Brand Design Manager

At Gusto, we’re on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR so owners can focus on their craft and customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 400,000 small businesses nationwide and build a workplace that reflects the people we serve. AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process. Design at Gusto Design at Gusto is made up of over 80 creative, collaborative people who care deeply about our mission to empower small businesses and their employees. We’re a cross‑functional group that looks for opportunities to build understanding and empathy for the people who use Gusto. We collaborate with cross‑functional partners in Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing to design, build, and ship experiences that make a real difference. We believe great design can make hard things possible, even delightful. We’re building an AI-native design organization. We’re looking for designers who already use AI to prototype ideas quickly, shorten feedback loops, and ship quality UX directly to customers. About The Opportunity Brand design is where our identity comes to life. Visual craft, consistency, and clarity are not finishing touches—they’re the work that earns trust, conveys confidence, and makes people feel something. Gusto is growing an in‑house creative studio. We design campaigns, brand systems, and multi‑channel marketing assets in partnership with marketing, product marketing, and communications. Our work spans paid media, email, web, social, and experiential. We’re looking for a Brand Design Manager (People Empowerer, or PE) to lead a small team of brand and motion designers. You’ll set creative direction, develop talent, and ensure visual quality and brand consistency across everything we ship. Day‑to‑day Responsibilities Manage, mentor, and develop a small team of brand and motion designers—setting expectations, providing feedback, and supporting career growth. Set creative direction and maintain visual quality across campaigns, paid media, email, web, social, experiential and product marketing. Build and maintain scalable design systems, templates, and brand guidelines. Partner closely with marketing, product marketing, communications, and creative leadership to prioritize work and translate strategy into visual execution. Define and improve team workflows, processes, and production standards to scale creative output. Explore and integrate modern design tools—including AI‑enabled workflows—to expand creative possibilities and improve team efficiency. Contribute directly to creative work when needed, maintaining a strong connection to the craft. Qualifications 8+ years of professional brand design experience spanning campaign, marketing, and brand systems work. 2–4+ years of direct people‑management experience leading brand or production designers. A portfolio demonstrating strong craft, brand‑building work, and range across multi‑channel marketing. Expertise in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite; familiarity with motion tools a plus. AI fluency in creative workflows and processes, with hands‑on familiarity with generative AI tools for design, ideation, and production. Experience building and maintaining scalable design systems and templates. Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills in fast‑paced, high‑output environments. A leadership mindset—you enjoy developing people and building systems, not just making the work yourself. Compensation At Gusto, we strive to provide rewards that empower employees to achieve their financial and personal goals. We offer competitive compensation packages with a strong emphasis on equity‑based compensation (ownership in Gusto). To learn more about Gusto’s compensation philosophy and benefits, please view our Total Rewards Approach page. Cash compensation range: $172,000/yr to $215,000/yr in Denver and most remote locations; $202,000/yr to $253,000/yr in San Francisco, Seattle & New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors. Gusto has physical office spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. Employees based in those locations will be expected to work from the office 2–3 days per week (or more depending on role). The same office expectations apply to all Symmetry roles, Gusto’s subsidiary, whose physical office is in Scottsdale. When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required. Equal Opportunity Employment Gusto is a proud equal‑opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Gusto considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gusto is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. #J-18808-Ljbffr