Staff Brand Designer, Hazel AI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Staff Brand Designer, Hazel AI

Company: Altruist

Location: San Francisco, CA

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Brand Design, Marketing, Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-03-05T22:30:58

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the visual evolution and ongoing development of the Hazel AI brand identity and its comprehensive design system.

• Shape and expand the Hazel brand's visual language across critical touchpoints including product marketing, strategic launches, digital campaigns, and in-product brand experiences.

• Act as a key thought partner to Creative Leadership, contributing to strategic initiatives and the long-term brand direction for Hazel AI.

• Collaborate closely with Product Design to ensure a unified and intentional user experience, bridging the gap between brand expression and user interface.

• Translate complex Artificial Intelligence capabilities into clear, compelling, and elegant visual storytelling that resonates with financial advisors and their clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a leadership opportunity within the brand team, focusing on the visual identity and application of the Hazel AI product. The emphasis on "visual evolution," "design language," and "ecosystem" suggests a strategic, systems-oriented approach to brand building, directly tied to a specific product (Hazel AI) within the wealth management technology sector. The requirement to partner with Product Design indicates a need for strong cross-functional collaboration and a deep understanding of user-centered design principles.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define, document, and evolve the Hazel AI brand's visual identity, including typography, color, iconography, and overall aesthetic across all platforms.

• Develop and maintain a robust design language system for Hazel AI, ensuring consistency and scalability across various marketing and product touchpoints.

• Lead the creative execution for key marketing initiatives, product launches, and brand campaigns, translating strategic objectives into impactful visual designs.

• Collaborate with Product Designers to ensure the Hazel AI user experience is seamlessly integrated with the brand identity, creating a cohesive and premium feel.

• Partner with specialized creative talent, including motion designers and illustrators, to bring brand concepts to life and create engaging, forward-looking visual narratives.

• Translate complex AI concepts and data-driven functionalities into easily understandable and visually appealing brand communications.

• Explore and integrate emerging design tools and AI-driven creative technologies to enhance workflow efficiency and creative output.

• Contribute to the ideation and conceptualization phases of new Hazel AI initiatives and product expansions.

• Uphold and elevate the highest standards of design craft and execution across all brand touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic brand leadership and hands-on design execution. The emphasis on "design language system," "product-adjacent work," and "emerging tools and technologies" points to a role that requires both a deep understanding of brand strategy and a forward-thinking approach to design application within a tech-focused environment. The requirement to partner with Product Design is a critical aspect, suggesting the need for a holistic view of the user journey and brand touchpoints.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong foundation in design principles is expected, often acquired through formal education in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field, or through equivalent professional experience.

Experience: 6–8+ years of dedicated brand design experience, with a significant portion ideally involving product-focused or product-adjacent branding initiatives. This experience should demonstrate a proven track record of shaping or evolving a product's visual identity.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in leading the visual design and ongoing evolution of a brand, particularly within a technology or product-centric context.

• Demonstrated ability to define and expand a comprehensive design language system applicable across diverse marketing and product surfaces.

• Exceptional portfolio showcasing advanced design craft, sophisticated systems thinking, and a keen understanding of modern visual aesthetics.

• Fluency in industry-standard design software, specifically Figma for collaborative design and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for broader creative tasks.

• Strong conceptual thinking capabilities, coupled with the precision and attention to detail required for pixel-perfect execution.

• Comfort and adaptability in fast-moving, often ambiguous environments, with a proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the confidence and ability to effectively influence cross-functional partners, including Product, Marketing, and Engineering.

Preferred Skills:

• Literacy in motion design principles and software (e.g., After Effects) to contribute to dynamic visual storytelling.

• Experience working within the Fintech or Wealth Management industry, understanding its unique brand and communication nuances.

• Familiarity with AI technologies and their potential impact on brand perception and user experience.

• Experience in developing brand guidelines and ensuring their consistent application across an organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement emphasizes a blend of strategic brand development and practical application, particularly in relation to product integration. The explicit mention of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite highlights essential technical proficiencies. The preferred skills suggest that prior experience in Fintech or with AI technologies would be a significant advantage, indicating a desire for candidates who can hit the ground running with relevant domain knowledge.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 significant brand identity projects, ideally including the evolution or establishment of a new brand's visual system.

• Include case studies demonstrating the development and application of a design language system or style guide, detailing how it ensures consistency across multiple platforms.

• Present examples of how brand identity was applied to product marketing materials, digital campaigns, or web interfaces, highlighting strategic intent and visual execution.

• Feature projects that demonstrate strong systems thinking, illustrating how individual design elements connect to form a cohesive and scalable brand ecosystem.

Process Documentation:

• Provide examples of how brand strategy was translated into tangible visual design elements and guidelines.

• Illustrate your process for collaborating with cross-functional teams (e.g., Product Design, Marketing) to ensure brand alignment and impact.

• Showcase how you approached translating complex concepts (like AI capabilities) into clear and compelling visual narratives.

• Demonstrate your ability to iterate on designs based on feedback and evolving project requirements, highlighting problem-solving within the design process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily focused on demonstrating a strategic approach to brand building within a product context. The emphasis on "design language system," "systems thinking," and "application across multiple platforms" indicates that candidates need to present work that shows scalability and consistency. The inclusion of "translating complex concepts" and "collaboration" points to the need for candidates to showcase their process and ability to work effectively within a team.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $190,000 - $230,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Hybrid work schedule promoting work-life balance with 3 days per week in the San Francisco office.

• Access to stunning, amenity-filled office spaces designed for comfort, collaboration, and productivity.

• Competitive base salary and equity in the form of Stock Options (ISOs) for eligible positions.

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage, including premium medical, dental, and vision insurance plans (HMO and PPO options).

• 401k savings plan with a generous 4% company match and immediate vesting.

• 16 weeks of paid parental leave to support new parents.

• Robust professional growth and development opportunities, including an employee mobility program and an annual Learning & Development (L&D) budget.

• Company perks program offering discounts on various services such as pet insurance, fitness, cell phone plans, and travel.

• Access to a financial guidance program providing counseling on debt management, personal spending, savings goals, and home-buying preparedness.

• A unique "one month work from anywhere" policy, allowing flexibility outside of a few excluded countries.

Working Hours: Standard full-time work hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with the understanding that flexibility may be required for project deadlines and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is competitive for a Staff level Brand Designer role in San Francisco, reflecting the seniority and specialized skills required. The benefits package is extensive, covering health, financial planning, professional development, and work-life flexibility, all of which are attractive to experienced professionals. The hybrid work arrangement is clearly defined with specific in-office days.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Fintech / Wealth Management Technology. Altruist is disrupting the traditional wealth management industry by providing an AI-powered platform designed to empower financial advisors. This means the company operates at the intersection of finance, technology, and artificial intelligence, aiming to make financial advice more accessible and affordable.

Company Size: Altruist is a growing company, indicated by its need for a Staff Brand Designer and its multiple office locations. While the exact current size isn't specified, its presence in major tech hubs like San Francisco suggests it's beyond a startup phase and likely operates with a significant number of employees, fostering a dynamic and evolving work environment.

Founded: Founded in 2018, Altruist is a relatively young company, which often translates to a fast-paced, innovative, and mission-driven culture. This maturity level suggests established processes but still retains the agility and ambition of a growing tech firm.

Team Structure:

• The Brand Design team likely operates within a broader Marketing or Creative department, collaborating closely with Product Design, Product Management, and Engineering.

• This role reports to Creative Leadership, indicating a structured hierarchy with clear lines of accountability for brand vision and execution.

Methodology:

• The company emphasizes a data-driven and AI-centric approach, suggesting that brand decisions and creative strategies are informed by analytics and insights.

• Workflow planning and optimization are critical, especially in a fast-moving tech environment. The design team is expected to be efficient and adaptable.

• Automation and efficiency practices are likely valued, particularly as the company leverages AI and modern technology to scale its operations and offerings.

Company Website: https://altruist.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is characterized by a strong mission, rapid growth, and a focus on innovation within the fintech space. The values of Kindness, Brilliance, and Grit suggest a collaborative yet high-performance environment. The emphasis on AI and data-driven approaches is a key differentiator that will influence design and brand strategy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a "Staff" level position, signifying a senior individual contributor role. Staff Designers are expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, provide strategic direction within their domain, mentor junior team members, and influence cross-functional partners. They are recognized as experts in their field, capable of tackling complex challenges and driving significant initiatives.

Reporting Structure: The Staff Brand Designer reports to Creative Leadership. This implies a direct line of communication to senior decision-makers within the creative function, allowing for strategic input and alignment with broader company objectives. They will also work closely with Product Design and other cross-functional teams.

Operations Impact: The role's impact is significant, directly shaping the perception and market positioning of Hazel AI, Altruist's core AI platform. By defining the visual identity and ensuring brand consistency across product and marketing, the designer influences how financial advisors and their clients perceive the intelligence, trustworthiness, and premium nature of Altruist's offerings. This directly supports user adoption, brand loyalty, and ultimately, revenue growth in the competitive wealth management tech sector.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization & Leadership: Opportunity to deepen expertise in AI branding and design systems, potentially leading future brand initiatives or growing into a Design Lead/Director role for Hazel AI.

• Skill Development: Access to an annual L&D budget for courses, workshops, and conferences to stay abreast of emerging design trends, AI technologies, and creative tools.

• Cross-functional Influence: Develop strong collaborative leadership skills by partnering with Product, Engineering, and Marketing, gaining broader business acumen and strategic influence.

• Industry Recognition: Contribute to building a benchmark for AI product storytelling in fintech, potentially leading to industry recognition for innovative brand design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Staff" title indicates a senior role with significant influence and autonomy. The growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise in a specialized area (AI branding, design systems) and developing leadership capabilities within a fast-growing, innovative company. The impact is framed in terms of shaping market perception and supporting business objectives within the fintech sector.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The San Francisco office is described as a "stunning, amenity-filled space" intentionally designed for comfort, collaboration, and productivity. This suggests a modern, well-equipped workspace conducive to creative work and team interaction.

Office Location(s): The role is based in San Francisco, CA, specifically in the FiDi (Financial District) area, which is a prime business location. The company also has offices in Culver City, CA, and Dallas, TX, indicating a growing national presence.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model (3 days in-office) is designed to foster strong, in-person collaboration, allowing for spontaneous idea-sharing, team building, and focused work sessions.

• The office environment likely provides access to the necessary tools and technology, including high-performance workstations and collaborative spaces, to support advanced design work.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with design, product, and marketing teams are abundant, encouraging a dynamic and communicative work culture.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time schedule is implied, likely around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model offers flexibility, allowing for focused work at home on designated remote days, while in-office days are structured for collaborative activities and team engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment is structured to balance focused individual work with collaborative team engagement. The San Francisco office location in FiDi suggests a professional setting within a major tech and finance hub. The hybrid nature of the role is highlighted as a deliberate choice to encourage in-person collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by the Talent Acquisition team to assess alignment with the role's requirements and experience level.

• Portfolio Review & Creative Discussion: A deep dive into your portfolio with hiring managers and/or senior designers. Expect to discuss your design process, strategic thinking, systems approach, and how you've tackled similar challenges.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Design, Product Management, and potentially Marketing or Engineering. These interviews will assess your collaboration skills, ability to influence, and understanding of product development cycles.

• Creative Challenge/Exercise: You may be asked to complete a design exercise or present a case study on a prompt related to Hazel AI's brand or a similar challenge. This assesses your problem-solving abilities, design execution, and strategic thinking under pressure.

• Final Round: A meeting with senior leadership to discuss your overall fit, long-term vision, and alignment with company values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best represent your skills in brand systems, product-adjacent design, and modern visual aesthetics. Prioritize work that aligns with the fintech/AI space if possible.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process, the strategic rationale behind your decisions, and the measurable impact or outcome.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Explicitly demonstrate how you think about and build scalable design systems that ensure brand consistency across diverse touchpoints.

• Showcase Craft & Detail: Ensure your presentation is polished, with attention to typography, layout, and visual hierarchy. Be prepared to discuss pixel-level details and aesthetic choices.

• Emphasize AI & Product Focus: If possible, include projects that touch upon technology, AI, or complex data visualization, and explain how you approached communicating these concepts visually.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brand: Thoroughly research Altruist and Hazel AI. Understand their mission, values, target audience (financial advisors), and competitive landscape.

• Think Systemically: If given a creative challenge, focus not just on a single asset, but on how your solution fits into a broader brand system and user experience.

• Articulate Your Process: Be ready to walk through your thought process step-by-step, explaining your decisions and how you arrived at your solution.

• Focus on Impact: Consider how your design solution would contribute to Hazel AI's objectives, such as brand recognition, user engagement, or trust.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess not only design skills but also strategic thinking, collaboration, and cultural fit. The portfolio review is a critical component, requiring candidates to demonstrate not just aesthetic talent but also a systematic and strategic approach to brand building, particularly within a product and technology context. The advice emphasizes research and preparation tailored to the specific company and role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and building design systems. Proficiency in creating components, variants, auto-layout, and managing team libraries is expected.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Comprehensive suite including Photoshop (image editing, mockups), Illustrator (vector graphics, iconography), and InDesign (layout for presentations, guidelines).

• Prototyping Tools: While Figma has strong prototyping capabilities, familiarity with other tools like InVision or Principle might be beneficial for more advanced or specific prototyping needs.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Emerging Technologies:

• Familiarity with AI-driven creative tools (e.g., generative AI for ideation, image enhancement) is a plus, indicating a forward-thinking approach to design workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily focused on industry-standard design software, with Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite being paramount. The emphasis on "emerging tools and technologies" suggests an openness to incorporating AI and other innovative solutions into the design workflow, aligning with the company's AI-centric mission.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Kindness: Fostering an environment of mutual respect, active listening, and open communication. In design, this translates to constructive feedback, collaborative problem-solving, and empathetic consideration of user needs.

• Brilliance: A commitment to high standards, continuous learning, and ownership. For designers, this means striving for exceptional craft, pushing creative boundaries intelligently, and taking pride in delivering impactful work. Embracing a growth mindset is key.

• Grit: Perseverance and a focused determination to achieve the mission, even in the face of challenges. In design, this means tackling complex problems with resilience, adapting to changing project scopes, and maintaining a sense of urgency to deliver results in a fast-paced environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to work seamlessly with Product Design, Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing teams, ensuring brand and product strategies are aligned and executed cohesively.

• Process Review & Feedback: An open culture for sharing work-in-progress, soliciting feedback, and iterating on designs collaboratively is likely encouraged.

• Knowledge Sharing: A proactive approach to sharing insights, best practices, and learnings within the design team and across departments to elevate collective expertise and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's core values (Kindness, Brilliance, Grit) are directly applicable to the design team's day-to-day work and collaboration. The emphasis on cross-functional integration and a feedback-driven culture suggests a dynamic and communicative team environment where designers play a pivotal role in shaping the company's external perception.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Vision with Product UX: Ensuring the distinct Hazel AI brand identity is both prominent and seamlessly integrated with the user experience of the AI platform, avoiding visual clutter or friction.

• Translating Complex AI Concepts: Visually communicating the sophistication and benefits of AI technology to a non-technical audience of financial advisors in a clear, compelling, and trustworthy manner.

• Maintaining Consistency Across a Growing Ecosystem: As Hazel AI expands into new features and surfaces, ensuring the brand remains cohesive and recognizable across an increasingly diverse range of touchpoints.

• Navigating Ambiguity and Pace: Operating effectively in a fast-moving startup environment where priorities can shift and new initiatives emerge rapidly, requiring adaptability and resilience.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI & Future of Design: Opportunity to explore and pioneer design strategies for AI-driven products, positioning yourself at the forefront of this evolving field.

• Design Systems Expertise: Deepen skills in building and scaling sophisticated design systems within a rapidly growing product ecosystem.

• Fintech Brand Leadership: Gain valuable experience in shaping the brand of a disruptive fintech company, understanding the unique dynamics of this industry.

• Mentorship and Influence: Opportunities to mentor junior designers and influence creative direction at a senior individual contributor level.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are specific to the role's context: the intersection of AI, brand, and product design within a fast-paced fintech environment. Growth opportunities are framed around specialization in cutting-edge areas like AI branding and design systems, as well as developing leadership and industry-specific expertise.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you led the visual evolution of a brand. What was your process, and what were the key outcomes?" (Focus on your strategic approach, systems thinking, and impact.)

• "How would you approach defining a design language for an AI product like Hazel, considering both its technical sophistication and human-centric goals?" (Demonstrate your understanding of AI, design systems, and user empathy.)

• "Walk us through a project where you collaborated closely with Product Design or Engineering. How did you ensure brand consistency while supporting UX goals?" (Highlight your collaboration skills and ability to balance brand with product.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on our values of Kindness, Brilliance, and Grit, how do you see yourself contributing to the Altruist culture as a Staff Brand Designer?" (Connect your work style and approach to the company's core principles.)

• "What excites you most about the wealth management industry and the role of AI within it?" (Demonstrate genuine interest and understanding of the company's mission.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of the project's goals and your role. Then, dive into your process, showcasing key decisions, iterations, and final deliverables. Conclude with the impact or results.

• Focus on Systems: For brand system projects, clearly articulate the components, rules, and how the system ensures consistency and scalability. Use visual aids to demonstrate this.

• Tell the "Why": For every design decision, explain the strategic reasoning behind it. Why this color? Why this typeface? Why this layout? Connect it back to the brand strategy or user needs.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, technical execution, collaboration challenges, and how you handled feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice is tailored to the specific demands of a Staff Brand Designer role in a tech/fintech company. It emphasizes strategic thinking, systems-level design, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to communicate complex concepts visually, aligning with the job description's key requirements.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Staff Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Altruist careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating brand system development, product-adjacent design, and experience with technology or complex concepts. Ensure it clearly showcases your craft, strategic thinking, and systems approach.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your 6-8+ years of brand design experience, specifically mentioning any work related to product branding, fintech, or AI. Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Increased brand consistency across X platforms").

• Interview Preparation: Practice discussing your portfolio projects using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and prepare thoughtful questions about Altruist, Hazel AI, the design team, and the company culture.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Altruist's mission, values, current brand presence, and the Hazel AI platform. Understand their target audience (financial advisors) and the competitive landscape in wealth management technology.

⚠️ 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.