LEAD THUMBNAIL DESIGNER | REMOTE
To Apply: https://righteous-chestnut-b59.notion.site/2a1353fd5db581a2a72ef5a9d4919a8b?pvs=105

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 thumbnailsyoudesign, but by how wellyour teamperforms, 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: https://righteous-chestnut-b59.notion.site/2a1353fd5db581a2a72ef5a9d4919a8b?pvs=105

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 exceeds 85% annually with clear development and career progression

New designers productive at 80% capacity within 30-60 days through your training systems

100% of direct reports show measurable skill improvement quarter-over-quarter

Team operates at 80-90% capacity utilization —productive output without burnout

Quality & Impact

Zero client escalations due to design quality issues or missed deadlines from your team

Agency‑wide thumbnail CTR averages 5-10% (significantly above platform benchmarks)

95%+ on-time delivery rate across your entire team's project portfolio

Design workflows, templates,



and style guides documented and adopted agency‑wide

Your team generates innovative thumbnail strategies that drive agency‑wide adoption

Strategic Leadership

Design function viewed as strategic partner by Pod Managers and leadership

Successfully contribute to client strategy with design insights that drive performance

Client satisfaction scores remain >4.5/5 for design quality and communication

At least 1-2 designers promoted or advancement-ready annually due to your mentorship

Leadership views design as a strategic differentiator, not just an execution function

COMPENSATION & GROWTH:
Salary & Benefits

Starting Range: $42,000 - $72,000 USD/year depending on experience and team size managed

Fully Remote

Versátil Time Off policy & Company Wide Holiday Breaks (we trust you to manage your time and energy)

Professional development budget for courses, plugins, and creative tools

Potential Health Insurance Reimbursement (after 60-90 day trial period options including Medical, Dental, Vision)

Potential to earn Monthly wellness allowance

Potential to earn Home office stipend for equipment and software

Leadership development program

Access to industry‑leading tools, plugins, and AI‑assisted editing software

Clear career progression with transparent promotion criteria

Performance Metrics You’ll Own

Team Performance: Design Quality Score, First‑Approval Rate (90%+), CTR performance

Team Development: Skill progression, promotion readiness, retention rate (85%+)

Operational Excellence: Capacity utilization (80-90%), on‑time delivery (95%+)

Strategic Impact: Innovation initiatives, process improvements, client satisfaction (>4.5/5)

LOCATION:

100% Remote

WHO WE ARE:
Knwn Local helps America's top real estate leaders (ranked by Wall Street Journal Real Trends) attract more clients and grow their brands through strategic YouTube presence. Our clients manage $30M-$300M+ real estate teams and brokerages.

We're scaling from 55+ to 200+ channels with the mission of helping agents dominate their local markets through long‑form video content that builds trust and authority.

Our Core Values: Extreme Ownership, Beyond Excellence, Proactive Curiosity, Mission Focus

MAKE SURE YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH:

Remote team leadership (building culture and managing performance without in‑person oversight)

Rigorous hiring process including portfolio review, leadership case study, design test, and interviews

90‑day paid trial period with clear success metrics and transparent evaluation

Player‑coach expectations (10-30% IC work even as you grow the team)

High‑growth environment (processes evolve, priorities shift, resilience required)

Accountability culture (measured on results with clear metrics and transparent feedback)

TO APPLY:
If you're ready to build a world‑class design team and multiply your creative impact 10x by developing others, please submit: https://righteous-chestnut-b59.notion.site/2a1353fd5db581a2a72ef5a9d4919a8b?pvs=105

FYI we primarily look at those who apply using the above site

Pay 42k - 72k+ USD a year

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📌 Lead Thumbnail Designer (Ciudad de México)
🏢 A Impact Media
📍 Ciudad de México