Director – Brand Design

About Betterment

Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing, savings, and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors, as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission, to empower people to build wealth with confidence and ease. We're headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (four days/week in-office, with no required office days during the summer and winter holidays).

About the Role

Betterment is entering its next phase of growth, and we’re looking for a Director of Brand Design to raise the ambition and craft of our brand everywhere it shows up.

This role is for someone who obsesses over the kerning in a web nav as much as over the motion piece that moves people. You have exceptional  taste, a sense of curiosity to learn new things, and a strong point of view. You’ll be the brand’s primary design voice and the final word on our brand design system, knowing when to hold the line and when to evolve. You will make the brand feel like one brand across advertising, web, motion and sales collateral, for both our Retail and B2B businesses.

You’ll stay hands-on. You’ll lead concepting and art direction on our biggest initiatives and shape them from the first idea. You’ll polish the work that matters most and jump in wherever the craft needs you. You’ll also lead and develop a small team of  designers, setting the bar for their work and trusting them to own execution in their areas. Stakeholders will come to you for creative direction, not just review.

Reporting to the VP, Brand Creative, you’ll partner closely with our Director of Copy and our Director of Brand Operations. 

This role is based out of our NYC office. Below we've reflected the base salary range for this position. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees. 

• New York City: $175,000-$205,000

This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus. 

A Day in the Life

• Act as the arbiter of our brand design system and standards; challenge the system when it starts to feel stagnant and keep a constant eye on how our visual identity needs to evolve.
• Review and shape creative briefs before work begins, ensuring projects start with clear direction and objectives. 
• Hold the overall craft bar across advertising, web, motion, and collateral. Lead concepting and art direction on key initiatives, personally refining work at critical moments, and catching any execution misses or inconsistencies.
• Manage and develop a team of senior designers: set clear goals, deliver regular and constructive feedback, and push design execution from good to great. 
• Build and pitch proposals for new design initiatives.
• Work closely with marketing and sales stakeholders on assignments to understand goals and what success looks like.
• Create a team culture where designers feel empowered to take creative risks, raise dissenting opinions, and learn from projects that don't land perfectly the first time.
• Represent your team's work and point of view to senior leadership, translating creative decisions into business context.
• Participate in hiring: lead portfolio review interviews, evaluate candidates, and help scale the team as it grows.
• Source and direct vendors and agencies to supplement our work.

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of brand/design experience, including experience leading or managing designers.
• A strong, well-defined point of view on brand design systems, with experience evolving an identity system over time rather than just applying one.
• Proven ability to translate business strategy, objectives, and growth goals into a clear creative point of view and compelling work, while shaping creative briefs and providing direction before execution begins
• Experience managing and developing designers at varying levels of seniority, including supporting both craft-focused and people-leadership growth paths.
• A strong track record of partnering cross-functionally with copy and brand voice, marketing, operations, and external agencies to keep creative work on-brand and on schedule.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, with the ability to represent your team’s work and decisions to senior and executive stakeholders.
• A portfolio that demonstrates range and craft across advertising, web, motion, and sales materials.

Bonus points if you have experience:

• Working in fintech, wealth management, or another regulated industry, given the compliance and disclosure requirements that shape our creative work.