Senior Brand Designer

📌 Core Information

🔹 Job Title: Senior Brand Designer

🔹 Company: Affirm

🔹 Location: Remote Canada

🔹 Job Type: Full-time

🔹 Category: Design

🔹 Date Posted: April 22, 2025

🔹 Experience Level: 5-10 years

🔹 Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Job Overview

Key aspects of this role include:

• Leading the design and execution of Affirm’s marketing and product communications
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop a unified design ecosystem
• Contributing to the expansion and maintenance of Affirm’s Communications Design System
• Creating compelling in-app experiences and seasonal campaigns

ASSUMPTION: This role requires a high level of creativity, strategic thinking, and the ability to work effectively with various teams to ensure visual consistency and impact across all communication touchpoints.

📋 Key Responsibilities

✅ Lead the design and execution of Affirm’s marketing and product communications, ensuring a cohesive, high-quality visual experience across email, in-app messages, web, and beyond.

✅ Partner with Product, Content Designers, Engineering, Growth, and Brand teams to create best-in-class communications that align with business objectives and user needs.

✅ Contribute to the development and expansion of Affirm’s Communications Design System, building reusable components and documentation for designers, engineers, and marketers.

✅ Co-design compelling in-app experiences in collaboration with the promo platform team, seasonal/holiday campaigns, and other growth initiatives that enhance Affirm’s product ecosystem.

✅ Engage with teams across Affirm to educate and provide guidance on visual strategy, best practices, ensuring consistency and clarity across all communication efforts.

✅ Drive innovation in how Affirm communicates with its users by leveraging new design techniques, motion, and interactive elements where applicable.

ASSUMPTION: This role involves a mix of creative and strategic tasks, requiring the ability to balance big-picture thinking with attention to detail and a strong understanding of user-centered design principles.

🎯 Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Visual Arts, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Experience: 5+ years of experience in brand, visual, communication, and/or product design roles

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in brand, visual, communication, and product design
• Strong portfolio showcasing high-quality visual design, with an emphasis on clarity, scalability, and impactful storytelling
• Hands-on experience designing for email, web, and in-product messaging, with an understanding of best practices for each medium
• High proficiency with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and email design tools such as Contentful and SFMC
• Knowledge of HTML, CSS, motion design (LottieFiles), and WCAG accessibility principles
• Ability to articulate design thinking and rationale clearly, effectively communicating the “why” behind design decisions and ensuring alignment across teams
• Experience building or contributing to design systems, with an understanding of scalable frameworks and documentation best practices
• Comfort working in ambiguity, with the ability to self-direct, prioritize, and clearly communicate with stakeholders in a fast-paced environment
• Strong strategic mindset with an eye for detail—meticulous when it comes to typography, grids, balance, and whitespace

Preferred Skills:

• Strong product sense and advanced UI/UX experience, particularly in crafting effective and engaging user communications

ASSUMPTION: While a Bachelor's degree is preferred, relevant experience and a strong portfolio can make up for a lack of formal education. Additionally, experience working with design systems and a strong understanding of accessibility principles are crucial for success in this role.

💰 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $90,000 - $130,000 USD per year (based on experience and location)

Benefits:

• Health care coverage (100% subsidized medical coverage, dental, and vision for you and your dependents)
• Flexible Spending Wallets (generous stipends for spending on Technology, Food, various Lifestyle needs, and family forming expenses)
• Time Off (competitive vacation and holiday schedules)
• ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

Working Hours: Full-time, typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility for remote work

ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is an estimate based on industry standards for a Senior Brand Designer role in Canada. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, and other factors.

📌 Applicant Insights

🔍 Company Context

Industry: Financial Services, specifically focusing on creating honest financial products that improve lives

Company Size: 1,001-5,000 employees (as of 2022)

Founded: 2012, with headquarters in San Francisco, California

Company Description:

• Affirm offers buy now, pay later services for consumers, allowing them to purchase items and pay for them in installments
• The company focuses on providing transparent and honest financial products, with no hidden fees or compounding interest
• Affirm partners with various merchants to offer its payment services, including popular brands like Walmart, Target, and eBay

Company Specialties:

• eCommerce
• Payments
• Installment Loans
• Millennials
• Financial Services
• Online Payments
• Retail
• Personal Finance
• FinTech
• Financial Technology
• Financial Management

Company Website: Affirm

ASSUMPTION: Affirm is a well-established company in the financial services industry, with a strong focus on innovation and providing consumer-friendly financial products.

📊 Role Analysis

Career Level: Senior, with the opportunity to lead and mentor junior designers

Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to the Head of Product Creative and collaborates with various cross-functional teams, including Product, Growth, Content Design, and Engineering

Work Arrangement: Remote OK, with the flexibility to work from anywhere within Canada

Growth Opportunities:

• Potential to grow into a leadership role, mentoring junior designers and expanding the Product Creative team
• Opportunities to work on high-impact projects and initiatives that drive business growth and user engagement
• Chance to shape the visual language and experience of Affirm’s products, contributing to the company’s overall success

ASSUMPTION: This role offers significant growth potential for the right candidate, with opportunities to expand their skills, take on more responsibility, and make a meaningful impact on Affirm’s products and communications.

🌍 Location & Work Environment

Office Type: Remote, with no physical office requirement

Office Location(s): N/A (remote work only)

Geographic Context:

• Canada has a large and growing tech industry, with a strong focus on innovation and collaboration
• Working remotely offers flexibility and the ability to balance work and personal life more effectively
• Affirm’s remote-first culture fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment, attracting talent from across the country

Work Schedule: Full-time, with a flexible work arrangement that allows for a healthy work-life balance

ASSUMPTION: The remote work arrangement for this role provides candidates with the opportunity to work from anywhere within Canada, offering a high degree of flexibility and convenience.

💼 Interview & Application Insights

Typical Process:

• Online application submission
• Phone or video screen with a member of the People team
• Design challenge or case study presentation
• Final interview with the Head of Product Creative and other stakeholders

Key Assessment Areas:

• Design skills and portfolio quality
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Communication and collaboration skills
• Cultural fit and alignment with Affirm’s values

Application Tips:

• Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight relevant skills and experiences for this role
• Prepare a design challenge or case study that demonstrates your ability to create compelling visual communications for various channels
• Research Affirm’s brand and products to ensure your application and interview responses showcase a strong understanding of the company and its mission

ATS Keywords: Brand Design, Visual Design, Communication Design, Product Design, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Email Design, HTML, CSS, Motion Design, WCAG Accessibility Principles, Design Systems, Strategic Mindset, Typography, Grids, Balance, Whitespace

ASSUMPTION: Affirm’s interview process is designed to assess both technical skills and cultural fit, with a strong focus on finding candidates who can thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

🛠️ Tools & Technologies

• Figma
• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects)
• Email design tools (Contentful, SFMC)
• HTML, CSS
• Motion design tools (LottieFiles)

ASSUMPTION: This role requires proficiency in a variety of design and communication tools, with a strong emphasis on Figma for collaboration and efficiency.

👔 Cultural Fit Considerations

Company Values:

• People Come First
• Integrity
• Diversity & Inclusion
• One Team, One Dream
• Customers Always
• Focus on Results
• Embrace Change

Work Style:

• Collaborative and cross-functional, with a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication
• Fast-paced and dynamic, with a focus on driving results and continuous improvement
• Remote-friendly, with a focus on flexibility and work-life balance

Self-Assessment Questions:

• Do you align with Affirm’s core values, particularly “People Come First” and “Integrity”?
• Are you comfortable working in a remote, collaborative environment, with a high degree of autonomy and flexibility?
• Do you have a strong portfolio that demonstrates your ability to create high-quality visual communications for various channels?

ASSUMPTION: Affirm’s culture is built on a strong set of core values, with a focus on people, integrity, and collaboration. Candidates who align with these values and thrive in a remote, dynamic work environment are likely to be successful in this role.

⚠️ Potential Challenges

• Managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced, remote work environment
• Balancing creative and strategic thinking, with a strong attention to detail
• Ensuring visual consistency and impact across various communication channels and platforms
• Collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams, including designers, engineers, and marketers with varying levels of design expertise

ASSUMPTION: This role presents unique challenges that require a high level of adaptability, strong communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, remote work environment.

📈 Similar Roles Comparison

• Compared to other Senior Brand Designer roles, this position offers a unique opportunity to shape the visual language and experience of a rapidly growing financial services company
• Industry-specific context: Affirm operates in the competitive buy now, pay later market, with a strong focus on providing transparent and consumer-friendly financial products
• Career path comparison: This role offers significant growth potential, with opportunities to expand skills, take on more responsibility, and make a meaningful impact on Affirm’s products and communications

ASSUMPTION: While this role shares similarities with other Senior Brand Designer positions, its unique context within the financial services industry and Affirm’s rapid growth make it an attractive opportunity for the right candidate.

📝 Sample Projects

• Redesigning Affirm’s email marketing templates to improve engagement and conversions
• Creating a comprehensive design system for Affirm’s product communications, ensuring consistency and scalability across various channels
• Developing a seasonal campaign to promote Affirm’s buy now, pay later services during the holiday shopping season

ASSUMPTION: These sample projects demonstrate the range of responsibilities and opportunities available to the right candidate in this role, from strategic design system development to tactical campaign execution.

❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview

• Can you describe the current state of Affirm’s product communications and how this role will contribute to its evolution?
• How does the Product Creative team collaborate with other departments, such as Product, Growth, and Engineering, to ensure consistent and effective communication across all touchpoints?
• What are the key priorities for this role in the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
• How does Affirm support the professional development and growth of its designers?
• What are the biggest challenges facing Affirm’s product communications, and how can this role help address them?

ASSUMPTION: Asking thoughtful, insightful questions during the interview process demonstrates your interest in and understanding of the role, as well as your ability to contribute to Affirm’s ongoing success.

📌 Next Steps for Applicants

To apply for this position:

• Submit your application through the Affirm Jobs portal
• Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight relevant skills and experiences for this role, with a strong focus on your design process and problem-solving abilities
• Prepare a design challenge or case study that demonstrates your ability to create compelling visual communications for various channels, showcasing your strategic thinking and attention to detail
• Research Affirm’s brand and products to ensure your application and interview responses showcase a strong understanding of the company and its mission
• Follow up with the hiring manager one week after submitting your application to express your continued interest in the role

⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.