Branding Team Lead

What to Expect

Wonderist Agency is a full-service marketing agency that supports 1,200+ dentists around the country. We pride ourselves on ditching the old fashioned marketing model of stock photos and templated sites. We strive to tell our clients’ stories with bespoke brands, impactful photo and video shoots, and stunning website design (Here is a great example of our work: www.palmandpoppy.com)

We’re a team of 90+ passionate marketers with our headquarters nestled in sunny San Diego. We are walking distance from local hangouts, bars, and the famed Liberty Station. While many companies simply check the required boxes when it comes to culture, a well-balanced team and positive office culture has been the core of our success from the start. We are a social team at heart, and that is one constant that hasn’t changed with all the movement this economy and industry has seen. We have embraced a hybrid work model where local team members come in at least two days a week. This allows us to work from home and have flexibility, without altogether forgoing the excitement and moments of collaboration and inspiration you can only get from in-person time. Not to mention, we also genuinely enjoy spending time together and socializing.

We celebrate new ideas and prioritize a culture of trust and respect where team members can grow and take risks. Each quarter we host events under our four cultural pillars; health & wellness, personal & professional development, social good, and social. We are proud to have been named: San Diego Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in: 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023, Inc 5000 Regionals Fastest Growing Companies in: 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026, San Diego Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Private Companies list in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Inc Best Workplaces list in: 2024, 2025, and 2026, and Inc. 5000 for the last 8 years (2019-2026)!

If you work at Wonderist, you likely enjoy a challenge, appreciate autonomy, actually care about clients, and are looking for a team that you can enjoy being part of.

Job Description

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!

Key Responsibilities

Daily/Weekly

• 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

Monthly

• 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

Quarterly

• 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

Annually

• 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.

As Needed

• 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

Over time, some responsibilities (e.g., quoting, capacity planning, onboarding) may be delegated to other designers as a development opportunity for the team.

Growth Opportunities

This role is designed to evolve. As the team scales, the Branding Team Lead can take on greater ownership of departmental strategy, hiring, process design, AI leadership, and cross-team initiatives.

Essential Functions
What You’ll Do

Creative Leadership

• Creative Direction & Quality: 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.
• Brand Strategy: 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.
• Brand Presentations: 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.
• Professional Development: 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.
• AI Integration: 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.

Team Operations

• Capacity & Workload: 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.
• Process Ownership: Keep the team's workflows documented, current, and connected to the departments around it.
• Reporting & Insights: 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.
• People Leadership: 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.
• Hiring & Onboarding: 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.

Core Competencies
What You'll Bring to the Role

Leadership & Initiative

• Ownership & Accountability: You'll own your work and your team's outcomes from day one. You solve problems every day and hold yourself and the team accountable for results.
• Decision-Making: Make confident calls with incomplete information, explain your reasoning, and adjust when new information comes in.

Problem-Solving & Adaptability

• Solutions-Oriented Problem-Solving: 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.
• Comfort with Ambiguity: Comfortable with ambiguity and building structure where none exists. Adapts quickly and recognizes when a process or plan needs to change.
• AI Fluency: Curious and hands-on with AI tools, with sound judgment about when AI improves the work.

Organization & Process Management

• Systems Thinker: Naturally organized and energized by turning messy workflows into clear, repeatable ones. Keeps a close eye on the details that keep projects on schedule.

Communication & People Skills

• Strong Communication: Personable, professional, and responsive. Explains complex information clearly and adjusts the message for clients, designers, and leadership.
• Client Presence: Calm, credible, and confident with clients. Reads what a client needs, holds a creative position under pushback, and keeps the relationship strong.
• Empathetic People Leader: 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.

Alignment with Company Values

• Ability to Uphold Wonderist Agency's Commitments / Core Values: 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.

Biggest Challenges For This Position

• Balancing hands-on design with people management, hiring, and process ownership
• Handing off responsibilities to designers while staying accountable for quality and results
• Managing complex client feedback with professionalism while protecting the creative direction
• Keeping brand work original within a niche industry
• Quoting accurately and assigning clients so no designer is overloaded and deadlines still hold
• Bringing AI into the team's process without compromising originality or quality

Performance Metrics

The success of this role will be measured by:

Design Deliverables

• Branding turnaround time relative to deadlines
• Rounds per project and efficiency of revisions
• Client satisfaction rating on post-project surveys
• Quality improvements identified and resolved through brand audits 

Team Operations

• Quoting accuracy (quoted vs. actual time)
• Team capacity utilization and PTO/OOO planning accuracy
• SOPs created or updated, including AI-assisted workflows
• QBR materials delivered complete and on time
• Team retention and engagement
• New hire time-to-productivity
• Responsibilities successfully delegated to other designers

Soft Skills

Wonderist Requirements

• 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.

This Role’s Requirements

• 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

Hard Skills

• 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

Personality Musts

Our perfect fit understands the difference between "yes, and…" and "yes, but…" You bring a positive attitude, high standards, and the drive to deliver. Client service can mean going the extra mile, and you rise to the occasion with beautiful work that exceeds client expectations. As a leader, you set the tone for the team: steady under pressure, generous with what you know, and ready to work alongside your designers. Confidence, self-discipline, and a congenial, curious mind are things we love and admire.

Minimum Qualifications

• 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)
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in design or related field preferred

Bonus Points for Applicants With…

(if you don’t have these but are organized and want to learn, we want to hear from you!)

• 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