Brand Design Manager

at  Charitable Impact

ABOUT CHARITABLE IMPACT

Charitable Impact is here to help each and every generous Canadian create the meaningful change they seek in the world. Through the unique combination of our online giving tools, consultation services, and Donor Advised Fund - we equip donors (at any budget level) to manage all of their giving from one convenient place, engage their communities to amplify their impact, and donate in a variety of ways from cash to publicly traded stocks.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Brand Design Manager plays a pivotal role in shaping, maintaining, and evolving the visual identity of our organization, products, giving programs, and services. You will lead and inspire a team of visual designers to create compelling and on-brand visual deliverables - shaping the creative direction, managing resources, and fostering a collaborative and strategic design culture. You will create cohesive and engaging brand experiences across various touchpoints, including digital, video, print, and experiential assets. Your role will involve both leadership responsibilities and hands-on design work, leading both project management and cross-departmental collaboration.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

General Activities

• Develop and implement brand design strategies that align with the organization’s positioning and tone of voice - lead by our purpose, mission, values, and goals
• Define the visual language and style guidelines to ensure engagement and consistency in all brand outputs with both external and internal audiences - including donors, partners, stakeholders, influencers, and staff
• Provide visual design support to key internal clients, taking a consultative approach with each team including Brand Content, Corporate Communications, Growth Marketing, Product Design, Donor Experience, Cause Funds, and Charitable Investment departments
• Set the design direction for projects, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and audience experience goals
• Oversee the creation of all brand design assets across various mediums including online and/or social media platforms, video, print collateral, event signage, swag, annual reports, and more - ensuring brand consistency across all deliverables
• Lead design project management, overseeing the end-to-end design process from concept development to final execution, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards
• Ensure compliance with brand guidelines across all brand channels and touchpoints, conducting regular audits to monitor brand consistency and identify areas for improvement
• Manage design budgets and expenses, tracking costs and resources to ensure projects are delivered within budget constraints.

Creative Process

• Consult with team leaders and/or internal clients to set project objectives, expectations, visual design requirements and key deliverables
• Provide clear project and/or creative briefs - outlining key objectives, audience targets, timelines, tactics, and deliverables - that receive internal client sign-off and set clear parameters for the design team
• Collect internal client feedback and refine work as required to meet objectives and audience-specifics
• Champion our brand, infusing consistent elements skillfully into communication and marketing strategies across all teams
• Push the boundaries of our brand strategically and incrementally, ensuring that it remains fresh without making revolutionary changes that would compromise brand consistency
• Stay updated on industry trends, design best practices, and emerging technologies - proactively integrating them into team practice and providing professional development opportunities to help the visual designers grow their skills and remain current within their area of expertise.

Communication and Collaboration

• Be a proactive communicator, encourage questions and facilitate group discussions, ideation, and collaborative activities
• Monitor and communicate project progress effectively, informing team leaders and/or internal clients on project timelines and delivery dates
• Rationalize and defend design decisions in an articulate and pragmatic manner, particularly to how agreed upon project objectives have been met.

Manage and Mentor the Brand Design Team

• Provide guidance, mentorship, and a collaborative approach to a team of visual designers, fostering their professional growth and development; leading by example
• Develop annual and quarterly plans including team and individual metrics, goals and objectives
• Manage and mentor direct reports to foster professional growth and support personal development
• Nurture, develop and create strategies for developing a safe and inclusive environment for everyone on the team
• Continuously develop new ways to engage the team and update team processes to foster healthy and effective team dynamics
• Conduct daily huddles and biweekly one on one meetings with team members to track team growth and personal progress.