The Role

Upstatement is looking for a Creative Lead with excellent visual design skills. People who thrive in this role are multi-disciplinary designers who feel at home in all parts of the process, playing a key role in strategy, user experience, and branding. Many Upstatement designers code, too (though that’s a plus for this role, not a requirement).

  • Design smart, beautiful digital experiences
  • Create new design systems and solve problems within existing ones
  • Plan interfaces and prepare wireframes
  • Speak to clients and present your work
  • Translate your design in HTML / CSS / SCSS
  • Work collaboratively with designers and developers to implement and deploy sites

Last but not least: People who succeed here are empathetic teammates who are candid, kind, caring, and embody our core values. We believe that diverse, inclusive teams make the most impactful work. Upstatement is deeply invested in ensuring that we have a supportive, growth-oriented environment that works for everyone.

Responsibilities

  • Lead an end-to-end design process. Contribute visual ideas as research. Express strategic ideas through design. Communicate the rationale behind your work. Make it beautiful, and (most important) deliver what users need.
  • Establish a brand vision that is informed by research, connected to business outcomes, and driven by you. Present to clients with support from the team.
  • Conduct research. Run workshops, participate in user interviews, and gather inputs throughout the process. Design new activities as goals dictate.
  • Explore complex problem spaces with an open mind. Feel comfortable with ambiguity. Generate multiple solutions, rapidly iterate, and make strategic product decisions in partnership with a team.
  • Sweat the details. Impeccable execution and deep care given to all aspects of design, large and small: strategy, messaging, brand, colors, typography, icons — everything.
  • Communicate clearly. Share daily status with teams. Deliver concepts to clients. Talk through thorny issues as they arise. Show excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills that build strong relationships.
  • Love (and evolve) the process. Follow established practices and invent new ones. Evolve our process to be more thoughtful, effective, and accessible to all.
  • Contribute to an inclusive culture where people feel productive, creative, and safe. Be unafraid to name problems and move toward solutions with optimism, clarity, and calm.

About You

  • Multiple years of experience as a lead designer
  • Demonstrated experience solving complex problems through elegant design
  • An extraordinary portfolio
  • The capacity to work on multiple projects concurrently
  • A content-first approach
  • A keen eye for detail
  • A deep familiarity with contexts, screens, and device capabilities

Bonus Points

  • You have editorial design experience
  • Know an uncanny number of Figma quick keys
  • Your type skills would make Kris Sowersby proud

Benefits

  • Competitive salary
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance, and supplementary health benefits (FSA, IVF coverage, TalkSpace) 
  • A company-matched retirement plan 
  • $1,000 home office setup stipend
  • $1,500 annual professional development budget
  • Short/long term disability insurance
  • 3 weeks vacation to start, plus company-wide closure between Christmas & New Year’s Day (fully paid)
  • 12 weeks paid parental leave 
  • One Medical membership
  • Internal events, workshops, and seminars (like our Friday Talks)
  • Hubs in New York City and Boston as well as a fully distributed workforce

Interview Process

Our goal is to get to know you in a low-pressure, friendly environment — and to give you ample opportunity to learn more about us, too.

Our typical process includes these types of experiences:

  • A resume screen and introductory phone/video chat
  • A take-home exercise where you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your communication and problem-solving skills
  • Additional conversations with potential future team members, the hiring manager, and leadership

Our goal is to create an environment where you can interview at your best. Our interview process is fully remote, conducted via Zoom calls. If we can provide any assistance or accommodations during your time with us, please let us know at hr@upstatement.com. All requests are treated as privately as possible and have no impact on candidate eligibility.

Interested in applying?

Send us a resume, cover letter, and anything else that helps us understand what makes you awesome.
 
Women, people of color, LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Upstatement is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against candidates on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or veteran status. Upstatement is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone — you are welcome here.
 
FWIW: Worries of “what if I’m not the perfect fit” can sometimes hold us back from applying to jobs. We want to let you in on a secret: there is no perfect candidate. Sure, we’re interested in resumes, but also the narrative beyond that resume—unique backgrounds, experiences, points of views, etc. As such—there is no set of boxes to tick in order to be a good candidate. If this is a job that excites you, we hope you’ll apply.

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