Manager, Graphic Design

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:  

The Graphic Design Manager drives design excellence and oversees the development of multi-channel marketing materials within the financial services sector. The Manager leads a team of designers while remaining hands-on in the creation of compelling visual content that supports American Equity’s brand and business objectives. Collaboration with cross-functional teams and mentoring direct reports is central to the roles success, ensuring the delivery of impactful design solutions that resonate with diverse audiences.

** Position sits in West Des Moines and will work an onsite hybrid schedule** 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Leadership & Team Development

• Supervises and mentors a team of designers, providing guidance, feedback, and design direction to ensure high-quality work and professional growth.
• Delegates tasks effectively while balancing hands-on design work with leadership responsibilities.
• Fosters a collaborative and inclusive team culture, encouraging innovation and open communication.

Design & Production

• Champions creative design solutions that enhance the company’s brand presence and drive business success.
• Conceptualizes, develops, and executes innovative multi-channel designs, including web, print, digital, and marketing collateral.
• Oversees the production of assets, ensuring all designs align with brand standards, marketing goals, and project specifications.
• Troubleshoots technical and design issues, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, production-ready files for both print and digital channels. Stays informed on the latest design trends, technologies, and industry best practices to continuously improve design output.
• Manages multiple design projects simultaneously, tracks progress using a digital project workflow system, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Develops production-ready files and manages technical troubleshooting for design issues.
• Maintains and organize a comprehensive design asset library and digital records.

Strategic Collaboration

• Partners with internal stakeholders to gather input during discovery meetings and translate business objectives into design solutions.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to communicate complex financial concepts effectively through design.
• Acts as a lead design representative in meetings, articulating creative design concepts and strategies to stakeholders and leadership.
• Partners with Marketing team and other internal stakeholders to assure scheduled work can be completed in a timely and complete manner.
• Drives process improvements to optimize the team’s productivity and enhance project outcomes.

Continuous Learning

• Encourages and supports team participation in professional development activities to enhance skills and stay current with design trends.
• Actively expands personal expertise in design tools, technologies, and the financial services industry.
• Maintains expert-level knowledge of brand guidelines, ensuring consistent application across all design outputs.
• Drives innovation by staying informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in design.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leads a team of Production, Graphic and Sr. Graphic designers (3-6)

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:  

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in Graphic Design, or Visual Communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Eight (8) plus years of professional design experience, with at least 4 years in a people leadership role.
• Previous experience managing staff and digital assets preferred
• Experience with digital workflow systems (e.g., Asana, Monday, Workfront) preferred

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS:

None required for this position.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:  

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Proven leadership abilities, including experience mentoring and managing people.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts to stakeholders at all levels.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality results under tight deadlines.

Design Expertise:

• Proven ability to develop integrated content and digital journeys for websites, social media, online advertising, and email campaigns.
• Experience creating templates for print, web, and email.
• Strong design vision grounded in a focus on business objectives.

Technical Skills:

• Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Proficiency with digital tools such as Figma, Sketch, and Miro; experience with digital workflow systems (Workfront or similar) is preferred.
• Functional knowledge of HTML and CSS, with the ability to create web and email templates.

Preferred Skills

• Proven knowledge of marketing automation platforms like Marketing Cloud or similar tools.

Software Skill Level Required:

Basic

Intermediate

Expert

After Effects

Figma

InDesign

Premiere Pro

Sketch

Photoshop

Bridge

Miro

Acrobat

HTML

Illustrator

CSS

Marketing Cloud

Workflow - Asana, WorkFront

Google Fonts

DAM/CMS

Outlook

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

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This description covers the major purpose and essential functions of the job.  It is not intended to give all the details or a step-by-step account of the way each task is to be performed.  Employees may receive other job-related instructions and be required to perform other job-related work requested by their manager.  All requirements are subject to possible modification to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.

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