Creative Director, Brand

About Upstart At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence. As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress. We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you. If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you. The Team: As Upstart’s Brand & Creative Team, we shape how the brand comes to life across every touchpoint — defining our voice, personality, and emotional connection with borrowers and partners. We sit within Growth, designing and creating for impact across all channels, from the digital surfaces where consumers first discover us to the campaigns and brand systems that make Upstart trusted and remembered. As Creative Director, Brand at Upstart, you’ll be a senior creative leader for our brand's most visible owned channels including: organic social media, our website, and our brand design systems — while also driving creative vision for brand campaigns. You'll set the creative bar, lead the team, and champion the work that builds lasting brand love at scale. This role is ideal for a player / coach — someone equally comfortable guiding a team and doing the work required to get something off the ground. This is an impactful role with the opportunity to be a key driver in making Upstart a beloved brand, cultural driver, and household name. How you’ll make an impact Lead creative strategy and execution across Upstart's owned brand channels: organic social, our website, and brand design systems. Grow, inspire, and develop a multi-disciplinary creative team across brand disciplines—setting a high creative standard, delivering direct and actionable feedback, and building the kind of team culture where talented people come to do their best work. Drive brand campaign creative from concept to delivery, including leading both internal development and directing agency partners across TV, OOH, digital, and emerging media Actively evolve how Upstart uses AI tools to accelerate creative output without sacrificing craft Partner closely with Marketing, Product, and senior leadership to align creative strategy with business goals — showing up as a trusted creative thought partner across the organization, not just a creative executor. Minimum Qualifications 10+ years of experience in brand creative, design, or creative direction, with at least 4+ years leading and managing multi-disciplinary creative teams. Demonstrated experience overseeing brand campaign development end-to-end across channels including TV, OOH, and digital with both internal teams and external agency partners. Portfolio showcasing excellence in brand identity work, visual design systems, and effective metrics-driving, multi-chan