Lead: Design

Humankind; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Humankind in Stellenbosch seeks a senior Design Lead to protect and evolve our brand, guiding a team responsible for the visual language across campaigns and product launches. You will shape concepts and ensure consistency across marketing materials.

You will co‑lead ATL and BTL elements with the Copy Lead, mentor designers, and advocate for best practices in design usage to drive business outcomes.

Qualifications

• Senior design leadership experience in advertising or brand studio.
• Proven ability to lead large integrated campaigns.
• Hands-on with design systems and collaboration tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the design team across campaigns and brands.
• Co‑lead ATL/BTL creative delivery with Copy Lead.
• Act as custodian of the brand and ensure visual consistency.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Communication Skills

Interpersonal & Relationship

Presentation Skills

Problem-Solving Skills

Team Leadership

Collaboration

Education

Design degree

Postgraduate design

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Figma

Jira

Confluence

Microsoft Office

Job description

Purpose Statement

We're looking for a senior Design Lead to help protect and evolve our brand and promote a favourable, consistent market profile by leading and overseeing a team responsible for:

• Designing and developing concepts for Marketing and other departments in a visual language consistent with the brand
• Creating conceptual positioning, design and campaign elements for existing and new products launched to market
• Taking overall responsibility for the creative team where required
• Co‑leading (in collaboration with the Copy Lead) and coordinating the delivery of exceptional Above the Line (ATL) and Below the Line (BTL) campaign elements
• Acting as custodian of the brand from a visual communications design perspective, promoting consistency and advising on correct communications design usage to support business objectives

Experience

Minimum:

• 6 – 7 years' proven experience in an advertising and communications environment, with specific exposure in an advertising agency or internal studio environment as a designer
• Proven experience across brand design, traditional design and conceptual design
• Proven experience delivering large, integrated campaigns
• In-depth, hands‑on experience with Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma
• Proven experience leading a team, managing projects, and mentoring designers
• Retail marketing and branding experience
• Proven experience with design systems
• Exposure to a variety of brands and brand work
• Experience in Art Direction
• Ideation and prototyping
• Presentation and virtual collaboration techniques
• Experience working on multiple brands simultaneously
• Experience taking leadership for projects/assignments in a high‑performance team, dealing with volume in a fast‑paced, high‑pressure environment

Ideal:

• Experience in the application of web and social media campaigns
• Experience in mobile app UI design
• Experience in web animation
• JIRA experience and working in sprints
• 3D & animation development
• Prototyping and user testing
• Previous supervisory/people management experience

Qualifications

Minimum: A relevant tertiary qualification in Design

Ideal: A relevant post‑graduate qualification in Design

Knowledge

Minimum:

• Industry‑standard design software (Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, etc.)
• Presentation and virtual collaboration techniques
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Design techniques, trends and skills
• Technology related to the design/advertising industry
• The advertising and creative process
• Ideation and prototyping
• Digital marketing and marketing technology

Ideal:

• Tools such as Jira, Confluence, etc.
• Influence of Machine Learning and AI on design principles
• Behavioural sciences

Skills

• Attention to Detail
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal & Relationship Management Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Problem‑Solving Skills
• Strong team leadership and mentorship abilityA collaborative, ego‑free approach — culture fit is essential; we're looking for someone who leads with humility, values the team over individual credit, and fosters a positive, supportive working environment