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Deputy Manager - Design Lead

Target Publications · Education

  • Mumbai, India
  • On-site
  • Posted today
  • Design

About the job

Experience: 5+

Job Description – Design Lead

Department: Marketing

Designation: Design Lead

Experience: 4–7 Years

Location: Thane / Mumbai

Reporting To: Head of Marketing

About the Role

We are looking for a Design Lead to lead the creative and design function within the Marketing team. The role will be responsible for translating marketing objectives, campaigns, product propositions, and business requirements into high-quality, impactful visual communication across digital and offline platforms.

The Design Lead will manage the day-to-day design workflow, guide designers, maintain brand consistency, improve creative quality, and work closely with Marketing, Product, Sales, Content, and other stakeholders to deliver creatives on time.

The ideal candidate should be a strong visual thinker, creative problem-solver, people manager, and hands-on designer who can balance creativity with speed and business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Leadership
Own the overall creative direction for Marketing campaigns, product launches, promotions, and brand initiatives.
Translate campaign briefs and marketing objectives into strong visual concepts.
Develop creative approaches, visual themes, campaign identities, and communication systems.
Ensure all creative output is aligned with brand guidelines and positioning.
Push the team towards better, more strategic and differentiated creative work , rather than execution-only design.
Team Management
Lead and manage the design team and allocate work based on priorities, skills, and timelines.
Conduct regular reviews of team output and provide constructive creative feedback.
Mentor designers and help improve their design thinking, execution quality, and productivity.
Identify skill gaps and recommend training or development requirements.
Build a culture of ownership, accountability, creativity, and timely delivery.
Campaign & Marketing Support
Work closely with the Marketing Head and campaign teams to understand objectives and translate them into creative requirements.
Develop creatives for: - Social media
Performance marketing
E-commerce
Product campaigns
School & coaching campaigns
Retail promotions
Events and activations
Email/WhatsApp communication
Websites and landing pages
Print and offline branding
Create campaign-level visual consistency across multiple platforms and touchpoints.
Quality & Brand Management
Review and approve creative output before publishing or delivery.
Maintain consistency in typography, layouts, imagery, colours, messaging hierarchy, and overall brand identity.
Establish creative quality benchmarks for the team.
Ensure designs are not only aesthetically strong but also clear, communication-focused, and conversion-oriented .
Workflow & Delivery Management
Maintain visibility of the design team's workload, priorities, and deadlines.
Plan creative requirements around campaign calendars and business priorities.
Ensure timely delivery of creatives without compromising quality.
Coordinate with Content, Digital Marketing, E-commerce, Product, Sales, and external agencies/vendors where required.
Identify bottlenecks in the design process and implement improvements.
Hands-on Design
Personally handle high-priority, complex, or strategically important design projects.
Create key campaign creatives, master designs, presentations, product communication, and brand assets when required.
Stay involved in concept development rather than functioning only as an approval layer.
Innovation & Creative Development
Stay updated with current design, advertising, social media, and visual communication trends.
Experiment with new creative formats, AI tools, motion/design technologies, and emerging content formats.
Introduce new creative approaches to improve audience engagement and campaign performance.
Encourage the team to test, learn, and continuously improve.

Key Deliverables

High-quality creative output across marketing channels.
Timely delivery of campaign and business-critical creatives.
Strong and consistent brand representation.
Improved design team's productivity and creative quality.
Effective creative resource allocation.
Strong visual concepts for major marketing campaigns.
Reduced dependency on the Marketing Head for day-to-day creative execution.
A structured and efficient design workflow.

Required Skills

Strong understanding of graphic design, visual communication, branding, typography, layout, colour theory, and composition .
Strong conceptual and creative thinking.
Excellent understanding of digital and social media creatives.
Ability to design for both brand building and performance/conversion objectives .
Strong presentation and communication skills.
Good understanding of marketing and campaign requirements.
Ability to manage multiple projects and tight deadlines.
Strong attention to detail.
Ability to give and receive creative feedback constructively.

Software & Tools

Proficiency in relevant design tools such as:

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Figma
Canva
Premiere Pro / After Effects – added advantage
AI-assisted design and creative tools – added advantage

Education

Bachelor's degree/diploma in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Fine Arts, Advertising, or a related field preferred.

Experience

4–7 years of relevant experience in graphic design/creative design, with at least 1–2 years of experience leading or mentoring a design team .

Experience in education, publishing, e-commerce, advertising, digital marketing, or consumer brands will be an advantage.

What We Are Looking For

A designer who thinks beyond “make this creative” and understands why the creative is being made .
Someone who can challenge weak creative briefs and suggest better solutions.
A leader who can manage people while maintaining high creative standards.
Someone who can balance speed, quality, creativity, and business requirements .
A hands-on creative leader who can both strategise and execute .