Founding Creative Director / Design Lead

Founding Creative Director / Design Lead Location: San Francisco, CA or Phoenix, AZ | Work Style: Full-time In-Person The Role & Mission Our client is building the financial infrastructure for the next generation of education finance, specifically targeting the $1.5T of Education Funds currently available in the US. They are enabling families to access the $900B US public education budget, which is being opened up so parents can control an average of $7,500 per child per year through state-funded Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). The product is a high-trust system consisting of a charge card, reimbursement engine, and education vendor marketplace. As the Founding Creative Director , you will be the first design hire at a company that has raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels. You won't be executing a roadmap handed to you; you will be building the design function from zero, establishing the visual identity, and shaping the core product experience alongside the co-founders. The Design Challenge: The Benchmark: Think Stripe (trust through clarity) meets Duolingo (warmth and engagement), rather than traditional fintech UI. Low Digital Literacy: You must design for families who are not digital natives, distilling compliance-grade complexity into an experience that feels as intuitive as a consumer app. Systems Thinking: You will own every external-facing touchpoint—from the mobile app UX and design tokens to film, social content, and investor decks. High Intensity: This is an in-person company where the team works together in the office six days a week Your Profile This is a role for a product designer with founder instincts - not a brand or campaign creative. Experience: 4–8 years in product design, with a strong preference for founding or early-stage startup experience. Technical Excellence: You are a Figma power user with a track record of building design systems and component libraries from scratch. Mobile-First: You have successfully shipped production mobile apps on iOS, Android, or React Native. Systems Over Aesthetics: You think in user journeys and system architecture before aesthetics, seeing product, brand, and voice as one cohesive system. Customer Obsession: You are willing to go to users’ homes and onboard them 1:1 to gain deep, researched empathy for their needs. High Output: You have the conviction to defend design decisions but can iterate rapidly with new information. Sector Expertise: Experience in regulated or high-trust consumer products (fintech, healthtech, or edtech) is highly valued. Pedigree Signal: A background from top design programs (e.g., RCA, RISD, Parsons, Stanford d.school) or experience on elite teams at Stripe, Apple, Airbnb, or Figma is strongly preferred. Commitment, Compensation & Benefits This will be a big commitment, and we're aiming high. It needs to be something you are energised about taking on, or this isn't the team for you. Competitive Salary: $120,000 – $200,000 per year, commensurate with experience. Generous Founding Equity: We compensate you well with equity. Top-Tier Backing: We've raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels. Relocation Support: You are willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, or Phoenix, AZ, and travel to visit customers. We're an in-person company and are in the office together. Comprehensive Visa Sponsorship: If you do not have a visa, we can support you. Unmatched Impact: The rare opportunity to directly shape how the $900B US Public Education budget is being opened up for parents to take control of their portion (avg. $7.5k/kid/year). INDEQL