Principal Brand Designer (Spain or Portugal - based role)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Brand Designer

Company: OLX

Location: Remote (Spain or Portugal - based role), Amsterdam, Netherlands (Hybrid)

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Brand Design / Creative Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-24

Experience Level: 10+ years

Remote Status: Remote OK (Primary focus on Spain or Portugal, with potential for hybrid in Amsterdam)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the evolution of OLX Group's multi-brand visual identity and creative systems, ensuring consistency and distinctiveness across a diverse portfolio.

• Develop and implement scalable, AI-powered creative systems and design governance frameworks to enhance quality, speed, and consistency in brand expression.

• Act as the senior brand design practitioner, setting the creative vision and quality bar for all brand touchpoints and initiatives.

• Translate business strategy and customer insights into compelling visual systems that strengthen brand equity, build trust, and drive measurable business impact.

• Influence and align senior stakeholders across Product, Marketing, and Executive Leadership around a shared creative vision, fostering a culture of design excellence.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw input mentions Spain or Portugal as a preferred base for the role, it also lists Amsterdam, Netherlands as a location. This suggests a remote-first approach with flexibility for candidates in Spain or Portugal, and potentially a hybrid arrangement for those closer to Amsterdam. The role is clearly positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant strategic influence, rather than a people management role, focusing on expertise and craft.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the visual identity, brand standards, and creative systems for OLX Group and its portfolio of brands, ensuring cohesive integration and distinctiveness.

• Establish and maintain group-wide brand visual identity governance, quality assurance processes, and core design principles.

• Develop and manage multi-brand design systems and comprehensive asset libraries to support global execution.

• Provide creative direction and hands-on design leadership for digital, physical, and experiential brand touchpoints (excluding advertising).

• Design and implement AI-ready design systems, prompt libraries, reusable templates, and automation workflows to enhance creative production and consistency at scale.

• Stay abreast of emerging AI technologies and their application in creative workflows, identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency gains.

• Set the benchmark for brand design application across product launches, executive communications, presentations, employer branding, and web experiences.

• Partner closely with Marketing, Brand Strategy, and Product Design teams to translate strategic objectives and customer insights into impactful brand experiences.

• Develop documentation, enablement programs, and governance models to drive the adoption of brand standards across global and regional teams.

• Influence senior stakeholders, build trusted relationships, and align diverse teams around a unified creative vision.

• Mentor and coach fellow designers through critique, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, elevating the overall design craft and systems thinking within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on system thinking, AI integration, and cross-functional collaboration, which are critical for senior Brand Design roles in large, diverse organizations like OLX Group. The exclusion of advertising from creative direction scope is a key distinction for this brand-focused role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong portfolio and extensive experience in brand design are paramount. A degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field would be beneficial.

Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in brand design, visual design, or a closely related creative field, with a proven track record of building and evolving brands at scale across multiple products or markets.

Required Skills:

• Brand Design & Visual Identity: Exceptional craft in visual identity development, typography, layout, color theory, and brand storytelling.

• Design Systems: Proven experience in building, contributing to, or evolving enterprise-level design systems and asset libraries.

• AI-Enabled Design: Deep familiarity and practical experience with AI-powered creative tools and workflows, understanding their value proposition for quality, speed, and consistency.

• Creative Systems Thinking: Ability to conceptualize, define, and implement scalable creative systems and governance models.

• Digital Brand Experiences: Expertise in applying brand design principles across digital platforms, including web and potentially app interfaces.

• Software Proficiency: Expert-level proficiency in Figma and/or Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects).

• Motion Design & Storytelling: Experience with motion design principles and the ability to craft compelling visual narratives.

• Stakeholder Management: Outstanding skills in building trusted relationships and managing expectations with diverse stakeholders, including executive leadership.

• Communication & Presentation: Superior verbal, written, and visual communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas clearly and persuasively to various audiences.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate business objectives, customer insights, and brand positioning into effective design strategies.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with motion design software beyond basic animation (e.g., principle, keyframing).

• Familiarity with brand strategy development and customer insight translation.

• Experience in employer branding or corporate communications design.

• Knowledge of accessibility standards in design.

• Experience working within a global, matrixed organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI-enabled design and systems thinking is a critical differentiator for this role, indicating OLX Group's forward-looking approach. The "10+ years" experience requirement and the "Principal" title suggest a need for deep expertise and strategic leadership capabilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a strong portfolio showcasing exceptional visual identity work, typography, layout, and storytelling across various brand touchpoints.

• Include case studies illustrating the development and evolution of brands at scale, highlighting strategic thinking and measurable business impact.

• Showcase experience in building or contributing to enterprise design systems, including examples of governance, asset libraries, and scalable frameworks.

• Present examples of how AI has been incorporated into the creative process to enhance quality, efficiency, or consistency.

• Highlight projects that demonstrate strategic partnership with marketing, brand strategy, or executive stakeholders.

• Include examples of digital brand experiences and, if applicable, motion design or animated brand elements. Process Documentation:

• Be prepared to discuss your process for defining brand visual principles, creative systems, and design standards.

• Articulate your methodology for developing AI-ready design systems, prompt libraries, and automation workflows.

• Explain your approach to establishing brand design governance, quality assurance, and design critique processes.

• Detail how you collaborate with cross-functional teams (Marketing, Product, Brand Strategy) to translate strategy into tangible brand experiences.

• Describe your methods for driving adoption of brand standards and enabling global/regional teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is expected to be a comprehensive demonstration of strategic brand leadership, systems thinking, and practical application of AI in design, rather than just a collection of individual design deliverables. The interview process explicitly focuses on reviewing the portfolio to assess these capabilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the "Principal" title, 10+ years of experience, and the senior nature of the role, a competitive salary range for a Principal Brand Designer in Western Europe (Spain/Portugal/Netherlands) would typically fall between €70,000 - €100,000 annually, depending on experience, location specifics, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance plans.

• Generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick leave).

• Retirement savings plan or pension contributions.

• Professional development budget for conferences, courses, and certifications relevant to design and AI.

• Flexible working hours and remote work arrangements.

• Potential for stock options or performance-based bonuses.

• Access to cutting-edge design tools and technology.

• Opportunities for international collaboration and travel.

Working Hours: The standard full-time working hours are estimated at 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered due to the remote nature of the role and the emphasis on output and strategic impact over strict time logging.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimates are based on industry benchmarks for senior design roles in comparable European markets. Specific benefits packages are standard for multinational tech companies and are inferred based on industry norms for a role of this seniority and scope.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Online Marketplaces / E-commerce Technology. OLX Group operates leading online marketplaces globally, facilitating millions of connections for buying, selling, finding jobs, and discovering homes. This industry is fast-paced, data-driven, and highly focused on user trust and experience.

Company Size: OLX Group is a large, global organization with thousands of employees worldwide. This scale implies complex organizational structures, diverse user bases, and a need for robust, scalable design systems and brand governance.

Founded: OLX was founded in 2006. Its history as a significant player in the online marketplace space suggests a mature yet evolving company culture that values innovation and adaptation.

Team Structure:

• The Principal Brand Designer reports to the Director of Product Design, indicating a strong connection between brand and product strategy.

• This role will collaborate closely with Marketing, Brand Strategy, Communications, Employer Brand teams, and regional design/marketing leads.

• While not a people management role, the Principal Designer is expected to provide mentorship and design leadership, influencing a broader group of designers. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Decisions are informed by customer insights, user research, and performance metrics to ensure brand experiences resonate and drive business outcomes.

• Systems Thinking & Scalability: Emphasis on building frameworks, standards, and tools that enable consistent, high-quality execution across a large, diverse portfolio.

• AI Integration: Proactive exploration and implementation of AI to enhance creative workflows, improve efficiency, and foster innovation.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Close partnerships with Marketing, Product, and other business units are essential for translating strategy into cohesive brand experiences.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: OLX Group's scale and diverse portfolio mean that brand consistency is a significant challenge and opportunity. The Principal Brand Designer's role is pivotal in addressing this through strategic systems and governance. The company's stated values around diversity and inclusion are also important cultural indicators.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Principal-level individual contributor role, representing a senior position in the design hierarchy. It signifies deep expertise, strategic influence, and the ability to lead complex initiatives without direct reports. This level is typically for seasoned professionals who can act as subject matter experts and thought leaders.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the Director of Product Design, placing it at a strategic level within the product and design organization. This provides visibility to senior leadership and opportunities to influence product and brand strategy.

Operations Impact: The Principal Brand Designer has a direct impact on brand equity, customer trust, market recognition, and the overall effectiveness of marketing and communication efforts. By establishing and maintaining strong brand standards and systems, this role contributes significantly to OLX Group's business objectives and revenue growth through enhanced brand perception and customer engagement.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design Systems & AI: Opportunity to become a recognized leader in building and scaling AI-powered design systems globally within OLX Group.

• Strategic Influence: Deepen strategic partnerships with Marketing and Executive leadership, influencing long-term brand direction and business strategy.

• Mentorship & Craft Elevation: Develop leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and elevating the overall design craft across the organization.

• Specialization: Potential to deepen expertise in specific areas such as AI in design, multi-brand strategy, or advanced digital brand experiences.

• Cross-Portfolio Impact: Gain experience managing brand consistency and evolution across a diverse portfolio of well-known online marketplaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title signifies a career path focused on deep expertise and strategic impact rather than people management. Growth opportunities are geared towards increasing influence, ownership, and thought leadership within the design and broader business functions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is primarily remote, with a focus on candidates based in Spain or Portugal. However, the listing also includes Amsterdam, Netherlands, suggesting a potential for hybrid work arrangements in that location. This indicates a flexible and distributed work environment.

Office Location(s): Remote (Spain or Portugal), Amsterdam, Netherlands (potential hybrid).

Workspace Context:

• Remote Flexibility: The primary remote nature allows for a high degree of autonomy and flexibility in managing one's workday, which is beneficial for deep work and creative thinking.

• Collaborative Tools: Expect extensive use of digital collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Teams, Miro, Figma) to connect with global teams.

• Design Technology: Access to and utilization of industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and emerging AI tools.

• Cross-functional Interaction: Frequent engagement with global teams across Product, Marketing, and other departments, requiring strong virtual communication and collaboration skills.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, the remote setup likely allows for flexible scheduling to accommodate different time zones and personal needs, with a focus on achieving objectives and delivering high-quality work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first approach with specific geographic preferences points to a modern work environment that values talent regardless of location, while also acknowledging the need for potential in-person collaboration in key hubs like Amsterdam.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• First Stage (90 mins): Portfolio & Design Leadership: A deep dive into your portfolio with the Hiring Manager. Focus on design craft, strategic thinking, systems mindset, collaboration skills, and your approach to complex challenges and leadership. Be prepared to articulate the "why" and "how" behind your portfolio pieces.

• Second Stage (60 mins): Multi-Brand Systems & Creative Leadership: Session with a senior Creative team leader. Emphasis on your ability to build, evolve, and govern brand systems across a multi-brand organization, showcasing creative leadership and innovation.

• Third Stage (45 mins): Executive Partnership & Business Impact: Meeting with a senior Marketing leader. Assess leadership presence, strategic partnership with Marketing, commercial thinking, organizational influence, and ability to drive business impact through design.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that demonstrate your expertise in brand identity, design systems, AI integration, and strategic thinking.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem, your role, the strategic approach, the creative solution, and the measurable impact. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

• Highlight Systems & AI: Explicitly showcase your work on design systems, governance, and any use of AI tools. Explain the benefits and how they scale.

• Demonstrate Craftsmanship: Ensure visual fidelity and attention to detail in all aspects of your portfolio presentation.

• Prepare for Questions: Anticipate questions about your decision-making process, how you handle feedback, your leadership style, and your vision for the future of brand design at OLX.

Challenge Preparation:

• Systems Design Exercise: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you might be asked to outline the approach to evolving a multi-brand system or integrating AI into a design workflow.

• Strategic Thinking: Practice articulating how brand design can solve specific business challenges and contribute to commercial objectives.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Think about how you would gain buy-in from diverse stakeholders (e.g., Marketing, Product) for a new brand initiative or system.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to assess strategic thinking, leadership, and practical application of skills, particularly in systems and AI. The portfolio review is central, requiring candidates to deeply articulate their process and impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expected to be a primary tool for design system development, UI design, and collaborative workflows.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential for graphic design, illustration, image editing, and potentially motion graphics (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects).

• AI-Powered Creative Tools: Familiarity and practical experience with generative AI platforms for image creation, text generation, workflow automation, and design exploration (e.g., Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT for prompt engineering).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary focus for this role, understanding how brand performance is measured (e.g., through brand tracking studies, website analytics, engagement metrics) would be beneficial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the core responsibilities of a Brand Designer, but an understanding of how brand assets are utilized within marketing automation platforms or CRM systems could be a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite is a baseline requirement. The significant emphasis on AI means candidates must demonstrate practical experience with AI creative tools and understand how to integrate them into design workflows for scalability and efficiency.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Excellence: A commitment to producing high-quality, impactful design work.

• Systems Thinking: An approach that prioritizes building scalable, sustainable frameworks over ad-hoc solutions.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Working effectively with diverse teams to achieve shared goals.

• Innovation & Future-Forward: Embracing new technologies like AI to drive creative evolution and efficiency.

• Impact-Driven: Focusing on how design contributes to business objectives and user value.

• Trust & Transparency: Building strong relationships and fostering open communication.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Working closely with Marketing, Brand Strategy, Product Design, and other departments to ensure brand alignment and strategic execution.

• Influence Without Authority: Leading through expertise, clear communication, and building consensus among peers and stakeholders.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: Actively contributing to the growth of the design community within OLX through critique, guidance, and sharing best practices.

• Iterative Feedback: Open to constructive criticism and using feedback to refine designs and systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: OLX Group's emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion is a key cultural value. The company culture likely values proactive problem-solving, a global mindset, and a commitment to continuous improvement in both creative output and operational processes.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Multi-Brand Complexity: Managing visual consistency and distinctiveness across a diverse portfolio of brands requires sophisticated systems and strong governance.

• AI Integration & Ethics: Navigating the rapid evolution of AI in design, ensuring ethical use, maintaining brand integrity, and effectively scaling AI-driven workflows.

• Global Adoption: Ensuring brand standards are understood and consistently applied by teams in various regions with different cultural contexts and market needs.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Gaining buy-in and maintaining alignment on creative vision and strategy from senior leaders across different departments.

• Balancing Innovation and Consistency: Finding the right balance between pushing creative boundaries and maintaining established brand integrity and recognition.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design Specialization: Opportunities to become a leading expert in applying AI to brand design workflows, potentially presenting findings internally or externally.

• Global Brand Strategy: Deepen understanding of international brand management and market-specific adaptations.

• Executive Communication & Influence: Hone skills in presenting to and influencing senior leadership, becoming a trusted strategic advisor.

• Design System Architecture: Further develop expertise in designing and scaling complex, multi-brand design systems.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Gain broader business acumen by working closely with Marketing, Product, and strategy teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to a senior role in a large, global organization operating in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The growth opportunities are directly linked to overcoming these challenges and developing expertise in key areas like AI and global brand strategy.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining the core visual principles for a multi-brand ecosystem like OLX Group, ensuring both unity and distinctiveness?" (Focus on your methodology for brand architecture, visual identity systems, and governance.)

• "Describe a time you successfully influenced senior stakeholders to adopt a new brand standard or creative system. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?" (Prepare a case study demonstrating your influence and stakeholder management skills.)

• "How do you see AI fundamentally changing the role of a brand designer, and what steps would you take to leverage AI effectively and ethically at OLX Group?" (Showcase your understanding of AI's potential and your practical approach to integration.)

• "Imagine we are launching a new marketplace within the OLX Group. How would you ensure its brand identity aligns with the group's overall vision while still having its own unique appeal?" (Prepare to discuss brand extension strategies and system application.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you specifically about OLX Group and our mission to connect people through online marketplaces?" (Research OLX's markets, impact, and recent developments.)

• "How do you stay current with design trends, AI advancements, and industry best practices?" (Highlight your continuous learning habits.)

• "Describe your ideal collaboration with a Marketing or Brand Strategy team. What does a successful partnership look like from your perspective?" (Focus on proactive collaboration and shared objectives.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio logically, starting with your most impactful projects. For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, your process, the solution, and the results.

• Narrative: Tell a compelling story for each case study. Emphasize your strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the impact of your work.

• Systems & AI Focus: Dedicate specific sections or clearly call out projects that demonstrate your expertise in design systems, governance, and AI integration. Explain the "why" behind your system design choices.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your presentation is visually polished, reflecting your design craft. Use high-quality mockups and clear typography.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Practice your presentation to ensure you can cover key points effectively within the allocated interview slots.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview questions are designed to probe strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and practical application of advanced design concepts (systems, AI) within a complex organizational context. Preparing specific examples and articulating your process will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.eu.lever.co.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your most impactful projects that showcase your expertise in brand identity, design systems, AI integration, and strategic brand evolution. Ensure each case study clearly articulates the problem, your role, process, solution, and measurable results.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your 10+ years of experience, specific achievements in building/evolving brands at scale, expertise in Figma/Adobe Creative Suite, and practical experience with AI-powered design tools. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design philosophy, your approach to systems thinking, your experience with AI in design, and how you influence stakeholders. Be ready to walk through your portfolio with confidence and strategic insight.

• Research OLX Group: Understand OLX's mission, its various marketplaces, its competitive landscape, and recent company news. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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.