Kargo unites the world's leading brands, retailers and premium publishers across screens using innovative technology and advanced creative ad formats. At Kargo, we're all about bringing together the best of the best with a spark of creativity to stand out from the crowd. The same is true for our employees. What makes Kargo and each Kargo team member exceptional makes our company special. Kargo believes differences should be celebrated and is committed to diversity in the workplace. As an Equal Opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or other legally protected status. Individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
Kargo is 550 employees strong across offices in New York City, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Sydney, Auckland, Ireland, and London. But we're not stopping there, so stay tuned as we expand our map and our team.
For more information, visit Kargo at www.kargo.com or follow Kargo on Instagram ( @kargomobile ), Twitter ( @kargo ) and LinkedIn ( Kargo ).
Title: Design Lead, Ad Design
Job Type: Full Time, In-Office Hybrid Required
Job Location: Chicago, IL
Role Summary:
We're looking for an experienced Design Lead to join our Ad Design team. You'll work closely with our Sr. Director, Ad Design to ensure our team of designers deliver quality work within our guidelines. You'll lead the region's team of designers and support with its future growth.
What You'll Do:

• Be a regional design lead to a team of junior and mid level designers
• Design visually stunning and cutting-edge mobile advertising experiences for Kargo's advertising campaigns
• Work with Rich Media authoring tools to produce standards-compliant interactive ads
• Employ a user-centered design approach to create intuitive design solutions
• Work closely with Sellers and Client Service managers by bringing big ideas to life through ideation and creation of visually stunning designs to meet the needs of Kargo's advertisers
• Proactively develop ongoing knowledge base of new technologies and products while identifying needs and opportunities for additional advertising products
• Lead specific functions based on the current needs of the organization
• Support regional Sales teams by leading external calls
• Support team leads with workflow improvements and cross-team collaboration efforts
• Mentor and inspire Junior Designers to drive engagement and innovation.
• Review designers' first round work, checking for attention to detail and quality prior to sending to external clients.
• Develop and maintain relationships with direct reports via regular 1-on-1 meetings.
• Help direct reports set goals and track progress throughout the year.
• Help plan, organize, and lead Innovation Lab workshops, where prototyping of new products is done.
• Take ownership of initiatives that are assigned to you and drive all creative discussion, ideation and execution.
• Support art direction of innovation projects produced by other members of the team
• Be the designated designer for at least 2 enterprise accounts, in addition to other product related tasks

Who You Are:

• 5-6 years of relevant design and leadership experience
• Portfolio featuring past work experience and relevant, interactive, and user-centered design solutions
• Examples of projects you have led from a workflow or art direction perspective
• Detail-oriented: You live to organize, obsess over details, troubleshoot, problem solve as a habit, rally a team with your love of hitting deadlines and exceeding expectations.
• Flexibility: You can roll with the pivots, reprioritize as new projects enter the pipeline, and set expectations clearly and proactively.
• Leadership: Proven history of spearheading complex projects with multiple stages and tight deadlines.
• People skills: You'll be liaising with stakeholders and creatives across the organization
• Software:
• Required:
• G-Suite
• Adobe Suite
• Familiarity is welcome in:
• Brandfolder
• Slack
• Asana

The Recognition:
Kargo and Kargo leadership are regularly recognized for the company's growth and achievements, including:

• Ad Age's Best Places to Work (2024)
• Built In's U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago Best Places to Work (2024)
• Built In's U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago Best Midsize Places to Work (2024)
• Martech Breakthrough Awards' Best Overall AdTech Company (2023)
• B&T's Best Media Platform (2021)
• Digiday Awards' Media Award for Best Digital Product Innovation (2021)
• Martech Breakthrough Awards' Content Management Innovation (2021)