The Senior Art Director is responsible for supporting and promoting the Guaranteed Rate brand visually throughout diverse applications, including print, outdoor and digital spaces. This role will be responsible for maintaining current creative as well as developing new concepts, working closely with the Creative Director, product owners and development teams to further define and refine how Guaranteed Rate is approached and perceived by customers and potential customers alike, as well as assist junior designers in the same.

The Financial technology space "Fintech" is booming and Guaranteed Rate is at the center of it. We are growing like crazy, and are one of the most successful Chicago startups. We are focused on automating the mortgage process for consumers. Imagine getting a mortgage with no email, no faxing, no stack of papers in 10 days or less instead of 40 or more! If you have been through the process of buying a home you know how amazing this will be. We are the #8 lender in the country and one of only 2 that is independent (not a bank) so we are in a good spot to win this race. We have already made tremendous strides and we are looking for someone who wants to help us finish the job and disrupt the entire industry.

Who is GR?

Guaranteed Rate is not your typical company and certainly not your typical mortgage company. We are technology driven, have tons of energy and we love what we do – great people and great products alongside our impeccable customer service. We’re in a North Center office with exposed brick and duct work, windows we can actually open during the summer. The awesomeness doesn’t end there, we also have:

• Free 20 minute monthly massages. It’s true, we don’t want you to be a cramped-up mess.
• A free on-site nurse. Psshh who needs a doctor’s appointment when our nurse can do it all? Did we mention the free part?
• An in-house café offering breakfast, lunch and a late afternoon healthy snack. All meals are subsidized so you’ll never pay full price.
• Access to the office gym for only $20 a year – no really - the whole year. Oh and for a puny fee you can take yoga, Cross Fit or boxing. We like our folks healthy and happy.
• A 5,000 square foot rooftop deck that’s available to everyone all day and all evening with wifi, two bars, music, grills and fun umbrellas and fire pits – provided it’s not covered in snow.
• Holiday parties? We got’em! Not just major holidays, any holiday….Marti Gras, Valentine’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, Opening Day, Boxing Day (for our Canadian employee), Sweetest Day, Groundhog Day, etc..
• Inter-office contests like the Great Mac-Off, Chili Cook-Off and limbo. We always keep you guessing and participating.
• 401k with some matching, Blue Cross health care coverage – yup, dental and vision too, Short-term disability, life insurance – we got ya covered on this one, legal assistance – for a small monthly fee and did we mention the awesome rooftop deck?

While we don’t allow jeans, we also don’t allow suits. We want you to just look your best every day and you’ll fit right in.

So what do we want from you?

• Ideation, development and execution of excellent cross-channel marketing that includes, email, print collateral (postcards, flyers, posters, brochures, etc.), signage, out of home advertising, consumer facing web sites, highly converting landing pages, banner ads and other collateral as needed.
• Attend and contribute to design reviews, explaining your work, asking questions and providing constructive feedback to other designers.
• Brainstorm concepts and creative solutions to our marketing needs with the larger marketing team
• Confer with cross functional partners concerning all aspects of projects, including expectations for turnaround time, corrections, approvals, etc.
• Work closely with business stakeholders, marketing, developers, and other team members to ensure smooth process work@258;ow and delivery of assets within stated deadlines.
• Ensure brand appropriateness of all collateral as well as legal compliance.
• Mentor, train, and coordinate work with Junior Designers to elevate overall output of design team; is sought out as an expert in typography, layout, and audience engagement
• Coordinate Graphic Designer work@258;ow, creative output, and execution of marketing materials support
• Identify design trends and incorporate fresh, innovative visual design into key creative
• Evangelize design and brand principles throughout the organization
• Extensive knowledge of design best practices, principles
• Keen analysis and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work on collaborative teams or independently
• Familiarity with print standards and various color printing methods and standards, i.e. spot color, four-color process
• Familiarity with web standards, responsive design, and "mobile first” mentality
• At least a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS
• Extensive knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite

Education & Business Experience

• At least 3-4 years experience designing web sites and/or applications, including concepts, completed projects, and style guides that reflect usability
• a rock-solid portfolio on a website – pdfs and resumes without urls need not apply

About Guaranteed Rate…

Guaranteed Rate is the eighth largest retail mortgage lender in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has approximately 195 offices across the U.S. and is licensed in all 50 states. Since its founding in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances and funded nearly $23 billion in loans in 2016 alone. The company has become the Home Purchase Experts® by introducing the world's first Digital Mortgage technology and offering low rate, low fee mortgages through an easy-to-understand process and unparalleled customer service. Guaranteed Rate won an American Business Award for its Digital Mortgage technology in 2016, ranked No. 1 in Scotsman Guide's Top Mortgage Lenders 2015, was chosen Top Lender 2016 by Chicago Agent magazine and made the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list five of the past six years. Visit rate.com for more information.


Guaranteed Rate is an Equal Opportunity Employer that welcomes and encourages all applicants to apply regardless of age, race, sex, religion, color, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or parental status, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy or other reason protected by law.