Staff Brand Designer

Handshake; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 172,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Staff Brand Designer to lead their corporate brand design efforts. In this hybrid role, you will create impactful content that aligns with the company's narrative and strategic goals. With a focus on mentorship and collaboration, you will work closely with marketing and cross-functional teams to enhance brand consistency and quality. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the visual identity of a platform dedicated to empowering students and recent graduates. Join a vibrant team that values diversity and creativity, and help drive meaningful change in the career landscape.

Benefits

Equity and ownership

16 weeks paid parental leave

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies

Generous learning & development stipend

Monthly internet stipend

Free lunch 3x a week

401k Match

Flexible time off policy

Home office stipend

Lifestyle Savings Account

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in brand design with a strong portfolio.
• Expert in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma, with a focus on detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead design for corporate brand and collaborate with marketing.
• Create high-quality brand marketing content and visual systems.

Skills

Brand Design

Art Direction

Collaboration

Communication

Mentorship

Creativity

Attention to Detail

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Job description

Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.

Design at Handshake

We're looking for great product and brand designers to help us create opportunity for all students and recent graduates to have equal access to meaningful jobs and internships. We take a student-first approach to how we design and build products, and we strive to deeply understand our users and their true goals. We believe that great products and experiences are made great by the combination of how they work and how they look. One without the other is not enough, and while we're not perfect, we strive to excel in both and are committed to going the extra mile.

Great products are built by teams — and teams are built by people who communicate and collaborate well. A culture of openness, honesty, and the ability to provide and receive constructive feedback is important to us.

We also believe that great teams are inclusive in their composition. Being surrounded by a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives brings out the best in everyone, and leads to higher quality products and experiences.

Your impact

The Staff Brand Designer will lead design for our corporate brand. Collaborating closely with leads in Marketing and across the company, they will create impactful, engaging content that supports our corporate narrative, talent brand, and strategic initiatives. We’re looking for a Staff Brand Designer who can mentor and coach other designers and contribute to our collaborative and inclusive culture on the Brand Design team.

Your role

• As a Staff Brand Designer on the Brand Design team, you will develop creative concepts and successfully execute high-quality brand design for our corporate brand against creative briefs and informed by marketing insights.
• Operate autonomously as a designer while being comfortable guiding cross-functional teams, freelancers, agencies, and production partners.
• Work with the Marketing team and cross-functional leaders to execute high-impact brand marketing content, talent brand deliverables, and visually develop our corporate brand.
• Expand our visual design systems to create a holistic approach to typography, color, patterns, layouts, and imagery, and consistently contribute to our design foundations.
• You will be an advocate for brand consistency across every touchpoint, and up-level the entire team through a commitment to growth and mentorship.
• Be comfortable leading design for high-visibility, high-priority deliverables with short timelines. This role will be responsible for time-sensitive designs that support strategic initiatives and external communications. An enthusiasm for this type of work is a must!

Your experience

• You have 7+ years of experience and an outstanding brand design portfolio with examples of having led art direction for integrated brand and marketing projects from business need to concepts to execution.
• You bring an ownership mentality to the day-to-day delivery of marketing creative with best-in-class quality and consistency.
• You have an impeccable eye for detail and a keen understanding of typography, color, and composition.
• You have experience building and managing strong relationships with marketers and cross-functional teams, and have a collaborative no ego approach to working with others.
• You have strong communication and presentation skills. You can articulate concepts and ideas clearly, can engage in healthy critique, can accept directional feedback, and articulate the rationale behind your design decisions. You are organized and can collaborate with other creative partners.
• You have worked on a breadth of design projects, from campaigns to the web to social media, video, and everything in between.
• You are an expert in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma, with experience in art direction for photography and illustration.
• You have a working knowledge of motion graphics, interaction, and environmental design.
• Additional skills not required but a plus to have: video editing; illustration; and photography.

This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco or New York City.

Compensation range

• $172,000 - $215,000 + RSUs

For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

About us

Handshake is the career platform for Gen Z. With a community of over 17 million students, alumni, employers, and career educators, Handshake’s network is where career advice and discovery turn into first, second, and third jobs. Nearly 1 million companies use Handshake to build their future workforce—from Fortune 500 to federal agencies, school districts to startups, healthcare systems to small businesses. Handshake is built for where you’re going, not where you’ve been.

When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look at Handshake. With our hybrid-work model, employees benefit from collaboration and shared team experiences three days per week in our vibrant offices, and enjoy the flexibility of remote work two days per week (unless noted in the specific job posting). Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, and Berlin.

What we offer

At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.

Benefits below apply to employees in full-time (not Contract) positions.

• Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
• 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGBTQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
• Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
• Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
• Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
• Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
• Free lunch provided 3x a week across all offices.
• Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.

(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
• All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 13 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
• Handshake offers $500 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
• Family support: Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly. We partner with Maven Clinic to provide a lifetime coverage up to $15K for expenses related to fertility and family forming!
• Lifestyle Savings Account: We offer you an annual stipend of $500 to use for purchases such as fitness classes, gym memberships, work-from-home setup, and more.

(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
• Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
• Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
• ️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.

(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• 25 days of annual leave + 5 days of a winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
• Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
• Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
• ️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.

Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.

Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please let your recruiter know during initial communications.