Lead Design Project Manager, Marketing

Circle is a financial technology company at the epicenter of the emerging internet of money, where value can finally travel like other digital data — globally, nearly instantly and less expensively than legacy settlement systems. This ground-breaking new internet layer opens up previously unimaginable possibilities for payments, commerce and markets that can help raise global economic prosperity and enhance inclusion. Our infrastructure – including USDC, a blockchain-based dollar – helps businesses, institutions and developers harness these breakthroughs and capitalize on this major turning point in the evolution of money and technology.

What You’ll Be Part Of

Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values: High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible and diverse work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.

What You'll Be Responsible For

As Lead Design Project Manager you will be responsible for managing the systems, processes, and culture that enable our design team to do their best work while delivering at the pace and scale that our fast moving industry demands. You will serve as the central hub between design leadership, cross-functional partners, and creative talent—ensuring that projects are scoped accurately, prioritized strategically, and executed efficiently. You'll manage the full lifecycle of design deliverables, from intake to delivery — focusing on scaling two key capabilities: an efficient, high-volume design studio and an innovative brand design team that produces culturally defining work.

What You'll Work On

Design Project Scoping & Prioritization

• Partner with stakeholders and design leads to scope projects, define deliverables, and ensure creative briefs provide the context needed to deliver great work.
• Prioritize projects based on business objectives, strategic initiatives, and team capacity.
• Translate high-level requests into clear project plans, deliverables, and timelines.

Resource Management & Allocation

• Assign work across Brand Design Studio team members based on skillset, availability, and priority.
• Maintain a dynamic understanding of the bandwidth and workload of each team member.
• Own the end-to-end process of engaging external contractors and partners—from onboarding through project completion—including defining clear scopes of work and ensuring seamless collaboration and execution across all workstreams.
• Manage asset production from concept through delivery, ensuring all timelines, deliverables, and quality standards are met.
• Proactively flag potential resourcing conflicts and work with leadership to resolve.

Timeline & Workflow Management

• Build and maintain realistic project timelines, ensuring milestones are clearly defined and met.
• Communicate plans and next steps with cross-functional team members to ensure alignment and manage expectations
• Facilitate smooth workflow from ideation to delivery by coordinating feedback loops, approvals, and hand-offs.
• Ensure all deliverables meet expectations on quality, brand alignment, and deadlines.

Team Operations & Process Optimization

• Act as the connective tissue between Design and cross-functional teams, ensuring shared visibility on milestones and adapting timelines dynamically to shifting strategic priorities.
• Review and build upon existing operational systems to enable high-volume, high-quality output while preserving the conditions for breakthrough design work, working with both internal talent and external agencies.
• Collaborate with Marketing leadership to propose new operating models that improve efficiency and increase design impact across strategic campaigns.

What You'll Bring To Circle

Core Requirements

• 7–9 years of experience in creative project management at high-performing design or creative organizations, preferably in an in-house brand or marketing team.
• Deep operational expertise in creative workflows across design, content, video, motion, and digital.
• Familiarity with brand marketing, design systems, campaign strategy, and production processes.
• Proven experience managing multiple high-impact projects and teams simultaneously.
• Proven experience collaborating with external agencies, including defining and managing scopes of work, establishing workflows, and overseeing asset production.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with a proactive and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to lead without authority and build trust across functions.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Asana, Wrike, Smartsheet, Airtable).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in fast-paced, high-growth or tech-driven environments.
• Comfort with data-informed prioritization and reporting.

Additional Information

• This position is eligible for day-one PERM sponsorship for qualified candidates

_Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.

__Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.

_Base Salary Range: $130,000 - $170,000

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Circle. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.

Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to accommodations@circle.com for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.