Brand & Creative Director, DNAnexus

• You have a portfolio that shows genuine range — campaigns, brand systems, digital design, maybe some editorial or motion work — and every piece in it reflects a point of view
• You can look at an AI-generated output and know in seconds what's wrong with it, and fix it
• You know how to lead creative direction across a team without a formal reporting line — your credibility comes from taste, clarity, and follow-through
• You've worked in environments where resources were lean and expectations were high, and you brought the team with you rather than going around them
• You move with urgency without sacrificing craft, and you help the people around you do the same
• You show up ready
• You bring energy and focus to the work, push through ambiguity without waiting to be told what to do, and adapt quickly when priorities shift
• You make the people around you better — not by being the loudest in the room, but by setting a standard and holding it
• You care deeply about the quality of the work and even more about the impact it has
• You possess a natural curiosity that fuels your creativity and drive to always be trying new tools and technologies
• 7+ years of brand, creative, or design experience, with at least 3 years operating at a director level or equivalent scope
• A portfolio demonstrating strong brand management and original creative across multiple formats and channels
• Proven track record leading cross-functional brand initiatives with operational rigor — you've owned projects from strategy through execution, managed stakeholders across teams, and delivered on time without losing creative quality
• Hands-on proficiency with AI creative tools (Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT/Claude creative, or comparable) as a natural, integrated part of your creative workflow — not a novelty
• Deep fluency in the Adobe Creative Suite and/or Figma
• Experience translating technical or complex subject matter into compelling visual and written communication
• Demonstrated ability to lead without authority — earning trust, driving alignment, and influencing creative decisions across a marketing organization through expertise and collaboration
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, deliver to deadline, and keep cross-functional partners informed and aligned throughout

Desirable

• We're looking for a Director, Brand & Creative who owns the DNAnexus brand with conviction — someone with the taste, instincts, and experience to know what great looks like, and the drive to get there
• You're a creative brand leader first, and you happen to move with the speed and fluency of someone who's fully embraced modern tools — including AI — as a natural extension of how you work
• You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with a sharp team of marketers, and your ability to earn trust, build alignment, and move people toward a shared creative vision will matter as much as what you produce
• You set the standard, champion the craft, and protect the brand — not by mandate, but by influence
• You know what excellence looks like, you can articulate why, and you bring others along with you
• At DNAnexus, your work will reach some of the most sophisticated audiences in science and technology
• Mediocre creative doesn't move them
• Sharp, honest, well-crafted brand work does
• Steward DNAnexus's visual identity across every touchpoint — web, digital, events, campaigns, product marketing, company store, and executive communications
• Evolve the brand system as the company grows, ensuring it scales without losing coherence or character
• Be the final creative eye on anything that goes out under the DNAnexus name
• Concept, design, and deliver high-quality creative assets across campaigns, digital, events, product marketing, and executive communications
• Direct and evaluate work from agencies and contractors with a clear, confident creative point of view
• Translate complex scientific and technical narratives into visual and written stories that resonate with both scientific and business audiences
• Use every tool available — including AI — to produce work at a pace and quality that punches above the team's weight; you know when to lean on it and when human craft and judgment take over
• Stay current on the evolving AI creative landscape and bring the best of it into how the team operates
• Drive strategic brand initiatives end-to-end — from brief to launch — in close partnership with Product Marketing, Demand Gen, and Executive teams
• Bring operational rigor to creative work: own timelines, manage stakeholder alignment, track progress, and deliver without being chased
• Contribute a creative perspective to campaign strategy and positioning upstream, not just execution downstream
• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders on brand decisions — knowing when to push back, when to flex, and how to bring people along
• Translate brand strategy into actionable, measurable workplans that other teams can execute against with confidence