{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"eb50c8f4f403a3a8787f30bd","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/eb50c8f4f403a3a8787f30bd","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/eb50c8f4f403a3a8787f30bd","title":"Founding Creative Director / Design Lead","description":"Founding Creative Director / Design LeadLocation: San Francisco, CA or Phoenix, AZ Work Style: Full-time In-PersonThe Role & MissionOur client is building the financial infrastructure for the next generation of education finance, specifically targeting the $1.5T of Education Funds currently available in the US. They are enabling families to access the $900B US public education budget, which is being opened up so parents can control an average of $7,500 per child per year through state-funded Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). The product is a high-trust system consisting of a charge card, reimbursement engine, and education vendor marketplace.As the Founding Creative Director, you will be the first design hire at a company that has raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels. You won't be executing a roadmap handed to you; you will be building the design function from zero, establishing the visual identity, and shaping the core product experience alongside the co-founders.The Design Challenge:The Benchmark: Think Stripe (trust through clarity) meets Duolingo (warmth and engagement), rather than traditional fintech UI.Low Digital Literacy: You must design for families who are not digital natives, distilling compliance-grade complexity into an experience that feels as intuitive as a consumer app.Systems Thinking: You will own every external-facing touchpoint-from the mobile app UX and design tokens to film, social content, and investor decks.High Intensity: This is an in-person company where the team works together in the office six days a weekRequirementsYour ProfileThis is a role for a product designer with founder instincts - not a brand or campaign creative.Experience: 4-8 years in product design, with a strong preference for founding or early-stage startup experience.Technical Excellence: You are a Figma power user with a track record of building design systems and component libraries from scratch.Mobile-First: You have successfully shipped production mobile apps on iOS, Android, or React Native.Systems Over Aesthetics: You think in user journeys and system architecture before aesthetics, seeing product, brand, and voice as one cohesive system.Customer Obsession: You are willing to go to users' homes and onboard them 1:1 to gain deep, researched empathy for their needs.High Output: You have the conviction to defend design decisions but can iterate rapidly with new information.Sector Expertise: Experience in regulated or high-trust consumer products (fintech, healthtech, or edtech) is highly valued.Pedigree Signal: A background from top design programs (e.g., RCA, RISD, Parsons, Stanford d.school) or experience on elite teams at Stripe, Apple, Airbnb, or Figma is strongly preferred.BenefitsCommitment, Compensation & BenefitsThis will be a big commitment, and we're aiming high. It needs to be something you are energised about taking on, or this isn't the team for you.Competitive Salary: $120,000 - $200,000 per year, commensurate with experience.Generous Founding Equity: We compensate you well with equity.Top-Tier Backing: We've raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels.Relocation Support: You are willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, or Phoenix, AZ, and travel to visit customers. We're an in-person company and are in the office together.Comprehensive Visa Sponsorship: If you do not have a visa, we can support you.Unmatched Impact: The rare opportunity to directly shape how the $900B US Public Education budget is being opened up for parents to take control of their portion (avg. $7.5k/kid/year).INDEQL","company":"Eql Tech","rawCompany":"eql tech","city":"Phoenix","state":"AZ","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-06-11T15:14:30.946Z","occupations":[{"code":"27-1029.00","title":"Designers, All Other","slug":"designers-all-other"},{"code":"15-1255.00","title":"Web and Digital Interface Designers","slug":"web-and-digital-interface-designers"},{"code":"27-1024.00","title":"Graphic Designers","slug":"graphic-designers"}],"industries":[{"code":"513210","title":"Software Publishers","slug":"software-publishers"},{"code":"923110","title":"Administration of Education Programs","slug":"administration-of-education-programs"},{"code":"611710","title":"Educational Support Services","slug":"educational-support-services"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Founding Creative Director / Design Lead","description":"Founding Creative Director / Design LeadLocation: San Francisco, CA or Phoenix, AZ Work Style: Full-time In-PersonThe Role & MissionOur client is building the financial infrastructure for the next generation of education finance, specifically targeting the $1.5T of Education Funds currently available in the US. They are enabling families to access the $900B US public education budget, which is being opened up so parents can control an average of $7,500 per child per year through state-funded Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). The product is a high-trust system consisting of a charge card, reimbursement engine, and education vendor marketplace.As the Founding Creative Director, you will be the first design hire at a company that has raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels. You won't be executing a roadmap handed to you; you will be building the design function from zero, establishing the visual identity, and shaping the core product experience alongside the co-founders.The Design Challenge:The Benchmark: Think Stripe (trust through clarity) meets Duolingo (warmth and engagement), rather than traditional fintech UI.Low Digital Literacy: You must design for families who are not digital natives, distilling compliance-grade complexity into an experience that feels as intuitive as a consumer app.Systems Thinking: You will own every external-facing touchpoint-from the mobile app UX and design tokens to film, social content, and investor decks.High Intensity: This is an in-person company where the team works together in the office six days a weekRequirementsYour ProfileThis is a role for a product designer with founder instincts - not a brand or campaign creative.Experience: 4-8 years in product design, with a strong preference for founding or early-stage startup experience.Technical Excellence: You are a Figma power user with a track record of building design systems and component libraries from scratch.Mobile-First: You have successfully shipped production mobile apps on iOS, Android, or React Native.Systems Over Aesthetics: You think in user journeys and system architecture before aesthetics, seeing product, brand, and voice as one cohesive system.Customer Obsession: You are willing to go to users' homes and onboard them 1:1 to gain deep, researched empathy for their needs.High Output: You have the conviction to defend design decisions but can iterate rapidly with new information.Sector Expertise: Experience in regulated or high-trust consumer products (fintech, healthtech, or edtech) is highly valued.Pedigree Signal: A background from top design programs (e.g., RCA, RISD, Parsons, Stanford d.school) or experience on elite teams at Stripe, Apple, Airbnb, or Figma is strongly preferred.BenefitsCommitment, Compensation & BenefitsThis will be a big commitment, and we're aiming high. It needs to be something you are energised about taking on, or this isn't the team for you.Competitive Salary: $120,000 - $200,000 per year, commensurate with experience.Generous Founding Equity: We compensate you well with equity.Top-Tier Backing: We've raised $16M from top-tier VCs and angels.Relocation Support: You are willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA, or Phoenix, AZ, and travel to visit customers. We're an in-person company and are in the office together.Comprehensive Visa Sponsorship: If you do not have a visa, we can support you.Unmatched Impact: The rare opportunity to directly shape how the $900B US Public Education budget is being opened up for parents to take control of their portion (avg. $7.5k/kid/year).INDEQL","datePosted":"2026-06-11T15:14:30.946Z","dateModified":"2026-06-11T15:14:30.946Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Eql Tech","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Phoenix","addressRegion":"AZ","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"eb50c8f4f403a3a8787f30bd"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/eb50c8f4f403a3a8787f30bd"}}