Creative Lead

Respond.io; Kuala Lumpur; Hybrid; MYR 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A global SaaS company located in Kuala Lumpur is seeking a Creative Lead to oversee and evolve its visual direction across brand and content. This role involves defining visual strategy, managing creative workflows, and leading a team of designers to ensure brand consistency. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in graphic design, excellent communication skills, and proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite. Competitive compensation and a flexible working environment are offered.

Benefits

Competitive compensation package

Medical allowance

Flexible working environment

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional graphic design experience, with at least 1-2 years in a senior or lead role.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, visual consistency, and leadership-level decision‑making.
• Proven experience producing high‑quality digital and motion design.

Responsibilities

• Lead and evolve Respond.io’s visual direction across brand and content.
• Define and own the visual strategy and creative direction.
• Own the evolution of Respond.io’s visual identity as the company scales.

Skills

Graphic design experience

Strategic thinking

Leadership

UI/UX principles

Excellent communication skills in English

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Webflow

Job description

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Role: Creative Lead

Department: Marketing

Mode: Full-time

About Respond.io

Founded in Hong Kong in early 2017, Respond.io is an AI-powered business messaging platform that helps companies manage customer conversations across chat, calls and email — all in one place.

Trusted by businesses in over 127 countries and recognized by G2 and SME100, Respond.io enables fast-growing companies around the world to capture, convert, and retain customers at scale.

We operate as a globally distributed team with employees based around the world, contributing to a diverse and inclusive culture. Join us, and be part of a team that is shaping the future of customer conversation management!

Our Culture

At Respond.io, we move fast, work smart, and always keep our customers at the heart of what we do. Here’s what we stand for:

• Solve Customer Problems: Every effort must solve real customer pain points. No guesswork—just real feedback and clear value!
• The 80/20 Rule: We focus on 20% of actions that create 80% of the value. Simple is powerful—it gets us moving fast.
• 100% Alignment, 80% Accuracy: We aim 100% team alignment and 80% accuracy. Perfect plans can wait—clear goals come first.
• Be Direct: We give honest feedback, and tackle problems head-on. Clarity moves us forward!
• Own It and Support Each Other: We step up, help out, and drive outcomes—together.
• Build Human Connections: Work is better when we trust, care, and celebrate wins together. We’re a team!

Role Description

We are hiring a Creative Lead to own and evolve Respond.io’s visual direction across brand, acquisition, product storytelling, and content.

You will lead the Creative function end-to-end: setting direction, making creative decisions, guiding designers and video producers, and building a clear, scalable brand system that enables speed without sacrificing quality.

This role sits within the Marketing leadership team and is responsible for how our brand shows up visually and how design function operates in an AI-driven environment. You are expected to actively adopt and scale AI-powered tools and workflows to reduce manual work, increase creative leverage, and accelerate execution.

What You’ll Own

• Visual Strategy & Direction
  • Define and own the visual strategy and creative direction across brand, web, acquisition campaigns, product storytelling, and video.
  • Translate company and marketing strategy into clear visual priorities, design principles, and creative direction.
  • Ensure our visual output is clear, consistent, and intentional across all digital touchpoints.
  • Proactively identify opportunities to automate, accelerate, or improve creative workflows through AI and emerging tools.
• Brand & System Ownership
  • Own the evolution of Respond.io’s visual identity as the company scales.
  • Maintain and improve a flexible design system that balances speed, experimentation, consistency and strategic alignment.
  • Make well informed trade-offs between quality and velocity based on business context.
• Leadership & Team Development
  • Lead and support graphic designers and video team by providing clear direction, standards, and expectations.
  • Actively mentor the team through structured feedback, regular guidance, and hands‑on support.
  • Create clarity for the team by making creative decisions explicit and well‑reasoned.
  • Guide the use of modern design tools, motion techniques, and creative AI tools to improve efficiency and quality.
• Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Act as a creative partner to Marketing and Product teams in shaping campaigns, launches, and narratives.
  • Challenge briefs when necessary to protect clarity, impact, and brand integrity.
  • Ensure the resources are spent wisely on high‑impact work aligned with acquisition and business priorities.
• Creative Oversight & Quality Control
  • Review and guide design, motion and video output to ensure strong craft, consistency, and alignment with direction.
  • Ensure visual content is fit for purpose across platforms and responsive across devices.
  • Set and uphold quality standards without becoming a bottleneck.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional graphic design experience, with at least 1-2 years in a senior or lead role.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, visual consistency, and leadership-level decision‑making.
• Solid understanding of UI/UX principles, web design best practices, and responsive design.
• Thrives in a fast-paced startup environment managing multiple stakeholders and priorities.
• Excellent communication skills in English, with the ability to clearly articulate strategic design decisions and provide constructive feedback.
• Comfortable building team foundations, making decisions with incomplete information and moving forward with clarity.

Technical Foundation

• Proven experience producing high‑quality digital and motion design; experience with Lottie animations is a strong advantage.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects), Figma, no‑code web builders (Webflow, Framer, Builder.io).
• Experience using AI‑powered tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar platforms to support creative workflows.
• Nice‑to‑have: Basic understanding of HTML, CSS and Javascript.

Here's what’s in for you

• A high‑impact leadership role with real ownership in a scaling global SaaS company.
• Close collaboration with senior Marketing and Product leadership and direct exposure to strategic decision‑making.
• Significant opportunity for growth, ownership, and influence as AI‑driven innovations continue to expand.
• A fast‑paced, intellectually stimulating environment that values and rewards proactive thinking and experimentation.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Medical allowance to support your health and wellbeing.
• Flexible working environment and hybrid working hours that support sustainable performance.