Visual Design Manager Job at Franklin Electric in Fort Wayne

Visual Design Manager

Embark on a career journey with Franklin Electric, where your passion meets purpose, and every day is an opportunity to make a difference in our global communities in providing access to water, fuel and electricity.

We are looking for a Visual Design Manager who can lead and elevate our brand across a high volume of creative outputs while developing and managing a team of designers. This role sits at the intersection of brand stewardship, production efficiency, and people leadership.

Franklin Electric is a diverse team of innovators making a positive global impact since 1944. We offer innovative water solutions, ensuring access, treatment, and efficient management of this vital resource. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our innovative products, industry leading quality products, exceptional customer service, employee development, and passion for social responsibility. Join us to create a better future while growing professionally in a supportive environment!

What We're Looking For

Strong Branding Experience

Proven experience building, evolving, and consistently applying a brand across channels

• Ability to think strategically about brand positioning while executing tactically
• Comfortable acting as a brand stewardensuring quality, consistency, and alignment across all creative work

Compelling Portfolio

Portfolio that demonstrates strong visual judgment, concept development, and storytelling

• Work should show depth in brand systems, not just one?off designs
• Experience across multiple formats (digital, print, presentations, campaigns, etc.) is strongly preferred

High?Volume Creative Environment

Experience managing creative production in a fast?paced, high?output environment

• Ability to balance speed with quality and know when "perfect" vs. "on?brand and effective" is the right call
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple projects, timelines, and stakeholders simultaneously

People & Team Leadership

Demonstrated experience managing and mentoring designers

• Comfortable providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and skill development
• Able to set standards, establish workflows, and create an environment where designers can grow and do their best work

How This Role Operates

Acts as a hands?on leader: capable of doing the work, but primarily focused on guiding, reviewing, and elevating the team's output

• Partners closely with marketing, sales, and other stakeholders to translate business needs into strong creative execution
• Brings both confidence and collaborationable to advocate for the brand while remaining flexible and pragmatic

What Success Looks Like

Brand execution is consistent, elevated, and recognizable across all touchpoints

• Creative output scales without sacrificing quality
• Designers are supported, developed, and producing increasingly stronger work
• Stakeholders trust the creative function as both a strategic and executional partner

What you will be doing:

• Leads the planning and execution of visual communications across print and digital channels, ensuring brand consistency while effectively promoting the company's products, services, and marketing initiatives.
• Oversees external creative and print vendors, managing scopes, timelines, quality standards, and costs to ensure deliverables meet brand, budget, and production requirements.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of visual and design initiatives, including print investments, using performance metrics and business outcomes to inform recommendations for future spend and approach.
• Defines and manages creative direction and visual strategy for campaigns and customer experiences across all internal and external touchpoints, with a strong emphasis on scalable, production-ready design solutions.
• Applies deep understanding of products, services, and target markets to develop visual solutions that support sales efforts and align with key strategic initiatives.
• Manages cross-functional design projects initiated by internal partners, ensuring clear requirements, consistent messaging, accurate execution, and measurable return on investment.
• Drives innovation in materials, formats, and production methodsparticularly in printto improve quality, efficiency, and impact while balancing cost and speed to market.
• Collaborates closely with the Marketing Strategy and Digital Marketing teams to translate marketing strategy, customer insights and buying behaviors into effective visual and design strategies.
• Gathers and applies market and competitive research, including design trends, print innovations, emerging technologies, and regulatory considerations, to inform creative direction.
• Creates, maintains, and enforces brand standards, ensuring consistent visual expression across all customer-facing and internal experiences, including vendor-produced materials.
• Leads and develops the Creative Solutions team, providing direction, feedback, and coaching to ensure high-quality creative output and continuous improvement.

Who we want:

If you are a self-motivated and collaborative individual who is passionate about making a positive impact, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

• Hard-working winners - Confident, competitive, and results-oriented professionals who create a track record of success.
• Dedicated achievers - People who thrive in a fast-paced environment and will stop at nothing to ensure a project is complete and meets regulations and expectations.
• Effective communicators - People who can interpret information clearly and accurately to concisely communicate results and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Collaborative partner - People who build and leverage cross-functional relationships to bring together ideas, information, use cases, and industry analyses to develop best practices.

What you need: Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrates the ability to develop creative branding and visual strategies and establish visual communication standards across all marketing channels.
• Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrates experience and knowledge of best practices in design and visual communication, applying creative and design thinking to research, evaluate, and recognize design and marketing trends.
• Demonstrates strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines, supported by strong organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
• Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan, prioritize, and accomplish goals.
• Works independently and collaboratively within a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Demonstrates the ability to travel up to 20% of the calendar year to attend industry trade shows, customer events, and company meetings.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design or a related field (required).
• Seven to ten years of relevant management experience in graphic design (required).

Computer Skills

• Proficient in both Mac and PC platforms.
• Advanced in Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word.
• Experienced in Workfront project management software.
• Proficient in digital asset management software, project management software, and Microsoft Excel.
• Basic in alphanumeric data entry, CRM.

Don't feel like you check all the boxes? Here at Franklin Electric, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive culture which includes embracing candidates from a variety of different backgrounds and industries. We highly encourage you to apply so we can connect on this and future opportunities.

Company Values & Benefits

FE provides many opportunities to learn and grow through development opportunities such as training, certifications, mentorship, leadership programs, tuition reimbursement, one-on-one coaching and more! We offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and amenities such as:

• Work schedule of four in-office days and one work-from-home day per week
• Generous paid time off & holidays
• Paid parental leave & on-site motherhood rooms
• On site caf & complimentary beverage stations
• Indoor fitness facility & outdoor walking paths
• 401(k) with matching & service contributions
• Health, dental, vision, life insurance
• Short & long-term disability
• Fertility & adoption support
• Undergraduate & graduate tuition reimbursement
• Professional development assistance
• Health & wellness programs

Take a look at this video to see our Global Headquarters here in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

About Franklin Electric

Franklin Electric is a global leader in water and energy systems, committed to continuous improvement and