Design Manager for Sora Union

Sora Union is a fully distributed knowledge work company. We believe that people have value and that their value should not be defined by location.  We work for clients who are trying to solve clear, meaningful problems felt by people and companies alike. Since we’re fully distributed, we’re committed to supporting our teammates wherever they are and wherever they move.

As a design manager working on projects in partnership with our clients, you’ll help establish and extend brand identities and positioning for products and companies both big and small.

You enjoy thinking holistically about brand and working across every facet of identity and marketing—from logos and naming conventions to style guides and design systems to websites and campaigns. We’re looking for someone who loves both design leadership and hands-on design work, and is excited to contribute to the culture and philosophy of an early stage distributed company.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Prior experience managing or leading design teams as a people manager for entry-level direct reports
• A portfolio of work samples for digital design, specifically brand work for software, startups, and web/mobile user experiences.
• Proficiency with various design software collaboration tools including Figma.
• Effective communicator via distributed team collaboration tools such as video calls, Google Apps, Slack, Dropbox, Asana, remote whiteboarding and other software used to get work done when not physically together.
• English language business proficiency, as well as Russian or Ukrainian language skills to facilitate communication between Ukrainian non-English speaking team members and English-speaking team members.

YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• Create a vision and design direction for your projects and create clear goals for a small team of two to four direct reports.
• Determine how to utilize team members and resources to meet schedules, goals, and objectives through crafting project plans.
• Proactively create solutions for new problems, understanding who else needs to know about or weigh in on the issues and resolution.
• Be comfortable with independently prioritizing activities in alignment with project/client/company goals
• Help the designers on your team to sequence work and grow by setting clear expectations and realistic scope, and providing constructive feedback.
• Create an inclusive, cross-cultural environment where everyone can be at their best.
• Building trusted relationships with external and internal stakeholders
• Hands-on visual design skills with some user experience and/or user interface experience.

IDEALLY, YOU’LL HAVE

• Prior experience managing stakeholder relationships
• Prior experience managing a distributed team
• A love of thoughtful brand strategy, excellent user experience, and rapid iteration.
• A deep understanding of the power of brand and how it can come to life in a product.
• A good aesthetic eye for proper use of typography, color, usability, and accessibility.
• A strong sense of concept development, in addition to communication, collaboration, research, problem-solving, and presentation skills.
• Experience leading teams that see projects from inception through to completion in a fast-paced environment, with a ruthless focus on quality and prioritization.

The Design Manager role is a full-time, 6 month contract position initially reporting to the Director of Brand Design at our parent company All-Turtles. This role is a distributed position, and can be based in any location. 

Sora Union operates independently in association with All Turtles. We work with a variety of partners and clients, some inside the All Turtles product studio as well as external companies. We expect to convert this role to full-time employment on the Sora Union team at the end of the initial 6 month contracting term.

Sora Union is committed to creating and fostering a diverse team. We encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds and all walks of life to apply. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to all applicants throughout the application process.