Visual Design Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary:

Zymo Research is a global life science company developing molecular tools that help researchers generate better data, accelerate discovery, and advance innovations that contribute to healthier lives and a more sustainable world.

For over 25 years, our products have supported scientists across DNA/RNA extraction, sample collection, epigenetics, microbiomics, NGS, infectious disease research, and beyond. We are guided by a simple belief: the beauty of science is to make things simple.

The Opportunity

Zymo Research is seeking a Senior Brand Design Manager to strengthen the company's visual identity, creative consistency, and design systems across marketing channels.

Zymo Research has a strong brand foundation, but its visual expression has developed across many teams, campaigns, and historical design decisions. This role will help bring greater cohesion, clarity, and polish to how the brand shows up across digital, print, social, campaign, product, and event touchpoints.

Working closely with the Marketing Director, this person will translate Zymo Research's brand strategy, voice, and philosophy into a practical visual communication system. The goal is not just to improve individual assets, but to build the standards, templates, and design logic that make strong creative work more consistent and scalable.

Join us in making a meaningful impact!

What You'll Own

Visual Identity & Brand Cohesion

Refine and maintain Zymo Research's visual identity across campaigns, social media, email, print, presentations, trade shows, product collateral, photography, and digital touchpoints.

Translate brand strategy into clear visual principles, including typography, layout, color usage, imagery, hierarchy, iconography, and overall design philosophy.

Brand Guidelines & Templates

Help build the next version of Zymo Research's brand guide, moving beyond logos and colors into a practical visual system.

Create and refine templates for recurring needs such as decks, social media, email headers, campaign assets, brochures, product sheets, event materials, and internal communications.

Creative Quality & Designer Direction

Guide and review in-house design work to ensure strong visual hierarchy, clarity, polish, and brand consistency.

Provide clear creative feedback and serve as a key reviewer for major brand and marketing assets.

Creative Organization

Help organize existing templates and assets, identify outdated or inconsistent materials, and support cleaner file systems, approved examples, and version control.

Partner with project and operations leads to improve creative intake, review, and delivery workflows.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Work closely with Marketing, Product Marketing, Scientific Communications, Social Media, Commercial, Creative, and Web/UX teams to ensure Zymo Research's visual identity is expressed consistently across channels.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in brand design, visual identity, graphic design, art direction, or creative systems.
• Strong portfolio showing excellent design judgment, typography, layout, visual hierarchy, and brand consistency.
• Strong understanding of design as a visual and creative problem-solving discipline - not decoration.
• Experience developing brand guidelines, templates, visual systems, or design standards.
• Ability to translate brand strategy and voice into practical visual principles.
• Strong creative review skills and the ability to guide designers without micromanaging.
• Understanding of how brand design adapts across digital, print, social, campaigns, presentations, events, and product collateral.
• Strong organizational instincts around templates, asset libraries, file structure, and design process.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with marketing, creative, web, scientific, product, and commercial stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in life science, biotech, healthcare, technical B2B, or another complex industry.
• Experience working with in-house creative teams.
• Experience directing photography, video visuals, campaign imagery, or social-first creative.
• Familiarity with web/UX design systems and how they connect to broader brand identity.
• Experience using AI or emerging creative tools to support visual exploration, template development, or production efficiency.

The Right Person for This Role

You are a strong designer with a systems mind. You care about beauty, clarity, consistency, and usefulness. You see design as a visual and creative problem-solving tool that should clarify ideas, guide attention, support meaning, and improve how people engage with information.

You can see when a brand feels fragmented, when a template is not working, and when designers are interpreting the brand differently. You do not just make things look good - you help build the logic that makes good design repeatable.

Why This Role Matters

Zymo Research has a meaningful brand and deep trust within the scientific community. This role will help make that brand more visually coherent, recognizable, and scalable across every touchpoint.

About Us:

Since its inception in 1994, Zymo Research has been proudly serving the scientific community by providing innovative, reliable, and high-quality research tools and products. Whether it's DNA, RNA, epigenetics, microbiomics, protein, or yeast-based research, our philosophy remains the same: To provide the highest quality products in the industry while ensuring they are both simple to use and reliable in their performance.

Recognized as a Top Workplace by the Orange County Register in 2021, 2022, and named a Top Workplace USA in 2023, Zymo Research continues to be a vibrant community where employees thrive, feel connected, and are inspired by their work. If you are passionate about contributing to scientific advancement and want to be part of an exceptional team in a dynamic, growing company, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation, Benefits, and Perks:

The estimated base compensation range for this position is $100,000 to $115,000 annually at the time of posting. Actual compensation details will be provided in writing at the time of offer, if applicable, and is based on several factors we believe fairly and accurately impact compensation, including geographic location, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other job permitted factors.

Zymo Research also offers competitive benefits and perks including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance Coverages
• EAP Sessions
• Vacation Time plus Company Holidays
• Paid Sick Leave
• Generous 401(K) with matching 
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Complimentary fruit, snacks, and beverages
• Complimentary catered lunches on Thursdays 
• Complimentary EV Charging 
• Cell phone stipend

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer:

Zymo Research welcomes candidates of all backgrounds. These include sex, age, color, race, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical & mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, or any other protected status as defined by federal, state, or local law.

Location:

Onsite - Zymo Research Operations - 2961 Dow Ave., Tustin, CA 92780

Disclaimer: At Zymo, we take the integrity of our hiring process seriously. Please be aware of fraudulent recruitment activities that may use our name to deceive job seekers. We will never ask for payment, sensitive personal information, or financial details during the recruitment process.

All legitimate communications will come from an official Zymo or TriNet Hiring email address. If you are contacted by anyone claiming to represent us using a free email service (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or asking for payment, please treat this as fraudulent and report it immediately to careers@zymoresearch.com