Lead Thumbnail Designer

LEAD THUMBNAIL DESIGNER | REMOTETo Apply: ROLE:As the Lead Thumbnail Designer at Knwn Local, you'll build and develop a team of 5-10+ thumbnail designers who create scroll-stopping visuals that drive channel growth for America's top real estate leaders. This is a player-coach leadership role where you'll spend 60-80% of your time managing, mentoring, and building systems, and 20-40% hands-on designing complex projects.You'll own design quality standards, team development, and creative operations across the agency, partnering closely with Pod Managers, Creative Director, and leadership on strategic initiatives. Your success is measured not by how many thumbnails you design, but by how well your team performs, grows, and delivers results that drive client success.This role is perfect for someone who loves developing designers as much as designing itself - someone who gets energized by building systems, coaching talent, and multiplying impact through others. If you want to stay purely hands-on without management responsibilities, this isn't the right fit.Apply now: RESPONSIBILITIES:Team Leadership & Development (50-70% of role) Directly manage 5-8 thumbnail designers conducting weekly 1-on-1s focused on skill development and performance Lead bi-weekly team design reviews with constructive feedback and best practice sharing Build comprehensive onboarding programs and training materials for new designer hires Create career development pathways with clear promotion criteria for design team members Conduct performance reviews and manage accountability through the Clarify Instrument Coach Decide framework Handle hiring (writing JDs, screening portfolios, conducting interviews, making offers) Build 2-5+ year relationships with designers through proactive retention and engagement strategies Conduct skip-level meetings with junior designers to assess team health and identify early warning signs Creative Excellence & Standards (20-30% of role) Design 15-30 high-impact thumbnails per month for VIP clients and complex projects Own and evolve agency-wide creative quality standards, brand guidelines, and style guides Establish QA processes that maintain 90%+ first-approval rate across all designers Lead A/B testing strategy and performance analysis across the entire client portfolio Serve as final creative approval for all thumbnails before client delivery Drive creative innovation through monthly experimentation initiatives and "Good Flops" Create and maintain design team's template library and asset management systems Strategic Collaboration & Systems (10-20% of role) Partner with Pod Managers on client strategy and creative direction for key accounts Present creative strategy and performance insights in Monthly Client Strategy Calls with clients Collaborate with executive leadership on agency-wide creative vision and initiatives Build scalable workflows, capacity planning, and resource allocation systems Create performance dashboards tracking team metrics (CTR, approval rates, turnaround times) Document best practices, SOPs, and knowledge base for the design function Contribute to quarterly planning, annual strategy summits, and company OKRs REQUIREMENTS:Leadership & Design Experience 6+ years of professional design experience with 2+ years managing creative teams Proven track record leading, developing, and scaling design teams of 5+ people Minimum 3+ years creating high-performing YouTube thumbnails with proven CTR results Experience hiring designers, conducting performance reviews, and managing accountability Portfolio showcasing thumbnails that contributed to channel growth (include CTR data) Comfortable with difficult conversations (performance issues, firing, conflict resolution) Technical & Strategic Skills Expert-level proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma (portfolio required) Deep understanding of YouTube algorithms, CTR optimization, and viewer psychology Data-driven approach with ability to interpret analytics and translate into design strategy Experience with A/B testing methodologies, performance analysis, and optimization Strong presentation skills for client-facing strategy calls and executive meetings Understanding of creative team economics (capacity planning, resourcing, budgeting) Communication & Cultural Leadership Exceptional written and verbal communication for feedback, presentations, and documentation Demonstrated ability to give feedback that accelerates growth and elevates work quality Extreme Ownership - Takes full accountability for team results; never blames or makes excuses Beyond Excellence - Sets impossibly high standards and inspires team to exceed them Proactive Curiosity - Anticipates problems, asks better questions, and stays ahead of needs Mission Focus - Obsesses about client success and team development over personal recognition RESULTS:Team Performance Your design team consistently maintains 90%+ first-approval rate across all designers Designer retention rate e