Freelance Structural Design Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

PepsiCo Design & Innovation is a creatively driven team that leverages the power of Design Thinking to solve brand and business problems that drive meaningful value and growth. Our mission is to elevate the role of design and design thinking as a function, process, mindset, and as culture in PepsiCo and the broader business world.

We are a consumer-centric organization with a start-up mentality within our larger organization; we collaborate with world-class partners in Marketing, Insights, and R&D to strategically drive business results with purpose.As a Brand Design Manager, Gatorade, you will report to the Design Director, Gatorade, partnering on the design and execution of projects that support PepsiCo's Gatorade Portfolio business in North America. Successful candidates will demonstrate superior ability to generate inspirational design solutions, driving from ideation to execution with quality and strategic excellence.

In this role, you will be responsible for delivering outstanding 360-degree creative work, crafting design excellence through all consumer touchpoints. Examples of projects may include development of brand design strategies, packaging and portfolio systems, promotions, and immersive brand activations, with solutions that span the gamut from print, packaging, social/digital, licensing, environmental and new media.

• Lead, manage, and mentor designers across the Protein portfolio, always emphasizing creative excellence and working in close collaboration with the PBUS Gatorade Design Director and other leaders across brand, product, enhancers, structural packaging, marketing, and advertising.
• Responsible for generating creative design proposals (visions, scenarios, concepts) to share with cross-functional partners within PepsiCo and external suppliers to ensure products are developed and delivered with quality, value, and efficiency.
• Energizes and leads both the internal team and external design resources from idea phase to commercialization. Regularly reviews the status of projects with appropriate leadership to ensure that expectations are met.
• Participate in research activities and effectively translate customer needs into actionable design strategy (must be able to execute those requirements into design solutions). Help drive to final design recommendations, decisions, and design approval to enable artwork execution/production phases.
• Demonstrate outstanding graphic design skills and develop brand extensions, LTOs, and collaborations that captivate consumers. Design purpose-built creative toolkits that establish clear brand throughlines, facilitate creative brainstorms, leveraging design thinking to spark innovative brand concepts.
• Partner with designers to define and codify brand language and visual systems.Communicate ideas clearly through compelling visualizations and effective presentations to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee and execute the creative process from briefing to execution, with a focus on concept visualization.
• Demonstrate vision and expertise in defining all design elements, including visual identity systems, typography, iconography, illustration, animation, and more. 
• Build a reputation for leadership, reliability, and excellence-empowering others to achieve their best. Balance visionary thinking with effective project management, delivering world-class executions while ensuring smooth implementation.
• Expand your network by engaging the right freelancers and agency partners to enhance creative output. 
• Possess a strong understanding of AI and actively incorporate AI tools into their workflow to enhance creativity, efficiency, and innovation across design processes.
• Supports the PepsiCo Design & Innovation organization in building and cultivating a robust external design network.

Compensation & Benefits:

• The expected compensation range for this position is between $110,700 - $185,250.
• Location, confirmed job-related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 12% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• In addition to salary, PepsiCo offers a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees and their families, subject to elections and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

• 8+ years of hands-on brand and packaging/product/graphic design experience.
• Should have full-time agency side and or client-side experience
• Advanced experience with Adobe Creative Suite and Firefly software
• Must be willing and able to travel 15% of the time

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong conceptual design skills, package design and design strategy experience.
• 360 brand design experience (i.e., print, packaging, digital, environmental, experiential).
• Extraordinary design taste and expertise with an excellent sense of design trends.
• Illustration and motion skills highly preferred.
• Previous experience managing creative teams and/or designers.
• Systems design thinker (packaging architecture and visual identity systems).
• Ability to work in an agile, dynamic work environment with a start-up mentality (comfortable with risk and uncertainty).
• Strong stakeholder relationship management - effectively influence at all levels in the organization, as well as across regions and functions.
• Effectively communicates (verbally and written) with internal and external business partners.
• Collaborative and works well with others to deliver results; keep others informed to avoid unnecessary surprises.
• Ability to multitask. Excellent time and project management skills to be able to meet project deadlines.

Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity / Age If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law & EEO is the Law Supplement documents. View PepsiCo EEO Policy. Please view our Pay Transparency Statement.