Creative Director, Brand

Upstart

22h•Remote

About The Position

As Upstart’s Brand & Creative Team, we shape 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 Creative Director, Brand at Upstart, you’ll be a senior creative leader for our brand's most visible owned channels including: organic social media, our website, and our brand design systems — while also driving creative vision for brand campaigns. You'll set the creative bar, lead the team, and champion the work that builds lasting brand love at scale. This role is ideal for a player / coach — someone equally comfortable guiding a team and doing the work required to get something off the ground. This is an impactful role with the opportunity to be a key driver in making Upstart a beloved brand, cultural driver, and household name.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in brand creative, design, or creative direction, with at least 4+ years leading and managing multi-disciplinary creative teams.
Demonstrated experience overseeing brand campaign development end-to-end across channels including TV, OOH, and digital with both internal teams and external agency partners.
Portfolio showcasing excellence in brand identity work, visual design systems, and effective metrics-driving, multi-channel campaign creative.
Proven track record of developing creative talent and building team culture across disciplines.

Nice To Haves

Deep knowledge of organic social content strategy and platform-native creative across Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and emerging channels.
Familiarity with website design + content strategy and a track record of partnering with web and UX teams to deliver quality digital experiences.
Ability to translate brand strategy into scalable design systems and guidelines adopted org-wide.
Experience at a consumer-facing tech brand or other regulated industry brand.
Advanced fluency with AI-assisted creative tools and a demonstrated approach to using emerging technologies as a force-multiplier for creative quality and output.

Responsibilities

Lead creative strategy and execution across Upstart's owned brand channels: organic social, our website, and brand design systems.
Grow, inspire, and develop a multi-disciplinary creative team across brand disciplines—setting a high creative standard, delivering direct and actionable feedback, and building the kind of team culture where talented people come to do their best work.
Drive brand campaign creative from concept to delivery, including leading both internal development and directing agency partners across TV, OOH, digital, and emerging media
Actively evolve how Upstart uses AI tools to accelerate creative output without sacrificing craft
Partner closely with Marketing, Product, and senior leadership to align creative strategy with business goals — showing up as a trusted creative thought partner across the organization, not just a creative executor.

Benefits

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees
Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans
Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage
Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays
Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments
Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving
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
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 and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).