Sr. Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Design Manager

Company: EBSCO Industries Inc (Moultrie)

Location: Birmingham, AL

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Design Management / Customer Experience Design

Date Posted: 2026-07-21T07:00:00

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the execution of customer experience (CX) and web design initiatives, translating creative direction into tangible, on-brand digital assets.

• Manage and mentor a team of designers, fostering growth and ensuring high-quality output across email, SMS, content cards, in-app messaging, and website design.

• Develop and maintain a scalable design system and modular component library for lifecycle messaging and web to ensure consistency and efficiency in production.

• Drive a deep understanding of the target audience (hunters) to inform design decisions, ensuring messages resonate with their mindset and relationship with the brand.

• Collaborate closely with Lifecycle Marketing leadership and the Creative Director to define briefs, provide strategic input, and ensure successful project delivery from concept to launch.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is critical for bridging creative vision with practical execution in a customer-centric, product-focused environment. The emphasis on understanding the "hunter" persona suggests a need for empathetic design and a strategic approach to customer loyalty within a niche market. The requirement to manage designers and build scalable systems points to a need for strong leadership and process-oriented thinking.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Translate high-level creative direction from the Creative Director into actionable design execution plans for CX and web channels.

• Oversee the day-to-day work of the CX designer and web designer, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and performance management.

• Champion a user-centric design approach, ensuring all communications and web experiences are tailored to the hunter's perspective and stage in their customer journey.

• Actively contribute to ideation and concept development for subject line angles, message hooks, offer framing, and website enhancements.

• Design, build, and maintain a robust modular component library and design system for lifecycle messaging and web, ensuring reusability and developer efficiency.

• Own the complete handoff process, including creating developer-ready Figma specifications and ensuring asset quality through rigorous rendering QA across various email clients and mobile platforms.

• Evolve and maintain the visual design language for CX and web, encompassing typography, color palettes, iconography, and photographic style to ensure an unmistakably Moultrie brand identity.

• Partner with lifecycle marketing to understand campaign goals and translate them into effective design solutions that drive engagement and customer loyalty.

• Ensure all design work adheres to brand guidelines and maintains a consistent aesthetic across all digital touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic design leadership, team management, and hands-on execution. The emphasis on "designing for the hunter, not the send" and building a scalable system indicates a focus on efficiency and impactful customer engagement, common in GTM operations and marketing operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is highly recommended for a Sr. Design Manager role.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional design experience, with a significant portion dedicated to email, lifecycle marketing, or in-app design. Prior experience in web design is a strong plus. Demonstrated experience in managing designers and leading design projects from concept to completion is essential.

Required Skills:

• Advanced Figma Proficiency: Expertise in building and managing component libraries, design tokens, prototyping, and developer handoff features.

• Adobe Creative Suite Mastery: Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

• Responsive Email & Mobile Design: Deep understanding of breakpoints, mobile-first layouts, dark mode implementation, and cross-client rendering across platforms like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook.

• Design Systems Thinking: Ability to conceptualize, build, and maintain scalable design systems and modular component libraries.

• Team Management & Mentorship: Proven experience in managing designers, providing direct feedback, assigning work, and fostering professional growth.

• Brand Consistency: Strong ability to translate brand guidelines into consistent visual design across diverse digital channels.

• User-Centric Design: A keen understanding of target audience needs and the ability to design solutions that resonate with their motivations and behaviors.

• Process Orientation: Ability to manage project workflows, meet deadlines, and ensure quality through meticulous QA processes.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with marketing leaders and developers.

Preferred Skills:

• Web Design & CMS Workflows: Familiarity with content management systems and web design best practices.

• Marketing Automation Platforms: Understanding of how platforms like Braze, Iterable, or comparable systems handle dynamic content and the implications for design.

• After Effects & Lightroom: Additional proficiency in motion graphics and photo editing tools.

• Project Management Tools: Experience with Asana or similar project management software.

• Hunter/Outdoor Industry Knowledge: While not mandatory, an understanding of the hunting market and its audience can be advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Figma, design systems, and responsive email design aligns with modern digital marketing operations and CX design standards. The requirement to manage designers and understand production workflows suggests the ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in both creative execution and operational efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated CX Design Execution: Showcase examples of email campaigns, SMS messages, content cards, and in-app notifications that demonstrate creativity, user focus, and brand alignment.

• Responsive Design Expertise: Include case studies highlighting responsive email design, detailing challenges with different email clients and mobile devices, and how they were overcome.

• Design System & Component Library: Present examples of a modular component library or design system you've built or contributed to, illustrating reusability, scalability, and consistency.

• Web Design Integration: If applicable, include examples of web design projects that show an understanding of user flow, layout, and integration with CMS workflows.

• Process & Workflow Documentation: Detail your process for taking a brief from concept to shipped product, including ideation, design, collaboration, and QA.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Showcase how you've designed or optimized workflows for design teams, including task assignment, review cycles, and handoff procedures.

• Implementation & Automation: Provide examples of how design decisions have facilitated efficient implementation by developers or leveraged automation within marketing platforms.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Illustrate how you've used data or user feedback to inform design iterations and improve the performance of CX or web elements.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is crucial for this role, demonstrating not just creative skill but also a systematic approach to design, team management, and production efficiency. Highlighting process documentation and the ability to build scalable systems will be key differentiators.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Sr. Design Manager role with 5-10 years of experience in Birmingham, AL, the estimated salary range is $90,000 - $130,000 per year. This estimate considers the cost of living in Birmingham, the company's industry, and the senior level of the position.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

• Paid time off (PTO), including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuing education.

• Employee assistance program (EAP).

• Potential for performance-based bonuses or incentives.

• Product discounts for Moultrie gear.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, typically 40 hours per week. While the role is on-site, there may be flexibility for occasional remote work or adjusted hours depending on project needs and team agreements, though the primary expectation is in-office presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on data for similar roles in the specified location and experience level. Actual compensation will be determined by the hiring company based on factors including candidate experience, qualifications, and internal compensation structures.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Outdoor Recreation & Consumer Electronics (specifically game feeders and cellular camera innovation for hunting and property management). Moultrie is a brand under EBSCO Industries Inc.

Company Size: EBSCO Industries Inc. is a large, diversified conglomerate. Moultrie, as a specific brand, likely operates with a more focused, agile team structure within the larger organization. This blend offers the resources of a large corporation with the specialized focus of a product brand.

Founded: EBSCO Industries Inc. was founded in 1944. Moultrie's specific founding date isn't provided, but its focus on innovation suggests a forward-thinking approach within its niche.

Team Structure:

• The Sr. Design Manager will report to the Creative Director and work closely with the Lifecycle Marketing Leader.

• The role involves managing two direct reports: a CX Designer and a Web Designer.

• Collaboration will be extensive with cross-functional teams including hardware, software, marketing, and customer success. Methodology:

• Customer Obsession: A core principle driving product development and marketing efforts, focusing on deep user understanding.

• Bias for Action & Act Boldly: Encourages proactive problem-solving and ambitious initiatives.

• Deliver Results & Excellence is the Standard: Emphasizes high-quality output and achieving measurable outcomes.

• Teamwork & Curiosity: Fosters a collaborative environment where continuous learning and idea sharing are valued.

Company Website: https://www.moultrie.com/ and https://www.ebscoind.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture at Moultrie appears to be a dynamic mix of customer-centricity, bold execution, and collaborative innovation, common in fast-paced product development environments. The structured reporting lines and emphasis on principles provide a clear framework for how teams operate and make decisions.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a Senior Individual Contributor/People Manager position, focusing on the strategic execution and team leadership within the design function, specifically for customer experience and web properties. It sits at a critical intersection of creative strategy and operational delivery.

Reporting Structure: The Sr. Design Manager reports to the Creative Director, indicating a clear hierarchy within the creative department. They will manage two direct reports, providing a foundational management experience.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts revenue and business decisions by enhancing the customer experience across key digital touchpoints. Effective CX and web design can lead to increased customer engagement, higher conversion rates, improved brand loyalty, and ultimately, greater sales for Moultrie products. The manager's ability to build scalable systems also contributes to long-term operational efficiency and cost savings.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Creative Director role, overseeing broader design strategy and larger teams.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in CX design, lifecycle marketing automation integration, or advanced design systems.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Possibility to lead design initiatives that span multiple departments, contributing to product development or overall GTM strategy.

• Mentorship: Developing strong people management skills through leading the design team.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career progression in design leadership, with opportunities to expand management scope, deepen technical expertise, and influence broader business strategies, particularly in customer acquisition and retention functions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Birmingham, Alabama, and is explicitly stated as "On-site." This suggests a traditional office environment where collaboration and in-person interaction are prioritized.

Office Location(s): Birmingham, AL 35242. This is likely a dedicated office space for Moultrie, a brand within EBSCO Industries.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The emphasis on teamwork and cross-functional collaboration suggests an office designed to facilitate interaction between designers, marketers, and product teams.

• Tools & Technology: Expect access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Suite) and project management tools (Asana). The company likely invests in technology to support efficient design and development workflows.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct mentorship from the Creative Director and close collaboration with marketing counterparts will be readily available.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, with an expectation of being present in the Birmingham office. While flexibility may exist for specific circumstances, the on-site requirement means consistent office attendance is key for collaboration and team integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Birmingham emphasizes a culture that values face-to-face collaboration and direct team synergy, which can be beneficial for rapid iteration and concept development in design.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: You will likely be asked to present your portfolio, highlighting specific case studies that demonstrate your experience in CX design, web design, team management, and design systems. Be prepared to discuss your design process, rationale, and impact.

• Skills Assessment: Technical interviews focusing on Figma proficiency, responsive design principles, and understanding of production workflows.

• Behavioral & Situational Interviews: Questions designed to assess your leadership style, problem-solving abilities, collaboration skills, and understanding of customer loyalty in the Moultrie context.

• Final Interview: Potentially with senior leadership, including the Creative Director and Lifecycle Marketing Leader, to evaluate cultural fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that directly showcase experience relevant to CX, email, web design, and design systems. Prioritize projects with measurable results.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the creative solutions you implemented, and the outcomes (quantifiable if possible). Emphasize how you designed for the "hunter."

• Showcase Systems Thinking: Clearly present your work on design systems or component libraries, explaining their structure, benefits, and how they ensure consistency.

• Demonstrate Management Skills: If possible, include a project where you managed other designers or led a design initiative, explaining your leadership approach.

• Technical Proficiency: Be ready to walk through your Figma files, explaining your use of components, libraries, and developer handoff features.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Challenge: Expect a design challenge, possibly focused on creating a responsive email or a web component, that tests your ability to apply design principles under time constraints and align with the Moultrie brand.

• Process Walkthrough: Be prepared to explain your typical process for tackling a new design project, from brief to implementation.

• Brand Understanding: Research Moultrie, its products, and its target audience. Understand their current digital presence and identify potential areas for design improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily rely on your portfolio and your ability to articulate your design process, leadership capabilities, and understanding of the specific market. Preparing specific case studies that demonstrate your ability to manage teams and build scalable CX solutions will be crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for all UI/UX design, prototyping, component library creation, and developer handoff. Proficiency in advanced features like design tokens and collaborative workflows is expected.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Critical for graphic design tasks, including Photoshop (image editing), Illustrator (vector graphics), and InDesign (layout for any print or rich media collateral).

• Adobe Photoshop: Specifically for image manipulation, retouching, and creating web-optimized graphics.

• Adobe Illustrator: For creating logos, icons, illustrations, and other vector assets.

• Adobe InDesign: Potentially used for any more complex layout or documentation needs.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed as a direct responsibility for the designer, familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, platform-specific analytics for email/web) is beneficial for understanding design performance. CRM & Automation:

• Marketing Automation Platforms: Familiarity with platforms such as Braze, Iterable, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, or similar is highly advantageous. Understanding how these platforms handle dynamic content, segmentation, and campaign execution will inform design decisions.

• Project Management Tools: Proficiency with Asana or comparable tools for task management, workflow tracking, and team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Mastery of Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite is non-negotiable. Understanding the technical constraints and capabilities of marketing automation platforms is also a key differentiator for this role, bridging design with production realities.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A guiding principle; all design decisions should prioritize understanding and serving the hunter's needs and experience.

• Excellence is the Standard: A commitment to high-quality craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail, and delivering polished, effective designs.

• Bias for Action: Encourages proactive problem-solving and moving initiatives forward efficiently, rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

• Act Boldly: Fosters an environment where innovative ideas and ambitious creative solutions are encouraged and supported.

• Deliver Results: Focus on design outcomes that contribute to tangible business objectives, such as engagement, conversion, and loyalty.

• Be Curious and Learn: A value that promotes continuous learning, staying updated on design trends, and seeking new knowledge to improve craft and processes.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires close collaboration with Lifecycle Marketing, Creative Direction, and potentially product/engineering teams, necessitating strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Feedback-Driven: A culture that values constructive feedback, both giving and receiving, to refine designs and improve team performance.

• Process-Oriented: An emphasis on efficient workflows, clear documentation, and scalable systems to ensure consistent delivery and team productivity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The expressed values emphasize a proactive, results-oriented, and customer-focused approach, combined with a collaborative and learning-oriented team dynamic. Candidates should demonstrate how their work ethic and collaborative style align with these principles.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Craft and Speed: The inherent tension between delivering high-quality, detailed design work and meeting tight production deadlines common in marketing.

• Niche Audience Understanding: Deeply understanding the motivations, behaviors, and expectations of the hunter demographic to create truly resonant CX and web experiences.

• Scalability vs. Uniqueness: Building a robust design system that allows for efficiency and consistency while still enabling creative differentiation and avoiding a "cookie-cutter" feel.

• Cross-Platform Consistency: Ensuring seamless and high-fidelity rendering of designs across a wide array of email clients, devices, and web browsers, each with its own quirks.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced CX Design: Deepen expertise in lifecycle marketing design, personalization, and behavioral psychology as applied to digital communications.

• Design Leadership: Develop advanced people management and strategic leadership skills through direct team oversight and interaction with senior management.

• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of digital design, marketing technology, and consumer behavior trends relevant to the outdoor and e-commerce sectors.

• System Design: Grow expertise in architecting and implementing comprehensive design systems that span multiple digital products and channels.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for senior design roles in fast-paced marketing environments. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a clear path for developing both creative leadership and operational management skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for translating a creative brief into a fully executed CX campaign. How do you ensure brand consistency and user resonance?"

• "How have you managed designers in the past? Walk us through a situation where you had to provide difficult feedback or guide a team member through a challenging project."

• "Imagine we need to launch a new product announcement email campaign. What are the key considerations you'd focus on from a design perspective, and how would you collaborate with the marketing team?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Moultrie and the hunting/outdoor recreation industry? What do you understand about our customer base?"

• "How do you embody our company values, such as 'Customer Obsession' or 'Bias for Action,' in your daily work?"

• "Describe your experience working within a larger corporate structure (like EBSCO) while maintaining the agility of a product brand." Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your proposed solution, your specific role, the design process, and the measurable results. Quantify success whenever possible (e.g., increased open rates, conversion improvements, reduced bounce rates).

• Demonstrate Process: Be prepared to walk through your Figma files or design artifacts, explaining your rationale for key design decisions, your use of components, and how you prepared assets for developer handoff.

• Address the "Hunter": Explicitly explain how your design choices were informed by an understanding of the target hunter audience and their motivations.

• Leadership Examples: If you have managed designers, be ready to share specific examples of how you coached, mentored, or directed your team to achieve project goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to discuss your design philosophy, leadership style, and how you approach problem-solving within a brand and team context. Strong, quantifiable examples from your portfolio will be essential.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. Design Manager position:

• Submit your application through the careers portal at https://careers.ebscoind.com/PRADCO/job/Birmingham-Sr_-Design-Manager-AL-35242/1401969200/.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience in CX design, email marketing, web design, design systems, and team management. Use keywords from the job description, such as "Figma," "Adobe Creative Suite," "responsive email," and "design systems."

• Curate your portfolio: Select projects that best demonstrate your skills in the required areas. Prepare to present your work, focusing on case studies that showcase your problem-solving approach, design process, impact, and leadership capabilities.

• Research Moultrie: Familiarize yourself with Moultrie's brand, products, website, and existing marketing communications. Understand their target audience and identify potential areas where your design expertise can add value.

• Prepare for interview questions: Practice articulating your experience and approach to design strategy, team management, and user-centric design, using specific examples from your career.

⚠️ 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.