Marketing Design Systems Specialist

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Marketing Design Systems Lead

Company: Lantern

Location: Dallas, TX - Hybrid (3x in office/week)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations / Design Systems

Date Posted: April 28, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (estimated 5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the architecture and operationalization of scalable, modular marketing design systems to enhance brand consistency across all customer-facing channels.

• Drive production velocity and empower the organization with standardized tools and templates that reduce ad-hoc creative efforts.

• Focus on conversion-informed creative systemization and proactive creative operations infrastructure to ensure marketing effectiveness.

• Champion the development of repeatable creative assets and processes that support enterprise growth and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a lead within the marketing creative infrastructure, focusing on strategic systemization rather than day-to-day execution of individual creative pieces. The emphasis is on building the "engine" for creative production.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Direct Mail Systems: Create and maintain modular direct mail systems, standardizing formats (postcard, self-mailer, letter, insert) and defining locked layout zones while exploring variable opportunities to minimize custom layout creation.

• Sales Enablement Systems: Develop a robust PowerPoint master system with component-based slide architecture, modular data visualization, and template kits for case studies and one-pagers, aiming to eliminate custom deck builds.

• Landing Page Component Library: Partner with demand generation and events teams to build reusable, conversion-optimized components, define layout rules and mobile-first guardrails, and create documentation for self-service page assembly, maintaining alignment with performance data.

• Social Creative System: Establish standardized templates for paid and organic social media, including repeatable ad variants, and define guardrails for grid, typography, and motion systems.

• Email Systems (Collaborative Ownership): Work with internal teams to modularize ESP-native block systems (headers, content, CTAs, footers, legal variants), define archetype templates, and create QA/performance checklists to drive scalability and optimization.

• Design System Governance & Creative Operations: Maintain centralized Figma libraries and token governance, implement version control and release documentation, sunset outdated templates, provide internal training, conduct QA on vendor outputs, and continuously refine systems based on feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on creating repeatable, scalable systems across various marketing channels. This indicates a need for someone who can think strategically about process and infrastructure, not just design execution. The collaborative ownership of email systems suggests a need for strong cross-functional communication and influence.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, or a related field would be advantageous, demonstrating foundational knowledge in design principles and marketing strategy.

Experience: Proven experience in designing, building, and operationalizing scalable marketing systems across multiple channels, with a focus on driving adoption and achieving scaling success. This typically requires 5-10 years of progressive experience in creative operations, design systems, or a similar role.

Required Skills:

• Advanced Figma systems architecture (tokens, variants, auto layout, scalable libraries, file governance).

• Proficiency with creative automation platforms (e.g., Bynder, Canva Enterprise, Aprimo, Figma variables & Dev Mode, templating engines, variable data merge tools).

• Advanced Adobe InDesign for print systems.

• Deep understanding of CTA hierarchy and conversion psychology.

• Fluency in direct mail production standards (bleeds, folds, USPS requirements, variable data).

• Strong grasp of ESP-native design constraints and modular block systems.

• Working knowledge of HTML/CSS structure.

• Advanced PowerPoint slide engineering.

• Experience in building enterprise-ready template ecosystems (email, direct mail, social media, landing pages, sales enablement decks and one-pagers).

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in socializing design systems to gain adoption and drive scaling success.

• Proven ability to translate conversion strategy into modular creative frameworks.

• Experience influencing stakeholders to adopt structured creative processes.

• Familiarity with implementing governance and QA frameworks for creative assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements are highly technical, emphasizing specific software proficiencies and deep knowledge of production standards across various marketing channels. This suggests the role requires a blend of design expertise, operational acumen, and a systems-thinking mindset. The "strong candidates will have experience in" section effectively outlines the practical application of these skills in a business context.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate the creation and implementation of robust design systems, showcasing modularity, scalability, and reusability across multiple marketing channels (e.g., direct mail, social, email, sales enablement).

• Include case studies detailing how systems were built, the specific problems they solved (e.g., reducing production time, increasing brand consistency), and the resulting impact on efficiency or performance.

• Showcase expertise in Figma, including examples of tokenization, component libraries, auto layout usage, and version control strategies.

• Provide examples of print production readiness, illustrating understanding of bleeds, folds, USPS requirements, and variable data for direct mail systems.

Process Documentation:

• Illustrate experience in documenting design system guidelines, governance models, and best practices for internal team adoption.

• Showcase examples of workflow optimization through systemization, detailing how processes were streamlined for creative production and delivery.

• Present evidence of implementing QA frameworks and version control for creative assets, ensuring brand consistency and operational efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is critical for this role. It should not only display design aesthetic but, more importantly, demonstrate the strategic thinking behind building and implementing efficient, scalable creative systems and processes. The emphasis should be on problem-solving and measurable impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Marketing Design Systems Lead with 5-10 years of experience in Dallas, TX, a competitive salary range would typically fall between $95,000 - $130,000 annually. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in major metropolitan areas, considering the hybrid work model and the specialized skillset required.

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for healthcare needs.

• Dental Insurance: For oral health.

• Vision Insurance: For eye care.

• Short & Long Term Disability: Income protection in case of incapacitation.

• Life Insurance: Financial security for beneficiaries.

• 401k with company match: Retirement savings plan with employer contribution.

• Paid Time Off: For vacation, personal days, and rest.

• Paid Parental Leave: Support for new parents.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model allows for flexibility, with 3 days per week in the Dallas office and the remaining days remote, facilitating a balance between in-person collaboration and focused individual work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on market data for specialized marketing operations and design system roles in a major Texas city. The specific salary offered will depend on the candidate's exact experience, qualifications, and negotiation. The benefits package is standard for a tech-forward company and offers good support for employees.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Healthcare Technology / Specialty Care Platform. Lantern operates at the intersection of healthcare services and technology, aiming to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs through a curated network of specialists and dedicated care teams. This industry context means a focus on patient well-being, data security, and navigating complex regulatory environments, all of which influence marketing messaging and creative requirements.

Company Size: Lantern is a growing company, indicated by its presence on Greenhouse and its mission to serve millions of members. This suggests a dynamic, potentially fast-paced environment where roles can evolve and have a significant impact. For operations professionals, this means opportunities for process improvement and system implementation are often valued.

Founded: While the founding date isn't provided, Lantern is described as a platform connecting people with specialty care, trusted by large employers. This indicates a company that has moved beyond the startup phase and is establishing its market presence, likely with a focus on scaling operations and marketing efforts.

Team Structure:

• The Marketing Design Systems Lead likely sits within the broader Marketing or Creative department. This team is responsible for all external-facing communications, brand management, and demand generation efforts.

• The role will report to a Marketing leadership position (e.g., Director of Marketing, Head of Creative Operations, or VP of Marketing), with direct collaboration expected with demand generation, events, product marketing, and potentially brand management teams.

Methodology:

• Lantern's "LIGHT" pillars (Logic, Inclusion, Grit, Humanity, Truth, Team) suggest a culture that values data-driven decision-making, diverse perspectives, ambitious problem-solving, customer-centricity, integrity, and collaboration.

• Marketing operations and creative systems development will likely be approached with a focus on efficiency, scalability, and measurable impact, aligning with the "Logic" and "Grit" principles.

• The emphasis on "Humanity" implies that customer experience and patient well-being are central, which should be reflected in marketing creative and system design.

Company Website: lanterncare.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture, emphasized by the "LIGHT" pillars, suggests a forward-thinking, collaborative, and results-oriented environment. Understanding these values will be crucial for cultural fit during the interview process. The healthcare industry context adds a layer of seriousness and purpose to the marketing efforts.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a "Lead" position, indicating a senior individual contributor role with significant ownership and responsibility for a critical area of marketing operations. It requires deep expertise in design systems, creative operations, and cross-functional influence. It's a step beyond a specialist role, requiring strategic thinking and the ability to drive adoption of new systems and processes.

Reporting Structure: The Marketing Design Systems Lead likely reports into a Director or VP level within Marketing or Creative. They will collaborate closely with peers in demand generation, content, and potentially product marketing. This structure allows for direct impact on marketing strategy execution.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on marketing efficiency, brand consistency, and the speed at which marketing campaigns can be launched. By operationalizing creative systems, the lead will enable faster iteration, better performance tracking (through conversion-informed design), and a more cohesive brand experience for customers, ultimately contributing to lead generation and customer acquisition goals.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Advancement: Deepen expertise in design systems, marketing operations, or creative technology, potentially leading to roles focused on broader marketing technology stack management or advanced creative automation.

• Leadership Path: Progress into a management role, leading a team of creative operations specialists or junior designers focused on system maintenance and expansion.

• Cross-Functional Expansion: Move into broader marketing strategy roles, leveraging a deep understanding of creative production and operational efficiency to influence campaign planning and execution across different marketing disciplines.

📝 Enhancement Note: This "Lead" role is a significant step for an individual contributor, offering substantial autonomy and the chance to shape a critical function. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening specialization or moving into leadership within operations or a broader marketing capacity.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as Hybrid, requiring 3 days per week in the Dallas office. This suggests a modern office environment designed to support collaboration, team meetings, and focused work, while also allowing for remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Dallas, TX. The description also mentions openness to hybrid arrangements in NY, DC, and Vancouver, suggesting potential future expansion or existing distributed teams, though the primary need is in Dallas.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model implies a collaborative office space encouraging in-person interaction for brainstorming, system adoption training, and team alignment, which is crucial for a role focused on systemization and buy-in.

• Access to the necessary technology and software, including advanced Figma capabilities, Adobe Creative Suite, and potentially creative automation platforms, will be essential for performing the role effectively.

• Opportunities for regular interaction with designers, marketers, and demand generation teams will be available, fostering a dynamic and communicative work environment.

Work Schedule: A standard full-time work schedule is expected, likely Monday through Friday. The hybrid arrangement offers flexibility in managing personal time and work location, allowing for dedicated focus time at home and collaborative sessions in the office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role is a key aspect, balancing the need for in-person collaboration with the benefits of remote work. The Dallas office likely serves as a central hub for this role.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role and Lantern. Be prepared to discuss your understanding of design systems and creative operations.

• Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: Expect a deeper dive into your portfolio. This may involve a presentation where you walk through specific case studies of design systems you've built, detailing your process, challenges, and the impact achieved. Questions will focus on your technical proficiency in Figma, InDesign, and other relevant tools, as well as your strategic approach to systemization.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: You may meet with stakeholders from demand generation, events, or other teams who will be users of the design systems. These interviews assess your ability to collaborate, influence, and translate technical system features into practical benefits for different business functions.

• Leadership Interview: A final interview with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Marketing) to assess strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall cultural fit with Lantern's "LIGHT" pillars.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase System Architecture: Highlight examples of your work where you've built and scaled design systems, focusing on modularity, tokens, variants, and auto layout in Figma.

• Detail the "Why" and "How": For each project, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your strategic approach to building the system, the specific tools and processes you used, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., time saved, consistency improved, adoption rates).

• Demonstrate Cross-Channel Expertise: Include examples of systems developed for diverse channels like direct mail, social media, email, and sales enablement.

• Highlight Governance and Training: If possible, show how you’ve implemented governance structures or trained teams on using design systems.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the value and ROI of your design system initiatives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be ready for a potential design challenge or a scenario-based question where you might be asked to outline how you would approach building a specific system (e.g., a new social media template system) or how you would gain adoption for an existing one.

• Prepare to discuss how you would balance the need for standardization with the flexibility required for creative innovation and conversion optimization.

• Think about how you would measure the success and ongoing health of a marketing design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is likely to be rigorous, focusing heavily on practical experience, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence and collaborate. The portfolio is paramount and must clearly demonstrate the candidate's ability to build and operationalize effective design systems.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for advanced systems architecture, including tokens, variants, auto layout, scalable libraries, and file governance. Proficiency is a core requirement.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Specifically Adobe InDesign for print systems, and likely Photoshop and Illustrator for asset creation and manipulation.

• Creative Automation Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Bynder, Canva Enterprise, Aprimo, or similar platforms used for managing, distributing, and potentially automating creative assets.

• Templating Engines/Variable Data Tools: Experience with tools that enable variable data merging for personalized direct mail or other dynamic content.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Performance Data Integration: While not explicitly listed as a tool, the role requires maintaining alignment with performance data. Familiarity with how creative systems impact campaign performance metrics (conversion rates, engagement) is key. This might involve using analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) indirectly or collaborating with teams that do.

• ESP Native Systems: Understanding of how design systems translate into modular block systems within Email Service Providers (ESPs) is crucial.

CRM & Automation:

• While not a direct CRM role, understanding how marketing assets and systems integrate with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) for campaign execution or sales enablement may be beneficial.

• Collaboration Tools: Proficiency with tools like Slack, Asana, Jira, or Monday.com for project management, communication, and workflow tracking will be necessary for day-to-day operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily focused on design and creative production tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma's system capabilities and InDesign for print. Understanding how these systems integrate with broader marketing automation and analytics platforms is also important.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Logic & Progress: A data-driven approach to building and refining systems, focusing on measurable improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. Decisions are guided by logical reasoning and a drive for continuous advancement.

• Inclusion: Valuing diverse perspectives in system design and implementation, ensuring that systems are accessible and usable by a diverse team and cater to a broad audience.

• Grit & Ambition: Tackling complex problems with enthusiasm and persistence, driving innovation in creative operations and system architecture.

• Humanity: Keeping the end-user (patients, employers, internal teams) at the forefront of all design system decisions, ensuring systems enhance usability and support positive experiences.

• Truth: Maintaining integrity in system governance and documentation, providing clear and accurate information about capabilities and limitations.

• Team Environment: A strong emphasis on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support to achieve shared goals in building and maintaining marketing systems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: A proactive approach to working with various marketing teams (Demand Gen, Events, Content) and potentially sales enablement to understand their needs and ensure systems are adopted and effective.

• Process Review Culture: Encouraging feedback loops for system improvements and workflow optimization, fostering an environment where processes are continuously evaluated and refined.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively training and enabling internal teams on how to effectively use the design systems, promoting a culture of shared understanding and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's "LIGHT" pillars are deeply embedded in its culture and will heavily influence how this role operates and collaborates. Demonstrating alignment with these values will be key for success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Driving Adoption: A primary challenge will be gaining buy-in and ensuring consistent adoption of the new design systems across various teams and individuals who may be accustomed to their existing workflows. This requires strong communication, training, and demonstrating clear value.

• Balancing Standardization and Flexibility: Creating systems that are robust and consistent while still allowing for the creative flexibility needed for effective, conversion-optimized marketing campaigns can be a delicate balance.

• Keeping Pace with Evolving Channels and Technologies: The marketing landscape is constantly changing. Maintaining and evolving the design systems to accommodate new channels, platforms, and technologies will be an ongoing challenge.

• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the ROI of design systems (e.g., time saved, cost reduction, performance uplift) can be challenging but is crucial for demonstrating value and securing resources.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Gain deeper expertise in marketing technology, creative automation, and advanced system architecture principles.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Opportunities to attend industry events focused on design systems, marketing operations, or creative technology to stay abreast of best practices and emerging trends.

• Mentorship & Leadership Development: Potential to be mentored by senior marketing leaders and develop leadership skills through managing system implementation and driving cross-functional initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to implementing new systems and processes within a growing organization. The growth opportunities are geared towards deepening expertise and developing leadership capabilities in the marketing operations and design systems space.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for building a marketing design system from the ground up. What are the key phases, stakeholders, and deliverables?" (Prepare to discuss discovery, architecture, component design, documentation, governance, and rollout.)

• "How do you approach gaining adoption for new design systems within a marketing team? What strategies have you used to influence stakeholders?" (Focus on communication, training, demonstrating value, and addressing concerns.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Lantern's 'LIGHT' pillars (Logic, Inclusion, Grit, Humanity, Truth, Team) resonate with your work philosophy and experience?" (Be prepared to provide specific examples of how you embody these values.)

• "How do you see the role of marketing operations and design systems contributing to Lantern's mission of connecting people with the best specialty care?" (Connect your work to the company's purpose and impact.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly define the problem, your solution (the design system/components), the process, and the quantifiable results.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Use visual aids effectively to showcase your Figma libraries, InDesign templates, and examples of implemented creative assets.

• Focus on Impact: Emphasize how your systems drove efficiency, improved brand consistency, reduced costs, or increased conversion rates.

• Be Ready for Technical Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about Figma features (tokens, auto layout), InDesign print specs, HTML/CSS structure, and your understanding of production workflows.

• Highlight Collaboration: Discuss how you worked with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to gather requirements and ensure successful implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on showcasing a blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, operational acumen, and strong interpersonal skills. The ability to articulate the "why" and "how" behind your work, backed by tangible results, will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Marketing Design Systems Lead position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Greenhouse.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight experience with design systems, creative operations, specific tools (Figma, InDesign, automation platforms), and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description to ensure ATS compatibility.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your ability to build, operationalize, and scale marketing design systems. Focus on case studies with clear problem statements, detailed processes, and measurable outcomes. Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible (e.g., via a link to a personal website or a shared document).

• Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice walking through your selected portfolio pieces, articulating your strategic approach, technical skills, and the impact of your work within a 15-20 minute timeframe. Be ready to answer in-depth questions about your process.

• Research Lantern: Familiarize yourself with Lantern's mission, values ("LIGHT" pillars), and its position in the healthcare industry. Understand their customer base and the complexity of the healthcare landscape to better contextualize your experience and demonstrate cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.