Art Director, Brand Social

Upstart

13d•$138,600 - $192,000•Remote

About The Position

Upstart's Brand & Creative team shapes how the brand comes to life across every touchpoint, defining our voice, personality, and emotional connection with borrowers and partners. We sit within Growth, designing and creating for impact across all channels, from the digital surfaces where consumers first discover us to the campaigns and brand systems that make Upstart trusted and remembered. As the Art Director, Social at Upstart, you will create culturally relevant, platform-native art direction across organic social, and contribute to brand campaigns alongside the broader Creative team. You'll combine cultural insight and design craft to help shape how Upstart shows up in culture.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in art direction, design, or a related creative discipline.
Experience creating organic social content, including trend-responsive and always-on creative.
On-set production experience across photo or video.
Proficiency in design software, including Adobe Creative Suite and Figma.
Bachelor's degree in Design, Visual Communications, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

Ability to concept directly with social or community teams, rather than relying solely on handed-off briefs.
Knowledge of internet and social culture, with the ability to translate cultural trends into on-brand creative.
Skilled in balancing fast-turn social work with larger-scale campaign production.
Experience working on an in-house creative team, or agency experience paired with an understanding of how in-house pace and priorities differ.
Ability to use AI-assisted tools throughout the creative process, from ideation through execution.
Skilled in collaborating with cross-functional partners, including Compliance and external production partners.

Responsibilities

Lead art direction for organic social content, ensuring cultural relevance, platform fluency, and brand consistency across every asset.
Partner directly with Social leadership to concept and execute work, taking ideas from concept through final execution.
Contribute to brand campaigns alongside the Creative team, bringing craft and creative perspective to projects beyond social.
Track cultural and platform trends closely, translating them into timely, on-brand creative rather than following after the fact.
Balance a high volume of fast-turn social work with occasional campaign-scale production, applying judgment on where deeper investment is warranted.
Direct on commercial and campaign sets, whether leading independently or supporting senior creative leadership.

Benefits

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)
Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security
Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)
Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service (US Only)
Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you
Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from
Connection and community through team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!)