Design Lead

ABOUT THE ROLE:

OLIPOP is looking for a Design Lead with deep expertise in translating visual identity systems across channels, from packaging and retail to digital. This role is key to evolving and elevating how our brand shows up across a 360° experience. While a solid understanding of packaging and retail design is very important to the role, we’re most excited about someone who can bring cohesion, clarity, and creativity to every brand expression, ensuring our identity is distinct, consistent, and ownable no matter the format. This is an execution-focused role that requires reviewing and elevating designers’ work, providing clear creative direction, and actively designing when needed. You'll lead a team of designers and collaborate with internal teams, external partners, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate brand direction into high-quality, production-ready design across packaging, marketing. digital, and retail environments. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversee and evolve OLIPOPs visual identity: Execute and extend OLIPOP’s visual identity across touchpoints, ensuring consistency, clarity, and high craft standards across all touchpoints from packaging and digital to retail, partnerships, and internal communications. Ensure all creative whether it’s a can on a shelf or a key visual in a campaign feels distinctly OLIPOP and strategically on point.
• Uphold and Expand Brand Guidelines: Maintain and refine brand standards to ensure they are flexible, functional, and future-proof balancing creative inspiration with scalable structure.
• Inspire and Manage Design Team: Oversee internal designers and external creative partners, fostering a culture of craft excellence, bold thinking, and collaborative problem-solving. Provide specific, actionable feedback that improves output quality and helps designers strengthen craft and decision-making. Balance doing the work yourself with guiding others—stepping in directly where needed to ensure timelines and quality standards are met.
• Oversee end‑to‑end innovation design: managing innovation projects from creative brief through final production, including concept + design development, color selection, print readiness, and review of INX production runs to ensure quality, consistency, CGI/render development and brand standards. Collaborate with in-house art director and copywriter on innovation campaigns and flavor launches. 
• Own shopper marketing creative: leading execution while partnering closely with an external agency to provide clear direction, actionable feedback, and final approvals to deliver high‑impact in‑store and retail assets.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Marketing, Innovation, Partnerships, Shopper Marketing, and Commercial team to align design execution with business goals and production realities. 
• Vendor & Agency Partnerships: Working closely with internal producers + project managers, work fluidly with external agencies and partners, adapting to different workflows and maintaining alignment without over-engineering process. Operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment, balancing structure with flexibility as priorities shift.
• Own executional excellence: Deliver high-quality, detail-oriented design work with strong accuracy and consistency. Maintain a high bar for craft across typography, layout, color, and production readiness with minimal errors or rework. Contribute to how the creative team operates by helping define best practices, workflows, and standards that improve team efficiency and output quality.
• Strong brief comprehension: Accurately interpret creative briefs and stakeholder inputs, reducing revision cycles and maintaining momentum through clear, aligned outputs. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• 10+ years of design experience, including at least 2+ years in a creative leadership or management role development. Experience ranging from advertising/design agency, in-house agency, and/or CPG brand experience is a requirement, with a strong focus on system-based thinking and visual identity. 
• Background in CPG, food/bev, or lifestyle brands.
• Deep strength in building and extending visual identity systems across multiple channels and formats. Ability to think in terms of storytelling, not just layout, across a campaign arc or retail moment.
• A portfolio that shows breadth, translating a cohesive look and feel across digital, print, retail, and packaging. Demonstrated high attention to detail and consistency across deliverables; portfolio reflects strong craft and precision.
• Working knowledge of packaging design and production processes.
• Confident communicator and creative collaborator who can work across teams and disciplines.
• Ability to flex between big-picture brand thinking and polished execution.
• Deep understanding of brand systems, typography, color, layout, and composition, with a sharp eye for detail and consistency.
• Proven ability to own and evolve a visual identity system across multiple channels (packaging, digital, retail, social, etc.).
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, balancing creativity with executional excellence.
• Proven ability to take a brief and move quickly to aligned output with limited back-and-forth.
• You’ve helped steer design teams toward great work balancing creative inspiration with thoughtful feedback and clear direction. 
• Comfort receiving and incorporating feedback while also providing clear, direct critique to others 

Nice to Have 

• Experience in sustainability and innovation across brand touchpoints.
• Familiarity with motion design and how identity systems extend into video and animation.
• Interest in food/beverage innovation and consumer trends.

REPORTS TO: Director, Creative & Design  

COMPENSATION: $135,000-$150,000 base salary + bonus

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