative direction within their assigned category and contribute to broader brand initiatives.

Reporting Structure:

• Reports directly to the Category Art Director, who provides strategic oversight and guidance.
• Works closely with Art Directors, Copywriters, Creative Operations, Marketing teams, and potentially external agencies.
• Expected to mentor and guide junior designers, influencing their creative development and output.

Operations Impact:

• Brand Perception & Engagement: The visual design crafted by this role directly shapes consumer perception of Taco Bell's brand, influencing their engagement with marketing campaigns, product launches, and overall brand loyalty.
• GTM Strategy Support: Design solutions are critical components of Go-To-Market strategies, translating campaign messaging into visually compelling assets that drive customer awareness, trial, and purchase intent.
• Revenue Generation: Effective design can significantly impact sales by attracting customers, communicating value propositions, and reinforcing brand positioning in a competitive market.
• Innovation Pipeline: The "Innovation" focus means this role plays a part in developing and visualizing new concepts, products, and brand experiences, contributing to Taco Bell's competitive edge and future growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Potential to advance into an Art Director role, taking on greater responsibility for creative strategy, team management, and project oversight.
• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas of design or marketing, such as digital experience design, packaging innovation, or campaign development.
• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broader business acumen by working closely with various departments, understanding their operational needs and how creative solutions support their objectives.
• Industry Recognition: Contributing to award-winning campaigns and innovative design solutions can enhance professional reputation and open doors to further opportunities within the industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Sr." title and reporting to an Art Director indicate a senior individual contributor role with potential leadership responsibilities. The emphasis on "Innovation" and "Global Brand Creative" suggests a strategic position that influences brand direction and GTM efforts, offering significant growth potential within a large organization like Yum! Brands. Candidates should highlight their experience in strategic design and mentorship.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid Work Environment Office Location(s): Irvine, CA (with potential for travel as needed for projects or team collaboration).

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The Irvine office serves as a central hub for creative professionals, fostering collaboration through shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and informal interaction areas. The hybrid model allows for focused individual work at home and collaborative synergy in the office.
• Creative Resources: Access to state-of-the-art design tools and technology, including Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Keynote, is standard. The office environment is designed to support creative brainstorming and production.
• Team Interaction: Regular in-person interaction with fellow designers, Art Directors, copywriters, and marketing teams is expected, facilitating idea exchange and efficient project execution. The onsite amenities contribute to a unique and engaging work experience.

Work Schedule:

• A hybrid work schedule is standard, requiring a mix of in-office and remote work.
• "Year-round Flex Day Friday" offers additional flexibility, allowing employees to manage their schedules effectively while ensuring business needs are met.
• Standard full-time hours are expected, with the understanding that occasional extended hours may be necessary to meet project deadlines or GTM launch dates.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and extensive onsite amenities at the Irvine headquarters create a unique work environment. The "Flex Day Friday" suggests a culture that values employee well-being and autonomy. For operations professionals, understanding how this hybrid setup supports collaboration and workflow efficiency is key. The onsite facilities, including childcare and dining, are significant perks that contribute to a positive and supportive employee experience.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios to assess basic qualifications and creative fit.
• Portfolio Review & Creative Challenge: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, discussing their process, strategic rationale, and impact. A creative challenge or assignment may be given to evaluate problem-solving skills and design execution under specific constraints. This is a critical step to assess how candidates approach GTM messaging through design.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews with the hiring manager (Category Art Director), potentially other senior creatives, and cross-functional partners (e.g., Marketing, Operations) to evaluate collaboration skills, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment.
• Final Round: Potentially interviews with senior leadership to discuss broader brand vision and strategic impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Showcase projects that best align with the "Innovation" aspect of the role and demonstrate your ability to translate GTM objectives into creative solutions. Include a mix of conceptual work and executed campaigns.
• Tell the Story: For each project, clearly articulate the brief, your role, the strategic challenge, your design process, key decisions, and the measurable impact or outcome. Use the "STAR" method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for clarity.
• Highlight Process & Tools: Explicitly mention your use of Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Keynote, explaining how these tools enabled your creative solutions. Discuss your workflow and how you handle feedback.
• Demonstrate Brand Understanding: Show how you've applied or evolved brand guidelines, and how your designs resonate with Taco Bell's "Cultural Rebel" identity.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs, linking them to business goals like engagement, conversion, or brand awareness.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: Carefully analyze any creative challenge prompt, identifying key objectives, target audience, and constraints.
• Strategic Alignment: Focus on how your design solution directly addresses the business or GTM objectives outlined in the brief.
• Process Demonstration: Be ready to explain your thought process, including initial concepts, iterative refinements, and final execution rationale.
• Concise Presentation: Prepare a clear, concise presentation of your solution, highlighting key design elements and their strategic justification.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily weigh the portfolio and a potential creative challenge, emphasizing practical application of design skills to business objectives and GTM strategies. Candidates should prepare to articulate not just what they designed, but why and how it contributed to business success, aligning with operations principles of efficiency and impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Expert proficiency required in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for comprehensive graphic design and asset creation.
• Figma: Essential for modern UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows, particularly for digital touchpoints and innovation projects.
• Keynote: Crucial for creating compelling presentations of design concepts, strategies, and project outcomes to stakeholders.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Basic understanding of analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, social media insights): While not a primary function, awareness of how design impacts performance metrics is beneficial for optimizing creative strategies and demonstrating ROI.
• Data Visualization Tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI): Familiarity could be advantageous for understanding campaign performance data that informs design direction.

CRM & Automation:

• Marketing Automation Platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo): Understanding how design assets integrate into email campaigns and marketing automation workflows is helpful.
• Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with platforms like WordPress or similar for web content deployment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Keynote highlights the core technological requirements. Proficiency in these tools is critical for executing the role's responsibilities effectively and for contributing to modern digital design workflows, essential for current GTM strategies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Live Más: Embrace the brand's philosophy of living life to the fullest, encouraging passion, creativity, and a positive outlook in all endeavors.
• Cultural Rebels: Challenge the status quo, be bold, and express individuality while working towards collective brand and business goals. This translates to innovative design thinking and a willingness to explore new creative territories.
• Inclusivity & Belonging: Champion diversity in thought, background, and expression, ensuring that creative output is representative and resonates with a broad audience.
• Data-Informed Creativity: While valuing artistic expression, decisions are grounded in consumer insights, performance data, and business objectives to ensure design efforts are strategic and impactful.
• Efficiency & Excellence: Strive for high-quality output and streamlined processes, ensuring that creative projects are delivered effectively and meet rigorous brand standards.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: A strong emphasis on working collaboratively across departments (Marketing, Product, Operations) to align creative vision with business strategy and ensure seamless execution of GTM initiatives.
• Open Feedback & Iteration: A culture that encourages constructive feedback and iterative design processes to refine concepts and achieve optimal results.
• Shared Knowledge & Learning: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, industry trends, and creative insights to foster continuous learning and collective growth within the creative team.

📝 Enhancement Note: Taco Bell's core values ("Live Más," "Cultural Rebels") deeply influence its workplace culture. For a designer, this means an environment that encourages bold creativity, individuality, and a passion-driven approach, balanced with a commitment to inclusivity and data-informed decision-making. This culture is crucial for driving innovation and effective GTM campaigns.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Consistency with Innovation: Continuously pushing creative boundaries for "Innovation" while strictly adhering to established brand guidelines and ensuring designs are universally appealing across diverse markets.
• Fast-Paced QSR Environment: Managing multiple high-priority projects simultaneously under tight deadlines inherent to the quick-service restaurant industry and frequent GTM launches.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively translating diverse stakeholder needs and feedback from various departments (Marketing, Product, Operations) into cohesive design solutions.
• Measuring Design Impact: Quantifying the ROI and tangible business impact of creative work in a way that clearly demonstrates its contribution to sales, brand perception, and GTM success.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to explore and implement cutting-edge design trends, software (e.g., advanced Figma features, AR/VR design concepts), and creative technologies.
• Brand Strategy & GTM Exposure: Deepen understanding of brand strategy, marketing campaign development, and Go-To-Market planning by working closely with relevant teams.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Formal and informal opportunities to hone leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and potentially leading specific creative initiatives.
• Industry Events & Conferences: Potential to attend relevant design conferences and industry events to stay abreast of trends and network with peers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the dynamic nature of the role, requiring adaptability, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills. The growth opportunities point towards significant potential for professional development within a leading brand, particularly in areas of strategic design and leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance strict brand guidelines with a need for innovative design. How did you approach it?" (Focus on your process for pushing boundaries while maintaining brand integrity).
• "How do you ensure your design solutions effectively support Go-To-Market strategies and contribute to business objectives?" (Prepare examples linking design to campaign goals, consumer engagement, or sales).
• "Walk us through your process for tackling a design challenge where the brief was ambiguous or evolving." (Showcase your problem-solving, communication, and iterative design skills).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What does 'Live Más' mean to you, and how would you translate that into visual design for Taco Bell?" (Demonstrate understanding of the brand ethos and its creative application).
• "How do you approach collaboration with non-design stakeholders, such as marketing or operations teams, to ensure alignment on creative projects?" (Highlight your communication and relationship-building skills).
• "How do you stay current with design trends and incorporate them into your work without compromising brand identity?" (Show your proactive learning and strategic application of trends).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio logically, perhaps by project type or by showcasing your strongest conceptual work first. For each project, clearly state the objective, your role, the challenge, your solution, and the outcome.
• Emphasize the 'Why': Don't just show what you made; explain the strategic thinking, design rationale, and problem-solving behind each piece, particularly how it served a business or GTM goal.
• Highlight Tool Proficiency: Explicitly mention and, if possible, demonstrate your use of Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Keynote, explaining how these tools facilitated your creative process and final output.
• Quantify Results: Whenever possible, use data or metrics to illustrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, click-through rates, positive feedback).
• Engage and Discuss: Be prepared for interactive questions about your work. View it as a conversation to showcase your passion, strategic thinking, and collaborative spirit.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of creative talent, strategic thinking, and operational awareness. Candidates must be ready to articulate how their design work directly contributes to business outcomes and GTM success, using specific examples from their portfolio.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. Graphic Designer, Innovation position:

• Submit your application through the Greenhouse portal linked.
• Curate Your Operations-Focused Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects that demonstrate strategic design thinking, ability to translate GTM objectives into visual assets, and successful application of tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Keynote. Include case studies that highlight process and measurable impact.
• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of design experience, problem-solving skills, strategic thinking capabilities, and any experience mentoring junior designers. Use keywords relevant to creative strategy, brand building, and GTM support.
• Prepare Your Presentation Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, strategic rationale, and the impact of your work for each portfolio piece. Be ready to discuss how your designs have contributed to business goals and align with Taco Bell's "Cultural Rebel" ethos.
• Research Taco Bell's Brand & Innovation: Understand their current marketing campaigns, brand voice, and any recent innovative initiatives. Consider how your design perspective could further enhance their brand presence and support future GTM efforts.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions based on the provided data. All details, especially regarding specific responsibilities, team dynamics, and application processes, should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.