Branding Team Lead

Wonderist Agency - Dental Marketing•San Diego, CA

36d•Onsite

About The Position

Wonderist Agency is seeking a strategic and results-driven Branding Team Lead to lead brand design work and own the Branding team's operations, including capacity planning, quoting, client assignment, process, and people development. If you're passionate about creative leadership and team management, and you have a knack for challenging and evolving creative workflows, we want to hear from you!

Requirements

Five or more years of client-facing brand design experience
Prior experience managing a design team, or equivalent experience leading projects, mentoring designers, or serving as a de facto lead
Experience leading client presentations
Strong portfolio demonstrating high-caliber brand work
Experience with a project management tool for tracking workflows and team priorities (Monday.com preferred)
Brand Identity Design, Level Advanced
Adobe Creative Suite, Level Advanced
Figma, Level Intermediate
AI-Assisted Design Tools, Level Intermediate
Print Production, Level Moderate
Web Design Principles, Level Moderate
Presentation Skills, Level Advanced
Google Workspace, Level Advanced
Project Management Tools (Monday.com preferred), Level Moderate
Capacity & Resource Planning, Level Moderate
Quoting & Project Scoping, Level Moderate
SOP & Process Documentation, Level Moderate
Digital Marketing, Level Moderate
Problem solving mindset, approaching challenges with "yes, and" instead of "yes, but."
Self starter who takes ownership without heavy oversight.
Genuine client first orientation, caring about outcomes and not just deliverables.
Adaptable under a fast pace and comfortable with shifting priorities.
Detail oriented and organized.
Driven, with follow through on commitments.
Confident and self disciplined.
Collaborative, a real fit for a social, in-person leaning team culture.

Nice To Haves

Experience in dental or healthcare design
Background in animation, illustration, or multimedia
Experience leading AI adoption or building AI-assisted workflows for a creative team
Bachelor's or master's degree in design or related field

Responsibilities

Lead brand project kickoffs and client presentations
Guide work from concept through execution, reviewing in-progress work for quality and consistency before delivery
Own quoting and client assignment across the team's active accounts
Manage the team's workflow, priorities, and deadlines, and track capacity to flag overload or availability gaps early
Lead weekly team meetings to set the week's focus and surface issues early
Hold regular 1:1s with each brand designer to give feedback, remove blockers, and support their growth goals
Lead skill development sessions and group critiques for designers
Audit completed brand work to spot quality trends, and feed findings into critiques and SOPs
Own the Branding team's SOPs, documenting current workflows, identifying gaps, and building new processes as the team, services, and tools evolve. Keep design systems, templates, and onboarding materials current.
Partner with other departments to keep hand-offs clear and consistent
Plan OOO/PTO coverage across the team, balancing individual needs with client deadlines
Run quarterly performance evaluations for each direct report
Prepare data and narrative for QBRs and present the Branding team's results, wins, and capacity outlook
Lead or support agency initiatives that involve the Branding team, from charter through completion
Conduct annual reviews for each direct report, including development goals for the year ahead
Partner with the director on annual Branding planning, setting team goals, forecasting staffing and capacity, and recommending process or service changes for the year ahead. Over time, co-lead this planning.
Partner with HR and leadership to document performance concerns, draft and deliver performance improvement plans, and track progress through resolution
When a role opens, draft role requirements, screen portfolios, join interview rounds, and lead onboarding for new designers
Other projects and responsibilities that support the evolving needs of the team and the agency
Set the creative bar for the Branding team. Give clear, actionable direction on brand identities and print collateral so every deliverable meets Wonderist's standards and the client's goals.
Translate client goals, audience, and market position into a brand direction to execute. Push the work past templated dental branding so every brand feels original.
Represent the Branding team with clients. Lead brand presentations and strategy conversations for key accounts, present creative rationale clearly, navigate complex feedback, and guide clients to confident decisions.
Stay current on brand design and industry trends. Bring new ideas and techniques back to the team and help decide which ones become part of how you work.
Lead AI adoption on the Branding team. Identify where AI-assisted tools can speed up concepting, production, and team operations, build them into SOPs, train designers to use them well, and hold AI-assisted work to Wonderist's standards for quality, originality, and accuracy. Partner with the director on agency-wide AI initiatives.
Keep workload realistic and deadlines on track. Use capacity data to make quoting and client assignment calls, and adjust priorities before issues reach the client.
Keep the team's workflows documented, current, and connected to the departments around it.
Own the Branding team's data in Monday.com, turn it into clear insights for leadership, QBRs, and team planning, and represent the Branding team in company meetings.
Build a skilled, engaged team. Lead with clear expectations and consistent feedback, coach designers on client presentations and feedback conversations, address performance concerns early, and grow senior designers into more ownership over time.
Help build the team as it grows. Partner with the director and HR to define roles, review portfolios, and interview candidates, and get new designers productive quickly.
Own your work and your team's outcomes from day one. Solve problems every day and hold yourself and the team accountable for results.
Make confident calls with incomplete information, explain your reasoning, and adjust when new information comes in.
Get ahead of problems and move quickly to fix them when they happen. Gather the right information, find the root cause, and come with a recommended solution.
Comfortable with ambiguity and building structure where none exists. Adapts quickly and recognizes when a process or plan needs to change.
Naturally organized and energized by turning messy workflows into clear, repeatable ones. Keeps a close eye on the details that keep projects on schedule.
Personable, professional, and responsive. Explains complex information clearly and adjusts the message for clients, designers, and leadership.
Calm, credible, and confident with clients. Reads what a client needs, holds a creative position under pushback, and keeps the relationship strong.
Reads team dynamics, adapts communication styles, and connects with different personalities. Gives feedback with clarity and care, and creates an environment where people feel heard and valued.
Takes pride in work and is committed to being an agent of positive change. We need someone who takes any project, big or small, and puts everything they have into it. Mistakes are okay. Sloppiness is not.
Delegates with trust and follows up without micromanaging
Stays steady in difficult conversations with clients and direct reports
Enjoys teaching and developing others, including on new tools and AI
Diplomatic across departments, especially when priorities compete
Holds a high creative bar while staying realistic about scope and deadlines