At American Equity Investment Life Holding Company ® we offer leading annuity products that help empower our clients to fulfill their needs and wants in retirement. Our success comes from hiring high-energy individuals who embody the beliefs that drive our unique culture. We currently fund over half a million retirements nationwide, and have been headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, for over twenty-five years with satellite offices in Charlotte, NC and New York, NY.
GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB :
The Graphic Design Manager drives design excellence and oversees the development of multi-channel marketing materials within the financial services sector. The Manager leads a team of designers while remaining hands-on in the creation of compelling visual content that supports American Equity's brand and business objectives. Collaboration with cross-functional teams and mentoring direct reports is central to the roles success, ensuring the delivery of impactful design solutions that resonate with diverse audiences.
- Position sits in West Des Moines and will work an onsite hybrid schedule
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :
Leadership & Team Development
Supervises and mentors a team of designers, providing guidance, feedback, and design direction to ensure high-quality work and professional growth.Delegates tasks effectively while balancing hands-on design work with leadership responsibilities.Fosters a collaborative and inclusive team culture, encouraging innovation and open communication.Design & Production
Champions creative design solutions that enhance the company's brand presence and drive business success.Conceptualizes, develops, and executes innovative multi-channel designs, including web, print, digital, and marketing collateral.Oversees the production of assets, ensuring all designs align with brand standards, marketing goals, and project specifications.Troubleshoots technical and design issues, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, production-ready files for both print and digital channels. Stays informed on the latest design trends, technologies, and industry best practices to continuously improve design output.Manages multiple design projects simultaneously, tracks progress using a digital project workflow system, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.Develops production-ready files and manages technical troubleshooting for design issues.Maintains and organize a comprehensive design asset library and digital records.Strategic Collaboration
Partners with internal stakeholders to gather input during discovery meetings and translate business objectives into design solutions.Collaborates with cross-functional teams to communicate complex financial concepts effectively through design.Acts as a lead design representative in meetings, articulating creative design concepts and strategies to stakeholders and leadership.Partners with Marketing team and other internal stakeholders to assure scheduled work can be completed in a timely and complete manner.Drives process improvements to optimize the team's productivity and enhance project outcomes.Continuous Learning
Encourages and supports team participation in professional development activities to enhance skills and stay current with design trends.Actively expands personal expertise in design tools, technologies, and the financial services industry.Maintains expert-level knowledge of brand guidelines, ensuring consistent application across all design outputs.Drives innovation by staying informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in design.Performs other related duties as assigned.SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES :
Leads a team of Production, Graphic and Sr. Graphic designers (3-6)EDUCATION AND / OR EXPERIENCE :
Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in Graphic Design, or Visual Communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.Eight (8) plus years of professional design experience, with at least 4 years in a people leadership role.Previous experience managing staff and digital assets preferredExperience with digital workflow systems (e.g., Asana, Monday, Workfront) preferredCERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS :
None required for this position.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES :
Leadership & Soft Skills
Proven leadership abilities, including experience mentoring and managing people.Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts to stakeholders at all levels.Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality results under tight deadlines.Design Expertise :
Proven ability to develop integrated content and digital journeys for websites, social media, online advertising, and email campaigns.Experience creating templates for print, web, and email.Strong design vision grounded in a focus on business objectives.Technical Skills :
Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Microsoft Office Suite.Proficiency with digital tools such as Figma, Sketch, and Miro; experience with digital workflow systems (Workfront or similar) is preferred.Functional knowledge of HTML and CSS, with the ability to create web and email templates.Preferred Skills
Proven knowledge of marketing automation platforms like Marketing Cloud or similar tools.Software Skill Level Required :
Basic
Intermediate
Expert
After Effects
Figma
InDesign
Premiere Pro
Sketch
Photoshop
Bridge
Miro
Acrobat
HTML
Illustrator
Marketing Cloud
Workflow - Asana, WorkFront
Google Fonts
DAM / CMS
Outlook
Excel
PowerPoint
Word
This description covers the major purpose and essential functions of the job. It is not intended to give all the details or a step-by-step account of the way each task is to be performed. Employees may receive other job-related instructions and be required to perform other job-related work requested by their manager. All requirements are subject to possible modification to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.
LI-PL1
