Graphic Design Lead job at Axon in Scottsdale, AZ, Boston, MA

Title: Graphic Design Lead

Location: Scottsdale or Boston United States

Job Description

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we're on a mission to Protect Life. We're explorers, pursuing society's most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you'll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Your Impact

As Graphic Design Lead, you're a creative thinker and team energizer first - someone who brings curiosity, strategic vision, and the organizational clarity to get great work across the finish line. You'll own the quality and momentum of high-visibility campaigns, product launches, and brand initiatives by leading the people and process around you, not just the pixels in front of you.

That means knowing how to set a creative direction, ask the right questions, challenge the team to go further, and remove the obstacles that slow great work down. It also means staying genuinely curious about how AI is changing design - knowing what tools exist, what they can do, and how to point your team toward the right ones - even if you're not personally operating every platform yourself.

What You'll Do

Creative Leadership

Lead design for major campaigns, product launches, brand initiatives, and high-stakes marketing moments across digital, print, social, web, and events

Establish and uphold a high visual quality bar - setting the standard for craft, consistency, and brand alignment across the design team

Translate complex product and mission narratives into compelling, clear visual stories for public safety audiences

Drive creative direction from concept through final delivery, owning end-to-end execution on priority projects

Mentor and provide direct feedback, elevating the quality and speed of the broader team

AI-Powered Team Leadership

Stay ahead of the AI design landscape - not necessarily as a hands-on operator of every tool, but as a curious, informed leader who understands what's possible and can direct the team toward the right capabilities

Know the difference between basic AI tools (ChatGPT, standard image generators) and more dynamic, workflow-integrated systems (Higgsfield, Runway, Kling, and similar platforms), and guide your team in applying the right tools to the right problems

Champion AI adoption across the team: identify opportunities to improve speed and quality, encourage experimentation, and create a culture where smarter workflows are constantly evolving

Evaluate and recommend new tools as the landscape shifts, translating what's technically possible into practical creative advantage

Production & Collaboration

Produce and oversee high-quality visual assets across formats: campaign graphics, one-pagers, presentations, social content, web visuals, event materials, and more

Maintain and evolve the Axon design system, templates, and visual toolkits

Partner closely with Demand Generation, Product Marketing, Sales, and Corporate Communications to translate positioning into customer-ready creative

Manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously with strong organizational discipline

Prepare and QA final files for handoff to vendors, developers, and event teams

What You Bring

Required

7+ years of professional graphic or brand design experience, including work at a technology, B2B, SaaS, or agency environment

A portfolio that demonstrates both exceptional craft fundamentals and a track record of creative leadership - show us campaigns, brand systems, and the thinking behind them

Advanced proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), with strong command of layout, typography, color, and visual hierarchy

Demonstrated, hands-on experience with AI design tools - not just as a checkbox, but as a real part of your workflow. We want to see your process: how you use tools like Adobe Firefly, Nano Banana, Seedream, Midjourney or similar tools for ideation and production

Proven ability to evolve into more dynamic AI tools and systems (video generation, motion, real-time iteration), and the intellectual curiosity to keep pushing further

Experience working within established brand guidelines while still finding creative space to push the work

Strong communication skills and confidence presenting and defending creative decisions to stakeholders

Preferred

Experience with motion tools (After Effects, Premiere, Luma, Runway) or short-form video production

Background in public safety, govtech, or regulated industry creative

Familiarity with design systems thinking and component-based design at scale

Experience informally mentoring designers or leading creative reviews

AI Expectations in This Role

This isn't a role where AI usage is encouraged - it's expected and central to how this person operates. You'll be expected to:

Maintain active fluency with the AI design landscape as it evolves (this changes fast - we want someone who's genuinely excited by that)

Move beyond static image generation and into dynamic AI tools for video, motion, personalization, and workflow automation

Build repeatable, scalable AI-assisted workflows and share them across the team

Exercise sharp editorial judgment about when AI enhances the work vs. when human craft leads

Alignment with Axon's Values

Aim Far - You see every project as a chance to push creative and technical boundaries

Win Right - You take pride in design quality, brand integrity, and doing the work the right way

Own It - You drive projects from brief to final delivery with accountability

Join Forces - You thrive on cross-functional collaboration and elevate the teams around you

Be Obsessed - You're never satisfied with "good enough" - in craft or in the tools you use

Expect Candor - You give and receive direct, honest feedback to make the work better

90 Days at Axon

First 30 Days

Immerse in Axon's brand, design system, campaigns, and team tools

Ship your first complete asset set for a live initiative

First 60 Days

Lead execution on a major campaign or product launch

Audit and recommend enhancements to existing AI workflows and tooling

90 Days & Beyond

Establish yourself as the creative and AI design leader on the team

Drive measurable improvements to design output quality and production velocity

Set a new standard for how AI tools integrate into Axon's visual design practice

Work Location

This role is based out of our Scottsdale or Boston location and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in-office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success.

Benefits that Benefit You

Competitive salary and 401k with employer match

Discretionary paid time off

Paid parental leave for all

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

Fitness Programs

Emotional & Mental Wellness support

Learning & Development programs

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

And yes, we have snacks in our offices