Senior Design Manager - Brand & Motion

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Design Manager - Brand & Motion

Company: Tenable, Inc.

Location: US - Remote (with hybrid requirements in Columbia, MD or Boston, MA)

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations / Brand Management

Date Posted: October 1, 2026

Experience Level: 8+ Years Professional Design Experience

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office required)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and execute high-impact creative design initiatives, focusing on brand identity and motion graphics to support strategic business objectives.

• Drive the visual narrative for marketing campaigns, events, and internal communications, translating complex cybersecurity concepts into clear, compelling visual assets.

• Contribute to the development, documentation, and evolution of Tenable's brand system, ensuring consistency and quality across all touchpoints.

• Mentor and guide junior designers, fostering a culture of creative excellence and high-quality output within a small, impactful team.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver strategically aligned design solutions that enhance brand perception and support GTM strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Senior Design Manager - Brand & Motion," the core responsibilities and team structure suggest a strong focus on execution and craft within a small, high-performing team, rather than purely managerial oversight of a large department. The role requires a hands-on approach to both general design and animation, making it a hybrid individual contributor and team lead position within the broader GTM operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Brand System Development & Evolution: Lead the creation, documentation, and ongoing refinement of Tenable's brand guidelines, templates, and visual assets to ensure brand consistency and integrity across all platforms.

• Campaign & GTM Asset Design: Design and execute visually compelling creative assets for marketing campaigns, digital advertising, social media, and other go-to-market (GTM) initiatives, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.

• Motion Graphics & Animation: Conceptualize, storyboard, and produce high-quality motion graphics, animations, and explainer videos to bring complex cybersecurity concepts to life and enhance engagement.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Marketing, Product Marketing, Events, and Communications teams to understand their creative needs and deliver strategically aligned design solutions that meet business goals.

• Presentation Design & Executive Communications: Develop impactful presentation decks and visual aids for executive leadership, sales enablement, and external events, ensuring clear and persuasive communication.

• Design Mentorship & Quality Assurance: Provide guidance, feedback, and mentorship to other designers on the team to elevate the overall quality of creative output and maintain brand standards.

• Stakeholder Communication & Advocacy: Present creative work to stakeholders, articulate design rationale effectively, defend design choices, and incorporate feedback constructively.

• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to streamline design workflows, improve efficiency, and implement best practices within the creative operations function.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "translating complex cybersecurity concepts" and supporting "strategic business goals" indicates that this role is deeply embedded within the Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy. The output of this role directly impacts lead generation, brand perception, and sales enablement, which are critical GTM operations functions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Animation, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• 8+ years of professional design experience, with a demonstrated progression from junior to senior roles, ideally within an agency or B2B tech environment.

• Proven experience in managing and contributing to brand identity development and maintaining brand systems.

• Experience working within and contributing to design systems is highly valued for ensuring brand consistency and efficiency. Required Skills:

• Expertise in Design Software: Mastery of Figma and the full Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).

• Motion Graphics & Animation Proficiency: Demonstrated experience with animation tools (e.g., After Effects, Premiere Pro) for creating compelling motion graphics and video content.

• Brand Identity & System Design: Strong ability to develop and maintain cohesive brand identities and design systems.

• Visual Design Principles: Excellent grasp of typography, layout, hierarchy, color theory, composition, and visual storytelling.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to partner effectively with marketing, product, and communications teams.

• Communication & Presentation: Clear, confident, and persuasive communication skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and incorporate feedback.

• Project & Time Management: Strong organizational skills to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

• Problem-Solving & Adaptability: A proactive, solution-oriented approach to creative challenges and the ability to adapt to evolving project requirements.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within a B2B technology company, particularly in cybersecurity.

• Experience serving enterprise clients in a creative agency setting.

• Familiarity with AI-related design tools and their application in creative workflows.

• Background in cybersecurity or a related technical field.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 8+ years of experience, coupled with the need to mentor other designers and lead projects, positions this as a senior-level role. The emphasis on a "strong portfolio showcasing brand identity, campaign work, and multi-channel design projects," particularly with motion graphics, is critical for demonstrating the breadth and depth of experience required.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Brand Identity & Campaigns: Showcase a minimum of 3-5 distinct projects demonstrating strong brand identity development, campaign execution across multiple channels (digital, print, social), and a clear understanding of brand strategy.

• Motion Graphics & Animation: Include at least 2-3 high-quality examples of motion graphics, animated explainers, or short-form video content that illustrate your ability to translate complex ideas into engaging visuals.

• System Design Contribution: Demonstrate experience contributing to or managing a brand or design system, highlighting how you ensured consistency and scalability.

• Cross-Channel Design: Feature projects that span various media (e.g., digital ads, event branding, infographics, presentations) to showcase versatility.

• Process & Rationale: For each project, clearly articulate the problem statement, your role, the design process followed, key decisions made, and the measurable impact or outcome.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Examples of how you've designed or optimized creative workflows to improve efficiency and collaboration.

• Brand Guideline Development: Documentation or examples of brand guidelines you have helped create or maintain.

• Template Creation: Prototypes or examples of templates designed to streamline recurring creative tasks.

• Feedback Integration: Demonstrations of how you incorporate feedback and iterate on designs effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is paramount for this role. It needs to explicitly showcase both static design execution and dynamic motion graphics capabilities. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their specific contributions, the strategic thinking behind their designs, and how they managed the creative process from concept to completion, particularly in relation to GTM objectives.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $114,500 - $152,500 USD per year

Explanation: This range is based on the provided salary information for the US market, reflecting the senior-level experience (8+ years) and specialized skills in brand management and motion graphics required for this role. Location (Massachusetts/Maryland) and the hybrid work model are also factored into industry benchmarks for such positions.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Financial Security: Disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match, and an employee stock purchase plan.

• Employee Support & Growth: Employee referral program, flexible spending accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and education assistance.

• Work-Life Balance: Parental leave, paid time off (PTO), and company-paid holidays.

• Wellness & Community: Health and wellness events and community programs.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time, approximately 40 hours per week.

• Hybrid work arrangement requires 3 days per week in the Columbia, MD or Boston, MA office, offering flexibility for remote work on other days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Senior Design Manager role in the tech industry, especially considering the specialized skills in motion graphics and brand management. The extensive benefits package underscores the company's commitment to employee well-being and long-term retention.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cybersecurity / Technology (Exposure Management)

Company Size: Over 1,000 employees (estimated based on general knowledge of Tenable's market position and the provided description of supporting 65% of Fortune 500).

Founded: 2002 (based on public information)

Company Description: Tenable is the Exposure Management company, providing cybersecurity solutions to over 40,000 organizations globally, including a significant portion of Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies. They focus on helping clients understand and reduce cyber risk.

Team Structure:

• This role is a critical hire on a small, three-person creative team. This implies a highly collaborative, hands-on environment where each member's contribution is significant.

• The team likely reports into a broader Marketing or Communications department, supporting GTM functions.

• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, with regular interaction expected with Marketing, Product Marketing, Events, and Communications departments. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: While not explicitly stated, a company like Tenable likely values data to inform design decisions and measure impact, especially for GTM initiatives.

• Agile Creative Processes: Given the fast-paced tech environment and hybrid model, the team likely employs agile methodologies for project management and creative development.

• Brand Consistency Focus: A core methodology will be maintaining and evolving a strong, consistent brand identity across all internal and external communications.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The "small, three-person team" aspect is crucial. This isn't a large corporate design department; it's a lean, agile unit expected to deliver high-quality, impactful work across a wide range of needs. This requires individuals who are versatile, self-starters, and comfortable wearing multiple hats.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Individual Contributor / Team Lead (Creative Operations)

This role sits at a senior individual contributor level with potential for team leadership within the creative function. It's ideal for experienced designers who want to deepen their expertise in brand and motion graphics while influencing strategic creative output.

Reporting Structure:

• The Senior Design Manager will likely report to a Director or VP of Marketing, Communications, or Creative.

• As part of a three-person team, they will work closely with peers and potentially mentor more junior designers if the team expands. Operations Impact:

• This role directly impacts Tenable's brand perception, marketing effectiveness, and GTM success by creating compelling visual narratives.

• High-quality creative assets are essential for lead generation, customer engagement, sales enablement, and overall brand differentiation in the competitive cybersecurity market.

• Strong motion graphics can simplify complex technical information, improving understanding and adoption of Tenable's solutions. Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Deepening: Opportunity to become the go-to expert for brand and motion graphics within Tenable, potentially leading to a Senior/Principal Designer or Art Director role focusing on these areas.

• Team Leadership Expansion: As the company grows, there may be opportunities to lead a larger creative team or establish new design functions.

• Strategic Influence: Increased involvement in shaping the overall brand strategy and creative direction for the company.

• Cross-Departmental Mobility: Potential to move into broader marketing strategy or GTM operations roles with demonstrated success and expanded skill sets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path here leans towards becoming a subject matter expert and influential creative leader within the company, rather than necessarily moving into a large people management role immediately. The emphasis is on impact through design execution and strategic input.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model with a requirement for 3 days per week in office. This suggests a modern office environment designed for collaboration and focused work.

Office Location(s): Columbia, MD (Headquarters) and Boston, MA.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment likely includes meeting rooms, brainstorming areas, and open spaces conducive to cross-functional collaboration with marketing and other teams.

• Technology & Tools: Access to high-performance workstations, necessary software licenses (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, animation software), and potentially specialized hardware for motion graphics.

• Team Interaction: Regular in-person interaction with colleagues provides opportunities for spontaneous ideation, feedback exchange, and team building.

Work Schedule:

• Standard business hours, with flexibility on remote days. The hybrid model is designed to balance focused work (remote) with collaborative synergy (in-office).

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid requirement is a key aspect of the work environment. Candidates must be comfortable commuting to one of the specified offices three days a week, indicating a need for local or willing-to-relocate candidates.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, salary expectations, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Skills Assessment: A dedicated session with the hiring manager and potentially other design team members to review your portfolio in detail, discuss your process, and assess your technical skills (Figma, Adobe Suite, After Effects). This will likely include specific questions about your motion graphics work and brand system contributions.

• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interview: Interview with key stakeholders from Marketing, Product Marketing, or Communications to evaluate your collaboration style, ability to understand business needs, and communication skills.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader (e.g., VP of Marketing) to discuss strategic alignment, leadership potential, and overall fit within the company culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your expertise in brand identity, campaign design, and motion graphics. Prioritize quality over quantity.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the challenge, your role, the process, your creative decisions, and the outcome or impact. Use visuals to support your narrative.

• Highlight Motion Graphics: Dedicate a significant portion of your portfolio to your motion graphics work. Be prepared to discuss your animation techniques, software proficiency, and how you used motion to enhance communication.

• Showcase Brand System Work: If you've worked on brand systems, clearly show how you contributed to consistency, scalability, and documentation.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, provide metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrates the success of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, improved brand recognition, successful campaign results).

• Tailor to Tenable: Briefly research Tenable's current brand and marketing efforts to understand their aesthetic and communication style. While you won't replicate it, showing awareness is beneficial.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Exercise: Be prepared for a take-home design challenge or an in-interview exercise. This could involve creating a concept for a marketing campaign, designing a short animated sequence, or developing a presentation slide based on a brief.

• Focus on Process: Even in a timed exercise, clearly outline your thought process, design choices, and how you would approach implementation.

• Motion Graphics Focus: If the challenge involves animation, focus on clear storytelling and effective use of motion to convey information.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "small, three-person team" context means they are looking for someone who can hit the ground running and contribute significantly from day one. Your portfolio needs to prove you can handle both complex design and animation tasks with minimal oversight.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and UI/UX design aspects.

• Adobe Creative Suite:

  • Photoshop: For image editing, manipulation, and digital asset creation.
  • Illustrator: For vector graphics, logos, icons, and illustrations.
  • InDesign: For layout design, print materials, and presentation decks.

• Motion Graphics Software:

  • After Effects: The industry standard for creating sophisticated motion graphics and visual effects.
  • Premiere Pro: For video editing, assembly, and final output of motion projects.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly responsible for analytics, understanding how to use data to inform design and measure campaign effectiveness is key. Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or internal BI dashboards might be beneficial for understanding campaign performance. CRM & Automation:

• Experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot) is beneficial for understanding how creative assets are deployed within GTM workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and the full Adobe Creative Suite, along with "tools that are used for animation," points directly to a need for strong proficiency in After Effects and potentially Premiere Pro. This is a core requirement, not just a "nice to have."

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence & Quality: A dedication to producing very high-quality work is paramount. This means meticulous attention to detail, strong craft, and a commitment to best-in-class creative output.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: The ability to work effectively within a small team and partner with cross-functional stakeholders is essential. A collaborative mindset is key.

• Innovation & Creativity: Translating complex concepts into clear, compelling, and visually engaging work requires creative problem-solving and innovative approaches.

• Proactive & Solution-Oriented: A proactive attitude and a focus on finding solutions to creative challenges are highly valued.

• Data-Informed Decisions: While creative-led, understanding how design impacts business goals and using data to inform creative strategy is increasingly important in GTM operations.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires seamless integration with marketing, product marketing, and communications teams to ensure design aligns with broader business objectives.

• Feedback & Iteration: An open approach to receiving and incorporating feedback is crucial for refining creative work and ensuring stakeholder buy-in.

• Knowledge Sharing: Within the small team, sharing expertise, techniques, and best practices will be vital for collective growth and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company slogan "We deliver results that exceed expectations and we win together!" emphasizes a results-driven and collaborative culture. This role is expected to contribute significantly to those results through creative excellence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Technical Concepts: A primary challenge will be simplifying complex cybersecurity concepts into easily understandable and visually appealing designs and animations.

• Balancing Brand Consistency with Campaign Needs: Ensuring that all creative output adheres to brand guidelines while also being fresh, engaging, and effective for specific marketing campaigns.

• Working within a Lean Team: The small team size means high expectations for individual contribution and the need to manage multiple priorities effectively without extensive support structures.

• Pace of a Tech Environment: Adapting to the fast-paced nature of the tech industry, where project timelines can be tight and requirements can shift quickly.

• Hybrid Work Integration: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong team cohesion within a hybrid work model.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Motion Graphics: Opportunity to hone and expand skills in animation, visual effects, and motion design for complex technical subjects.

• Brand Strategy Influence: Contribute to the evolution of Tenable's brand, gaining exposure to strategic brand management principles.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Deepen understanding of marketing, product marketing, and GTM strategies by working closely with these departments.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Develop leadership skills by mentoring junior designers and taking ownership of key creative projects.

• Industry Trends: Stay abreast of the latest design trends, animation techniques, and AI tools in the creative space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "challenges" listed are common in fast-paced tech environments but are framed here as opportunities for growth and skill development, aligning with Tenable's culture.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to translate a highly technical or complex concept into a simple, visually engaging design or animation. What was your process?" (Focus on your problem-solving approach, audience understanding, and execution).

• "How do you approach balancing brand guidelines with the need for creative innovation in marketing campaigns?" (Highlight your understanding of brand systems and strategic campaign objectives).

• "Walk me through a piece of motion graphics work from your portfolio. What was the objective, your role, the tools used, and the outcome?" (Be prepared to deep-dive into your animation projects).

• "How do you manage competing priorities and deadlines when working on multiple creative projects simultaneously?" (Emphasize your organizational skills, time management, and communication strategies). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Tenable and the cybersecurity industry?" (Research Tenable's mission, products, and recent news).

• "How do you envision contributing to a small, three-person creative team?" (Focus on collaboration, proactivity, and your ability to deliver high-impact work).

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment. How do you ensure effective collaboration with remote and in-office colleagues?" (Share specific strategies for communication and team engagement). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with Impact: Begin with your strongest motion graphics or brand campaign examples.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or a similar framework to explain your contribution and the project's success.

• Highlight Technical Skills: Be ready to discuss your proficiency with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and animation software, and demonstrate how you leverage them.

• Showcase Process, Not Just Polish: Explain your thought process, how you iterated, and how you incorporated feedback. This demonstrates your problem-solving abilities.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges faced, and how you would approach specific scenarios relevant to Tenable's business.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the hybrid nature and small team size, expect interviewers to probe deeply into your self-management, communication, and collaboration skills. Be ready to articulate how you add value in a lean, agile environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Design Manager - Brand & Motion position:

• Submit your application through the Tenable careers portal via the provided link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 8+ years of design experience, specific expertise in brand identity, motion graphics, Figma, and the Adobe Creative Suite. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Prepare a digital portfolio that prominently features your best brand identity, campaign design, and motion graphics projects. Ensure clear case studies explaining your process and impact.

• Prepare for the Hybrid Model: Be ready to discuss your comfort and strategy for working in a hybrid environment and commuting to either the Columbia, MD or Boston, MA office three days per week.

• Research Tenable: Familiarize yourself with Tenable's products, mission, brand, and recent marketing efforts to demonstrate genuine interest and understanding during interviews.

⚠️ 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.