Art Director, Brand Systems

Relay • Raleigh, NC

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Relay is seeking an Art Director, Brand Systems to serve as the creative lead for the Relay brand during a period of significant growth. This is a hands-on role requiring expertise in building and operationalizing a design system within Figma, producing high-quality work across various B2B media, and fluent use of AI tools. The Art Director will report to the Creative Director, collaborating on diverse projects from sales enablement to campaigns and web presence. This role involves shaping the creative team by onboarding a Production Designer, guiding freelance partners, and evolving into a player-coach responsible for daily creative output. It offers significant influence and a clear growth path, with the opportunity to become the senior creative voice managing day-to-day operations, allowing the Creative Director to focus on broader brand strategy and direction. As the team expands, so will the scope of this role.

Requirements

• 5+ years of design or art direction experience with a portfolio showcasing systems thinking and high-craft execution.
• Proven experience building and scaling a design system in Figma at a previous company, with demonstrable examples of shipped libraries, tokens, and documentation, and insights into team adoption.
• Recent, hands-on experience using AI tools as part of the design workflow for system architecture, consistency audits, documentation, and decision logic (actively using AI tools for the past 12-18 months).
• Expert proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign).
• Strong cross-medium range, comfortable directing print collateral, website modules, tradeshow booths, and digital ads.
• Experience providing creative direction and feedback to other designers.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate strategy into creative direction, write clear briefs, and explain creative decisions to non-creative stakeholders.
• A calm, organized approach to managing multiple projects and competing priorities while maintaining quality and efficiency.

Nice To Haves

• B2B SaaS experience
• Experience in a high-growth startup environment
• Web design fluency and comfort partnering with developers
• Motion or video direction experience
• Photography direction or production experience
• Conference and event creative experience
• Experience integrating AI into team-wide design operations beyond personal workflow

Responsibilities

• Build and own the company's design system, establishing, scaling, and maintaining a Figma design system for brand consistency across component libraries, tokens, typography, color systems, layout patterns, and documentation.
• Integrate AI tools into the design system's construction and maintenance for tasks like naming conventions, decision logic, documentation, and consistency audits.
• Lead day-to-day creative production across all media, including sales enablement materials (one-pagers, decks), conference materials (booths, signage, swag), digital advertising, web content, and ongoing brand initiatives.
• Utilize AI tools as a force multiplier in the daily workflow for ideation, layout exploration, asset variation, and production, building prompt libraries, templates, and repeatable workflows.
• Translate strategy into creative output by taking direction from the Creative Director and stakeholders to produce briefs, moodboards, and finished work aligned with brand and business goals.
• Set and maintain the quality bar for all creative output, reviewing work, providing constructive feedback, and ensuring all shipped materials are on-brand, on-strategy, and well-crafted.
• Mentor and grow the creative team by partnering with and eventually managing a Production Designer, directing freelance partners, and shaping the operating rhythm of the in-house creative team.
• Partner with the Creative Director on brand evolution, contributing to how the visual system adapts to new channels, audiences, and campaigns as the company grows.

Benefits

• 100% Paid Insurance (Health, Dental, Vision, Long/Short Term Disability, and Life Insurance)
• Generous Paid Time Off
• 401(K) Savings Plan + Company Match
• Baby Cash Reward + Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness Perks (onsite fitness center with instructor-led classes, outdoor amenities like tennis, basketball, cycling, pickleball)
• Free Snacks and Fun Times
• Latest tech, standing desks, and necessary accessories and software

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed