Senior Graphic Designer

Senior Graphic Designer — NxtWave Academy (POD Lead)

Location:

Reporting to:

About NxtWave Academy

Role overview

We’re looking for a Senior Graphic Designer who can operate independently and lead the visual output of a product/marketing POD. You will be the One Point of Contact (POC) for all design needs — turning briefs into strategic, on-brand, and conversion-focused creative across digital and print. You should have deep craft knowledge, a robust design thinking process, strong presentation skills, and the ability to articulate design rationale clearly to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design for the POD: concept, exploration, execution, handoff, and QA.
• Act as the primary POC for internal stakeholders (content, marketing, sales, product) and external vendors.
• Interpret business goals and user needs into creative solutions that drive engagement and conversions.
• Produce high-quality assets across formats: social ads, landing pages, email templates, banners, thumbnails, presentations, infographics, motion/short animations, and brand collateral.
• Maintain and evolve brand guidelines to ensure consistent visual language across touchpoints.
• Create and document design rationale for key deliverables — explain choices in hierarchy, typography, color, layout, and user intent.
• Mentor and review work of junior/mid designers — give actionable feedback and help raise craft standards.
• Manage timelines, prioritize requests, and balance multiple ad-hoc and planned items under tight deadlines.
• Collaborate with performance marketing to A/B test creative and iterate based on data.
• Keep up with design trends (Gen-Z aesthetics, motion, micro-interactions) and propose fresh visual directions.

Must-have skills & experience

• 6+ years of professional experience in graphic design, preferably in education, edtech, or high-growth startups.
• Strong portfolio showcasing strategic thinking, end-to-end projects, and measurable impact (social, product, or campaign work).
• Expert-level skills in Figma / Adobe XD, Illustrator, Photoshop, and basic After Effects for motion thumbnails/short animations.
• Exceptional typography sense — able to design and document typographic systems for headers, body, and UI copy.
• Solid understanding of layout, grids, composition, and visual hierarchy for both static and motion formats.
• Proven ability to work as an independent owner — from brief to final deliverable — with minimal supervision.
• Excellent verbal and written communication: can present design rationale and negotiate trade-offs with stakeholders.
• Experience creating and maintaining brand guidelines and asset libraries.
• Comfortable with data-informed creative iteration (working with CTR, CVR, engagement metrics).

Nice-to-have

• Experience with illustration and iconography systems.
• Experience in video editing (Premiere) or more advanced motion (After Effects) workflows.
• Experience working in a POD or agile cross-functional team.
• Familiarity with web design principles and basic HTML/CSS constraints.

Portfolio requirements (apply only if you can provide these)

• 6–8 portfolio pieces that include a short 3–5 line context (objective, role, process, result).
• At least one full campaign case study showing concept → execution → metrics (e.g., uplift in CTR, engagement, or conversions).
• Examples of both social/ad creatives and product/UI assets (e.g., landing pages, thumbnails, presentations).

Interview process

1. Portfolio review (30–45 mins):

   Candidate presents 3 key case studies and explains process & impact.

2. Design task (take-home or live whiteboard - 24–48 hrs):

   Short brief simulating a POD requirement (thumbnail + static social creative + short rationale).

3. Stakeholder round (30–45 mins):

   Meet with content/marketing/product to assess collaboration fit and communication style.

4. Final leadership round (30 mins):

   Strategic fit, growth plan, and compensation discussion.

KPIs & success metrics (first 6 months)

• Timely delivery: % of design requests delivered on or before agreed deadline.
• Quality: Stakeholder satisfaction score (target >4/5) from repeated feedback loops.
• Impact: Improvement in creative-driven metrics (CTR, watch time on thumbnails) for owned campaigns.
• Process: Documentation completeness — maintaining an updated POD asset library and guidelines.