Fast Facts

Top Hat is seeking a strategic and hands-on Design Lead to oversee brand expression, mentor the design team, and manage creative workflows. This role emphasizes innovation through AI tools, collaboration across teams, and producing high-quality design work.

Responsibilities: Lead creative direction for marketing and brand initiatives, manage project pipelines, mentor designers, and ensure consistent brand identity across channels.

Skills: 7+ years of design experience, leadership and mentoring skills, strong organizational and communication skills, proficiency with AI-powered design tools.

Qualifications: Strong portfolio in brand and visual design, experience in managing cross-functional projects, and a passion for brand development.

Location: Remote first work environment with a headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between CAD 90,000 - CAD 130,000.

Top Hat is looking for a creative Design Lead to shape, elevate, and oversee the full expression of our brand across every channel. This role is both strategic and hands-on: you’ll set the creative direction, mentor the design function, shape design workflows, and collaborate across teams, all while producing polished, high-impact work yourself.

We’re looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of vision and execution, equally comfortable guiding brand identity at the big-picture level and rolling up their sleeves to deliver exceptional design. You’ll embrace AI-powered tools, experimenting with new technologies to streamline workflows, push creative boundaries and uncover fresh ways to bring ideas to life!

What You’ll Do:

• Provide creative direction and mentorship to the design function, setting performance standards and fostering a culture of excellence
• Lead creative direction across all marketing and brand initiatives, ensuring consistency and alignment with company strategy
• Strategically plan, prioritize, and manage the creative project pipeline, ensuring high-quality, on-time execution of all creative assets and campaigns
• Conceptualize and design assets for digital, social platforms, sales enablement, events and more
• Own and project manage creative workflows, timelines, and deliverables, ensuring high-quality, on-time execution
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Web Development, Product, Engineering, and Revenue teams to translate business needs into compelling creative solutions
• Explore and apply AI-powered creative tools to elevate design output and workflows.
• Provide art direction and feedback to freelancers and partners
• Champion the brand voice and visual identity, ensuring consistency across all channels and touchpoints
• Stay current on design trends, AI-powered tools, and best practices to continually raise the creative bar

What We’re Looking For:

• 7+ years of professional design experience
• Proven experience in a leadership capacity (managing, mentoring, or providing art direction to designers, freelancers, or direct reports)
• Strong portfolio showcasing excellence in brand, marketing, and visual design across multiple mediums
• Proven ability to set creative direction while remaining hands-on in execution
• Experience using AI-powered design or creative tools and an interest in experimenting with new technologies to enhance creative output
• Strong organizational skills with experience managing creative workflows and timelines
• Demonstrated experience in strategically managing complex, cross-functional projects with defined timelines and deliverables
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders
• A passion for building and evolving brands that connect with audiences

Why team members love working at Top Hat:

• A noble mission that creates meaningful, fulfilling work
• A team that cares deeply for customers and for each other
• Flexible, remote first work environment
• Professional learning and development for all role levels
• An awesome and welcoming Toronto HQ
• Competitive health benefits that start on day one
• A management team focused on performance, growth, engagement and connection
• Our winning strategy and market potential
• Innovative PTO policy with lots of time and space for self-care
• Passionate customers that believe in us—and what we do
• A chance to work with new tech like generative AI—and see the customer impact