Sr. Visual Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Visual Designer

Company: Borrowell

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Visual & Brand Design / Product Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-12

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (Remote-First with in-office requirements)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive brand consistency and elevate visual language across all digital touchpoints, including UI, marketing, and email.

• Develop and maintain a robust design system and component library to scale design efforts.

• Collaborate with Product Design, Marketing, and Lifecycle teams to execute creative strategies from concept to production.

• Own key design projects, championing visual quality and advocating for design standards.

• Contribute to growth experiments and feature launches with high-quality visual output.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role sits at the intersection of Product Design and Brand Marketing, requiring a strong understanding of both user experience principles and brand identity management. The emphasis on a "remote-first" model with hybrid requirements suggests a need for strong self-management and excellent remote collaboration skills, while the specific location restrictions (Ontario, BC, Alberta) indicate a focus on Canadian talent within those provinces.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Brand & Visual Standards:

  • Establish and enforce visual quality and brand consistency across in-app UI, emails, the marketing website, social media, and other campaign materials.
  • Develop and maintain systems and standards to ensure consistent brand representation across all company outputs.
  • Drive informed visual decision-making, grounding choices in brand guidelines, industry trends, and accessibility standards.
  • Champion visual quality across cross-functional teams, acting as a design authority and articulating the rationale behind design choices.
  • Participate actively in design critiques, providing and receiving constructive feedback to elevate overall visual quality.

• In-App & Product Visual Design:

  • Evolve and optimize foundational design standards, including the design system and component library, from atomic elements (tokens, typography, color, icons) to scalable frameworks.
  • Create reusable frameworks and scalable templates for dynamic content elements such as promotion cards, dashboard placements, and hero images.
  • Support growth experiments, A/B tests, and feature launches by delivering production-quality visual assets.

• Marketing & Communication Design:

  • Build and maintain a comprehensive visual asset library for use in email templates, social graphics, landing page assets, illustrations, and mockups.

  • Collaborate closely with Lifecycle and Marketing teams throughout the creative cycle, from ideation and iteration to final production and review.

  • Implement and optimize email templates by establishing a modular content block system for lifecycle and promotional communications.

  • Enhance the marketing website and landing pages with impactful visual updates, working with Engineering and Data teams to implement and track performance metrics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly outline a need for a designer who can operate strategically at a brand level while also executing tactically across various digital channels. The emphasis on building "systems and standards" and a "scalable design system" points to a senior-level individual contributor who can establish best practices and empower others.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field is typically expected for this level of experience. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience in visual design, brand design, or graphic design, with a demonstrated focus on systems thinking and brand development.

Required Skills:

• Visual Design Fundamentals: Strong command of typography, color theory, layout design, and composition.

• Brand & Systems Thinking: Ability to establish and maintain visual quality and brand consistency across multiple platforms; experience building and scaling design systems and component libraries.

• Figma Expertise: Advanced proficiency in Figma for design creation, asset organization, prototyping, and detailed specification handoff to engineering.

• Marketing & Email Design: Solid understanding of email design constraints, best practices for marketing asset production, and experience creating assets for various digital channels.

• Web Design Principles: Deep knowledge of web best practices and how design decisions impact user experience, performance, and conversion.

• Independent Ownership: Proven ability to work independently, take ownership of projects from concept to completion, and manage a significant body of work.

• Communication & Collaboration: Clear, constructive communication skills; comfortable giving and receiving design feedback in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

• Advocacy for Design: Strong ability to champion great design, elevate quality standards, and articulate design rationale effectively.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Refresh/Rebrand Experience: Experience contributing to or leading significant design updates or a full rebrand for a consumer-facing company.

• Accessibility Standards: Familiarity with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and practical application across various digital surfaces.

• Motion Design: Skills in creating micro-interactions, animations, or explainer videos to enhance user experience and brand storytelling.

• Custom Illustration: Ability to create original illustrations to support brand identity and marketing campaigns.

• Braze Implementation: Experience implementing visual assets and HTML/CSS within the Braze marketing automation platform for lifecycle campaigns.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Nice to Haves" indicate opportunities for candidates to differentiate themselves, particularly those with experience in rebrands, accessibility, and specialized design skills like motion graphics or illustration. Proficiency in Braze is a strong plus, suggesting a need for designers who understand how their work integrates into marketing automation workflows.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a strong depth in visual design fundamentals, including typography, color theory, and layout.

• Demonstrations of brand identity development and consistent application across various touchpoints (digital, print, web, app).

• Examples of design system components, scalable templates, and style guides that illustrate systems thinking and process.

• Case studies that highlight the iterative design process, problem-solving approaches, and the impact of visual design decisions on user experience and business goals.

• Production-ready assets for marketing campaigns, emails, social media, and web/app interfaces. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of establishing and maintaining design systems, including documentation of tokens, components, and usage guidelines.

• Examples of workflow design for asset creation and handoff processes, particularly for cross-functional collaboration with engineering and marketing.

• Demonstrations of how design decisions were informed by user research, A/B testing results, or performance metrics.

• Documentation of how accessibility standards were integrated into the design process and final output.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Visual Designer, the portfolio is paramount. It must not only showcase aesthetic skill but also strategic thinking, system-level design capabilities, and a proven ability to drive brand consistency and quality across diverse platforms. The ability to articulate the "why" behind design choices, supported by data or user insights, will be critical.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $100,000 – $150,000 CAD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, and paramedical health benefits for employees and their families.

• Enhanced Mental Health Support: Additional yearly coverage for psychotherapists and massage therapists.

• Virtual Health Offering: 24/7 access to nurses, doctors, and mental health professionals.

• Parental Leave Top-up: Support for new parents through maternity and parental leave top-up programs.

• Work From Home Reimbursement: Provision of essential gear like a laptop, mouse, and keyboard, with reimbursement for additional home office setup items.

• Employee Development Benefit: Annual reimbursement for professional development and learning expenses.

• Community Engagement: One paid volunteer day per year to give back to the community.

• Flexibility: Flexible working hours and a flexible vacation policy to support work-life balance.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility in daily scheduling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is competitive for a Senior Visual Designer in Toronto, reflecting the required experience and the company's growth stage. The benefits package is robust, emphasizing well-being, professional development, and work-life balance, which are attractive perks for experienced professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Technology (FinTech) / Consumer Finance. Borrowell operates in the Canadian FinTech space, aiming to democratize access to financial tools and credit building.

Company Size: The LinkedIn data suggests Borrowell falls into the 51-200 employee range, indicating a mid-sized company that is past the startup phase but still nimble and growing. This size often means opportunities for impact and visibility.

Founded: Borrowell was founded in 2015. This relatively recent founding means the company is likely still innovating rapidly and building out its established processes and culture.

Team Structure:

• The role reports to the Manager, Product Design, suggesting a dedicated design team within a broader Product organization.

• Collaboration is expected with Product Design, Marketing, and Lifecycle teams, indicating a cross-functional team structure where designers work closely with product managers, marketers, and content strategists.

• As a remote-first company with an office in Toronto, the team likely utilizes various digital collaboration tools to maintain connection and productivity. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisions: Borrowell's mission and product offerings suggest a strong emphasis on data analytics to understand user behavior, credit profiles, and product performance. Design decisions are likely informed by A/B testing and performance metrics.

• Customer-Centric Approach: The focus on helping Canadians feel confident about their money highlights a deep commitment to user needs and financial empowerment.

• Agile & Iterative Development: As a FinTech company, Borrowell likely operates with agile methodologies, enabling rapid iteration and continuous improvement of its product and services.

Company Website: https://borrowell.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Borrowell's mission to improve financial literacy and accessibility for Canadians is a strong cultural anchor. The company's growth stage and "remote-first" model suggest a dynamic environment where individuals can shape processes and contribute significantly to the brand's visual identity. The mention of credit and criminal record checks as a condition of employment is a crucial detail for potential applicants in the financial services sector.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Visual Designer role, signifying a highly experienced individual contributor. The scope involves not just execution but also strategic input, system building, and leadership in design quality.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the Manager, Product Design. This provides a direct line of mentorship and oversight within the design function.

Operations Impact: The Sr. Visual Designer's work directly impacts user perception of the Borrowell brand, the usability and aesthetic appeal of the product, and the effectiveness of marketing communications. By elevating visual language and ensuring brand consistency, they contribute to trust, engagement, and ultimately, customer acquisition and retention.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Design Lead role, managing or mentoring junior designers, or taking on more strategic ownership of design initiatives.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like design systems, accessibility, or motion design, becoming a subject matter expert within the company.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence across product strategy, marketing campaigns, and brand direction by consistently delivering high-impact visual solutions.

• Rebrand/Refresh Contribution: Opportunities to play a key role in future design refreshes or rebrands, significantly shaping the company's visual identity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Senior level indicates that candidates are expected to bring a high degree of autonomy and strategic thinking. Growth opportunities are focused on deepening expertise and increasing leadership influence within the design and product teams.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Borrowell operates on a "remote-first" model with an office located in Toronto. This means remote work is the default, but in-person attendance is required for specific meetings and team-building events.

Office Location(s): Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The "remote-first" nature emphasizes the use of digital collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Figma, video conferencing) for seamless communication and teamwork.

• Hybrid Requirements: The need to attend in-person meetings and team-building events in Toronto suggests a collaborative and social aspect to the work environment, aimed at fostering team cohesion and innovation.

• Tools & Technology: Expect access to industry-standard design software and collaboration platforms. The WFH reimbursement for gear indicates support for creating an effective home workspace.

Work Schedule: Flexible working hours are offered, allowing employees to structure their workday around core collaboration times. This flexibility supports the remote-first approach and work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model requires careful management of time and communication. Candidates should be comfortable with both independent remote work and occasional in-person collaboration. The Toronto office serves as a hub for those critical in-person interactions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and salary expectations.

• Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: A deeper dive with the Manager, Product Design, and potentially other design team members. This stage will heavily focus on reviewing the candidate's portfolio, discussing design rationale, process, and systems thinking. Expect questions about past projects, challenges, and how they've applied design principles.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with stakeholders from Marketing, Product, or Engineering to assess collaboration skills, communication style, and understanding of broader business goals.

• Final Interview: May involve senior leadership or a broader panel to confirm fit and readiness for a senior role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select projects that best demonstrate the skills and responsibilities outlined in the job description, particularly those involving brand systems, UI design, and marketing assets.

• Showcase Process: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the design process (research, ideation, iteration, testing), your specific contributions, and the outcomes/impact.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Include examples of design systems, component libraries, or style guides you've developed or contributed to. Explain how you ensured scalability and consistency.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data or metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of your design solutions (e.g., improved conversion rates, increased user engagement, reduced support tickets).

• Be Prepared for Figma Deep Dive: Expect to walk through your Figma files, demonstrating your organization, component usage, and handoff specifications.

• Address Accessibility: Be ready to discuss how you incorporate accessibility standards into your design process.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Challenge: The company may provide a design challenge related to their product or marketing, requiring candidates to apply their skills to a specific problem. Prepare to work within a given timeframe and present your solution and rationale.

• Case Study Presentation: Be prepared to present one or two key portfolio pieces in detail, focusing on the strategic thinking, problem-solving, and impact.

• Situational Questions: Anticipate questions about how you handle design feedback, manage conflicting priorities, collaborate with non-designers, and advocate for design within an organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review and potential design challenge means candidates must meticulously prepare their work samples and be ready to articulate their design process and strategic thinking in detail.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: The core design tool for UI design, prototyping, and design system management. Expertise is mandatory.

• Design System Tools: Familiarity with building, maintaining, and scaling design systems and component libraries.

• Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities are likely sufficient, but experience with other tools may be beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Understanding of how to interpret data from tools like Google Analytics to inform design decisions for the marketing website and landing pages.

• A/B Testing Platforms: Experience using or collaborating with teams that use A/B testing to validate design changes and optimize performance.

CRM & Automation:

• Braze: Preferred skill for implementing visual assets and HTML/CSS in email templates and marketing automation workflows.

• Email Marketing Platforms: General understanding of email template creation and deployment processes.

• Project Management Tools: Likely familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for task management and workflow tracking.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma proficiency is non-negotiable. Experience with Braze is a significant advantage, indicating a need for designers who can bridge the gap between creative execution and marketing automation. Understanding how design impacts performance metrics is also key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: A deep commitment to empowering Canadians financially and ensuring they feel confident about their money. Design decisions should reflect empathy and user-centricity.

• Integrity & Trust: As a FinTech company handling sensitive financial data, honesty, transparency, and reliability are paramount. Visual design should reinforce trustworthiness.

• Innovation: A drive to develop new tools and services that improve financial literacy and access. Design should be forward-thinking and contribute to innovative solutions.

• Collaboration: Working together across teams (Product, Marketing, Engineering) to achieve shared goals. Design contributions should be integrated seamlessly.

• Humility & Growth Mindset: Openness to learning, receiving feedback, and continuous improvement. A willingness to admit mistakes and adapt.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers are expected to work closely with product managers, marketers, engineers, and data analysts, ensuring design is aligned with business objectives and technical feasibility.

• Feedback Exchange: A culture of constructive critique and open communication is encouraged to elevate the quality of work.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, design patterns, and insights to foster a learning environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values—diversity, inclusivity, collaboration, humility, and innovation—are central to the culture. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate how they embody these values in their work and interactions.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand and Product: Ensuring a cohesive visual identity across both the user-facing product (app UI) and marketing materials, which may have different objectives and aesthetic requirements.

• Scaling Design Systems: As the company grows, maintaining and evolving the design system to meet increasing demands while ensuring consistency and usability.

• Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Effectively collaborating and maintaining strong relationships with team members across different locations and time zones.

• Data-Informed Design: Translating performance metrics and A/B test results into actionable design improvements.

• Rapid Iteration: Adapting to a fast-paced FinTech environment that requires quick turnarounds for experiments and feature launches.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to take a leading role in the evolution and governance of Borrowell's design system.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining deeper insights into product management, marketing strategies, and financial services through collaboration.

• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of the latest trends in UI/UX design, FinTech, and brand aesthetics.

• Skill Enhancement: Pursuing training or certifications in areas like accessibility, motion design, or advanced Figma techniques.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a growing FinTech company and a senior design role. The growth opportunities are substantial for someone looking to make a significant impact and advance their career in design leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you established or significantly evolved a design system. What were the key challenges and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on process, scalability, and collaboration.)

• "How do you ensure brand consistency across diverse digital touchpoints, from in-app UI to marketing emails?" (Highlight your approach to brand guidelines, asset management, and cross-functional alignment.)

• "Walk us through a project where your visual design decisions directly impacted user engagement or a key business metric. What was your process and what were the results?" (Prepare a case study that demonstrates impact and your role.)

• "How do you approach designing for accessibility? Can you give an example of how you've integrated accessibility into your workflow?" (Showcase your knowledge of standards and practical application.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Borrowell's mission to help Canadians feel confident about their money?" (Connect your passion for design with the company's purpose.)

• "How do you handle receiving constructive design feedback, especially when it conflicts with your initial ideas?" (Demonstrate humility and a collaborative spirit.)

• "How would you contribute to our remote-first culture while also engaging effectively for required in-person events?" (Address your comfort with hybrid work models.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, perhaps by project type (e.g., System Design, Product UI, Marketing Campaigns) or by impact.

• Storytelling: For each project, tell a clear story: the problem, your role, the process, your solutions, and the measurable outcomes.

• Visuals: Ensure your presentation slides are visually polished and reflect your design sensibility. Use high-quality mockups and clear annotations.

• Figma Walkthrough: Be prepared to share your screen and navigate through your Figma files to demonstrate your organization, component usage, and design system implementation.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Focus on the most impactful projects and discussions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skill but also strategic thinking, system-level understanding, and strong communication abilities relevant to a senior role in a FinTech environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. Visual Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating your expertise in design systems, brand consistency, UI design for digital products, and marketing asset creation. Ensure it clearly showcases your Figma proficiency and systems thinking.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your 5+ years of experience, specific achievements in visual design, brand development, and design system implementation. Use keywords from the job description (e.g., Figma, design systems, brand guidelines, UI, marketing design).

• Prepare Case Studies: Select 1-2 key projects from your portfolio to present in detail, focusing on your role, process, challenges, solutions, and quantifiable results. Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and concisely.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Borrowell's mission, products, and current visual branding. Understand their target audience and how your design philosophy aligns with their goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions to provide a comprehensive overview. Candidates are strongly advised to review the original job posting and conduct their own research. Specific details regarding the interview process, exact team structure, and day-to-day responsibilities should be confirmed directly with Borrowell during the application and interview stages.