Senior Brand Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Brand Designer

Company: Circle

Location: Madrid, Spain

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Marketing & Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-30

Experience Level: 5+ Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the evolution and execution of Circle's visual identity across all customer touchpoints, driving brand recognition and impact.

• Develop and maintain scalable brand systems and visual narratives that translate complex software and AI capabilities into engaging brand experiences.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Product Marketing, and Content, to define and implement the visual direction for major company initiatives and product launches.

• Drive creative excellence by producing high-quality campaign identities, illustrations, iconography, graphics, and presentations that elevate the Circle brand.

• Foster innovation by researching emerging trends in branding, AI, motion, and digital design, and by experimenting with AI-powered creative tools to optimize design workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role sits within the "Design Studio" team, indicating a focus on creative output that supports marketing and GTM efforts, rather than direct revenue operations or sales operations. The emphasis on brand systems, visual storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration positions this as a critical role in shaping the company's external perception and market presence, indirectly supporting revenue generation through enhanced brand equity and marketing effectiveness.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Visual Identity Evolution: Define, refine, and consistently apply Circle's visual identity across all marketing collateral, digital platforms, and customer-facing materials.

• Campaign & Launch Creative Direction: Lead the creative direction for major product launches, marketing campaigns, strategic announcements, and brand initiatives, ensuring cohesive and impactful visual execution.

• Scalable Brand Systems Development: Design and implement robust, scalable brand systems, templates, and creative frameworks that ensure consistency, efficiency, and brand integrity across web, social media, paid advertising, events, presentations, email, and video.

• Visual Narrative Creation: Develop compelling visual narratives for new product launches, effectively translating complex software and AI functionalities into simple, engaging, and memorable brand experiences.

• Asset Creation & Design: Create high-quality campaign identities, illustrations, iconography, graphics, presentations, and various launch assets that significantly elevate the Circle brand's aesthetic and messaging.

• Motion & Video Concept Development: Contribute to storyboarding and creative concept development for launch videos, motion graphics, and product announcements, working collaboratively with motion designers throughout the production process.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Product Marketing, Content, Motion Design, and Leadership teams to align on and execute the visual direction for key company moments and strategic objectives.

• Process & Workflow Optimization: Build reusable brand systems and creative frameworks to enhance consistency and accelerate production speed across the company, including researching and integrating AI-powered creative tools.

• Trend Research & Innovation: Continuously research and analyze emerging trends in branding, AI, motion design, and digital design to proactively evolve Circle's design language and maintain a cutting-edge brand presence.

• Creative Presentation & Feedback Integration: Confidently present creative concepts, articulate design rationale, and effectively iterate on designs based on constructive feedback from stakeholders.

• Quality Assurance: Maintain an exceptionally high standard of detail and craft, ensuring all design assets meet the quality expectations and brand guidelines of the Circle brand.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a strategic role in brand building and marketing enablement. While not directly "operations" in the sense of sales or revenue operations, the emphasis on "scalable brand systems," "process optimization," and "efficiency" highlights an operational mindset within the creative function, crucial for a growing tech company. This role supports GTM strategies by ensuring a consistent and compelling brand message.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: No specific educational requirements are listed, suggesting a strong emphasis on portfolio and demonstrated experience over formal degrees.

Experience: 5+ years of experience as a Brand Designer, Visual Designer, or similar creative role, specifically within software, AI, or technology companies.

Required Skills:

• Brand Design Expertise: Proven ability to shape and evolve visual identities for modern software and technology companies.

• Visual Storytelling: Skill in translating complex products and AI capabilities into clear, compelling visual narratives.

• Creative Direction: Experience leading the creative vision for major product launches, campaigns, and strategic initiatives.

• Design Systems: Strong understanding of building and maintaining scalable design systems and visual identity frameworks.

• Typography, Composition, Color, Layout: Exceptional skills in fundamental design principles for creating visually impactful and cohesive assets.

• Figma: Advanced proficiency in Figma for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative workflows.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Advanced proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and other relevant tools for graphic design and asset creation.

• Motion Graphics Collaboration: Experience collaborating with motion designers and understanding the translation of static design into animated and video content.

• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to confidently present ideas, articulate design rationale, and collaborate asynchronously.

• Organization & Project Management: Highly organized, proactive, and capable of managing multiple creative projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

• AI Creative Tool Curiosity: Curiosity and willingness to experiment with emerging AI-powered creative workflows and tools.

• Attention to Detail: Obsessive attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality, polished work.

• English Proficiency: CEFR Level C2 / ILR Level 5 proficiency in spoken, written, and reading English.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience developing creative concepts and storyboards for product launches, brand films, or campaign videos.

• Strong understanding of SaaS and AI market trends and design aesthetics.

• Experience with brand strategy development and execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "scalable brand systems," "creative frameworks," and "improving consistency and speed" highlights a need for operational efficiency within the design function. The requirement for AI tool curiosity also points to a forward-thinking approach to design operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Brand Identity Systems: Showcase examples of comprehensive visual identity systems, including logos, color palettes, typography, and brand guidelines.

• Campaign Design: Demonstrate experience in developing cohesive visual campaigns across multiple channels (digital, social, print, video).

• Product Launch Visuals: Present case studies of designing visual assets and narratives for product launches, highlighting the translation of complex features into engaging experiences.

• Digital & Web Design: Include examples of web design, UI elements, or digital marketing assets that reflect modern design trends and user experience principles.

• Motion & Video Collaboration: If possible, include examples or descriptions of collaboration on motion graphics or video projects, demonstrating an understanding of how static design translates to dynamic media.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Candidates should be prepared to discuss their process for developing and iterating on brand assets, including how they manage feedback and ensure efficiency.

• System Implementation: Demonstrate an understanding of how to build and document scalable design systems and creative frameworks that can be adopted and utilized by others within the company.

• Measurement & Analysis (Implied): While not explicitly stated, a strong candidate will be able to articulate how their design work contributes to broader marketing objectives and brand impact, implying an awareness of performance metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is not directly in revenue or sales operations, the portfolio requirements emphasize process and systems thinking, particularly in "scalable brand systems" and "creative frameworks." This suggests that candidates who can demonstrate a systematic approach to design and brand management will be highly regarded.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $100,000 - $120,000 USD per year. This is a U.S.-benchmarked compensation range, applied globally.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary: U.S.-benchmarked compensation package.

• Equity: Ownership in the company, with ongoing refresh grants to reward long-term commitment.

• Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous 35 days of paid time off annually, promoting work-life balance.

• Company Retreats: Full company offsites twice a year in various global destinations, fostering team connection and collaboration.

• Health & Wellbeing: Comprehensive benefits package supporting physical and mental health.

• Professional Development: Opportunities and support for professional growth and skill enhancement.

• Remote Work Flexibility: Fully remote position with the autonomy to work from anywhere in Spain.

Working Hours: While not explicitly stated, the company operates with a focus on high expectations and asynchronous collaboration rather than strict hour tracking. Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are assumed, with flexibility for global collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The U.S.-benchmarked compensation indicates a commitment to attracting top global talent by offering competitive pay, even for remote roles outside the U.S. The extensive PTO and company retreats highlight a culture that values employee well-being and team cohesion. The mention of "managing for high expectations very closely" suggests a performance-oriented environment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Software / AI Platform for Digital Businesses. Circle is building an all-in-one platform for creators, coaches, and businesses to engage their audiences with discussions, live streams, courses, and payments.

Company Size: Approximately 270 employees, indicating a mid-sized, growing company with established processes but still agile enough for significant impact.

Founded: Circle was founded with the mission to empower digital businesses. The company's growth to ~270 employees suggests a successful product-market fit and a trajectory of rapid expansion.

Team Structure:

• Design Studio Team: This role is part of the "Design Studio," which functions as the creative engine for Circle's marketing design efforts.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role requires close partnership with Marketing, Product Marketing, Content, Motion Design, and Leadership teams, emphasizing a collaborative and integrated approach to brand building.

• Remote & Global: The company is fully remote, with team members spread across 30+ countries, fostering a diverse and globally-minded work environment.

Methodology:

• Asynchronous & Documentation-Heavy: The company culture emphasizes asynchronous communication and extensive documentation to facilitate collaboration across time zones.

• High Expectations & Performance Focus: Circle manages for high expectations closely, prioritizing impact and results over strict hour tracking.

• Data-Informed Decisions (Implied): While not explicitly stated for design, the nature of a tech platform company suggests that data informs strategic decisions, including marketing and brand initiatives.

• Continuous Improvement: The role involves researching emerging trends and experimenting with new tools, reflecting a culture of ongoing learning and adaptation.

Company Website: https://circle.so/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's remote-first, asynchronous, and documentation-heavy culture requires strong self-management and communication skills. The focus on "high expectations" and "impact" suggests a performance-driven environment where results are paramount.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is designated as "Senior Brand Designer," indicating a mid-to-senior level position within the creative function. It requires significant experience and the ability to lead creative direction for key initiatives.

Reporting Structure: The role sits within the "Design Studio team" and will likely report to a Design Lead or Head of Design. It involves close collaboration with marketing and product leadership.

Operations Impact: While not a direct revenue operations role, the Senior Brand Designer's work has a significant indirect impact on revenue by:

• Enhancing Brand Equity: Building a strong, recognizable, and desirable brand that attracts and retains customers.

• Supporting Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategies: Creating compelling visual assets and narratives for product launches and marketing campaigns that drive demand and customer acquisition.

• Improving Customer Experience: Ensuring a consistent and high-quality brand experience across all touchpoints, which can influence customer perception and loyalty.

• Driving Marketing Efficiency: Developing scalable brand systems and templates that enable marketing teams to produce high-quality content more efficiently.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership in Design: Potential to grow into a Design Lead or Art Director role, managing projects and mentoring junior designers.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like motion design, brand strategy, or AI-driven creative processes.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence by working on high-impact strategic initiatives and collaborating with senior leadership across departments.

• Continuous Learning: Access to resources and a culture that encourages staying current with design trends, AI tools, and industry best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title implies a level of autonomy and strategic input. Growth opportunities are tied to expanding creative leadership and strategic impact within the marketing and GTM functions. The emphasis on AI tools also signals a path for growth in leveraging technology for creative efficiency.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. Circle operates as a remote-first company, meaning there is no physical office for this role.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the candidate must be located in Spain to comply with location requirements. This allows for adherence to local time zones and potential participation in company retreats held in various global destinations.

Workspace Context:

• Asynchronous Collaboration: The primary mode of interaction will be asynchronous, supported by extensive documentation and communication tools. This requires self-discipline and effective written communication.

• Technology & Tools: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and collaborative platforms is essential. The company encourages the exploration of AI-powered creative tools.

• Global Team Interaction: Opportunities to collaborate with a diverse, international team, offering varied perspectives and enriching the creative process.

Work Schedule: The company emphasizes managing for high expectations and impact rather than fixed hours. While a full-time commitment is expected (estimated 40 hours/week), there's flexibility in how and when work is accomplished, provided deadlines are met and collaboration across time zones is managed effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first nature means the "work environment" is largely self-created. Candidates must be comfortable with asynchronous communication, strong documentation practices, and managing their own time and workspace effectively. The requirement to be in Spain suggests potential tax/legal considerations for the company, but offers the employee location flexibility within Spain.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Submission: Submit resume and portfolio through the Ashby portal.

• Initial Screening: A review of applications and portfolios to assess qualifications, experience, and creative craft.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion about your background, experience, and fit with the role and company culture.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Exercise: A session where you'll present your portfolio, discuss your work, and potentially complete a design exercise or case study relevant to Circle's brand.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Marketing, Product Marketing, or other relevant teams to assess collaboration skills and strategic thinking.

• Final Interview: Likely with senior leadership or the head of the design team to discuss overall fit and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Brand Systems: Highlight your experience in building and evolving scalable brand systems. Demonstrate how you think about consistency and visual frameworks.

• Tell a Story: For each project, explain the problem, your process, your role, the creative decisions you made, and the impact of your work. Focus on the "why" behind your design choices.

• Demonstrate Strategic Thinking: Connect your design work to business objectives, product marketing goals, and customer understanding. Show how your designs support the company's mission and AI focus.

• Highlight AI Tool Exploration: If you've experimented with AI tools in your workflow, mention it and be ready to discuss how you see them impacting design.

• Tailor to Circle: Research Circle's current brand, products, and target audience. Consider how your portfolio examples can demonstrate your understanding of their space and potential contributions.

• Visual Craft & Polish: Ensure your portfolio is exceptionally well-designed, error-free, and reflects the high standard of detail expected for a Senior Brand Designer role.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be Ready to Discuss Strategy: Prepare to articulate your approach to evolving a brand, particularly for a tech/AI company.

• Practice Presenting Your Work: Rehearse your portfolio presentation to ensure it's concise, engaging, and effectively communicates your design rationale and impact.

• Understand Circle's Brand: Research Circle's existing brand identity, messaging, and market position. Be prepared to offer thoughtful insights or potential areas for evolution.

• Prepare Questions: Have thoughtful questions ready for the interviewers about the team, the role, company strategy, and design challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio presentation and potential design exercise suggests that practical demonstration of skills and strategic thinking is paramount. Candidates should prepare to articulate their process and the business impact of their design work.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Figma: Advanced proficiency required for UI/UX design, prototyping, collaborative workflows, and potentially design system management.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Advanced proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and potentially After Effects (for motion concepts) for graphic design, illustration, and asset creation.

Brand & Visual Identity Systems:

• Design System Management Tools: While not explicitly named, experience with tools or methodologies for managing scalable design systems is crucial.

• Brand Guideline Creation: Proficiency in creating and documenting comprehensive brand guidelines.

Collaboration & Workflow Tools:

• Asynchronous Communication Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Slack, Notion, or similar platforms used for remote team communication and documentation.

• Project Management Tools: Experience with tools for managing creative projects, tracking progress, and collaborating across teams (e.g., Asana, Trello, Jira, or internal equivalents).

Emerging Technologies:

• AI-Powered Creative Tools: Curiosity and willingness to explore and integrate AI tools for design ideation, asset generation, and workflow optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core tools are Figma and Adobe Creative Suite. The emphasis on "scalable brand systems" and "AI-powered creative tools" suggests a need for candidates who can leverage technology for efficiency and innovation in design processes.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• High Expectations & Impact: A drive to achieve significant results and make a tangible impact on the company's growth and brand perception.

• Craft & Detail Obsession: A commitment to exceptional quality and meticulous attention to detail in all creative output.

• Collaboration & Communication: A strong emphasis on working effectively with cross-functional teams, particularly in an asynchronous, remote environment.

• Continuous Learning & Innovation: A proactive approach to staying current with industry trends, experimenting with new technologies (like AI), and evolving design practices.

• Ownership & Proactivity: Taking initiative, managing projects independently, and driving tasks to completion without constant oversight.

Collaboration Style:

• Asynchronous First: Communication and collaboration are primarily conducted asynchronously, relying on detailed documentation and clear written updates.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Working closely with Marketing, Product Marketing, and Leadership to align on strategic visual direction and ensure brand consistency across all initiatives.

• Feedback Integration: Openness to receiving and incorporating feedback from various stakeholders to refine creative work and achieve optimal outcomes.

• Documentation-Centric: A culture that values thorough documentation for knowledge sharing, process clarity, and effective remote collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's values emphasize performance, quality, and effective remote collaboration. Candidates who thrive in autonomous, documentation-heavy environments and are driven by high standards will be a good fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Evolving a Brand in a Fast-Paced Tech/AI Space: Keeping the brand relevant and cutting-edge in a rapidly changing technology landscape, especially with the integration of AI.

• Maintaining Brand Consistency Across Global Touchpoints: Ensuring a unified brand experience across diverse marketing channels and customer interactions worldwide, while working remotely.

• Translating Complex AI Concepts Visually: Effectively communicating sophisticated AI technologies through clear, compelling, and accessible design.

• Managing Multiple High-Impact Projects Simultaneously: Balancing the demands of leading creative direction for various launches, campaigns, and strategic initiatives.

• Adapting to Asynchronous Workflows: Excelling in a remote, asynchronous environment that requires strong self-discipline, proactive communication, and documentation skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI and Tech Branding: Gaining expertise in branding for AI-powered products and the technology sector.

• Mastering Scalable Design Systems: Developing advanced skills in creating and managing robust, efficient design systems.

• Creative Leadership Development: Opportunities to hone leadership skills by directing creative projects and influencing brand strategy.

• Exposure to Global Marketing Strategies: Understanding how a global brand is built and executed across diverse markets.

• Experimentation with New Tools: Leveraging the company's encouragement to explore and integrate emerging AI-powered creative technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant opportunities to shape a modern tech brand and develop expertise in AI-related design. The challenges are rooted in the dynamic nature of the tech industry and the demands of a remote, high-performance culture.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach evolving the visual identity of a growing AI-focused tech company like Circle?" (Focus on process, research, and stakeholder alignment)

• "Describe a time you translated a complex technical product or feature into a simple, compelling visual narrative. What was your process?" (Highlight storytelling, simplification, and problem-solving)

• "How do you ensure brand consistency across multiple platforms and campaigns, especially in a remote, asynchronous environment?" (Discuss brand systems, documentation, and collaboration strategies) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Circle's mission and product?" (Show genuine interest and research into the company)

• "How do you align your personal work style with a remote-first, asynchronous culture that emphasizes high expectations?" (Demonstrate self-management, communication skills, and results-orientation)

• "How do you see AI impacting the future of brand design, and how would you incorporate AI tools into your workflow at Circle?" (Show curiosity, forward-thinking, and willingness to experiment) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Presentation: Begin with an overview of Circle and the role, then walk through 2-3 key projects that best showcase your relevant skills (brand systems, product launches, campaign design).

• Tell the "Why": For each project, explain the objective, your specific role, the challenges, your creative process, your design rationale, and the outcomes or impact.

• Highlight Scalability & Systems: Emphasize how your work demonstrates an understanding of building scalable systems and cohesive brand frameworks.

• Be Prepared for Design Feedback: Anticipate questions about your design choices and be open to discussing how you might iterate or improve based on feedback.

• Demonstrate Collaboration: If possible, mention how you collaborated with other teams (e.g., marketing, product marketing, motion designers) on these projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, a deep understanding of brand building in the tech/AI space, and proficiency in the required tools and collaborative methodologies. Emphasize your ability to deliver high-quality, impactful design work within a remote, high-expectation environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Brand Designer position at Circle:

• Submit Your Application: Complete the application through the Ashby portal, ensuring all requested information is provided accurately.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your experience in brand identity systems, campaign design, product launch visuals, and your ability to translate complex ideas into compelling visual narratives. Tailor your selection to align with Circle's focus on technology, AI, and community platforms.

• Optimize Your Resume: Highlight your 5+ years of experience in software, AI, or technology companies. Quantify achievements where possible, and use keywords from the job description such as "brand design," "visual identity," "Figma," "Adobe Creative Suite," "design systems," and "campaigns."

• Prepare Your Presentation: Practice walking through your portfolio, articulating your design process, rationale, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss how you manage projects and collaborate in a remote, asynchronous setting.

• Research Circle Thoroughly: Understand Circle's product, target audience, current brand positioning, and company values. Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate your engagement and interest in the role and the company's mission.

⚠️ 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.