STADIUM

Swag Design Lead – ET hours

STADIUM

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: Canada

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Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of swag designers and coordinators — setting clear expectations, running structured 1:1s, and building a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
  • Develop and maintain expert-level knowledge of the Stadium platform, design tools, swag production processes, and the promotional products industry at large.
  • Own the end-to-end quality of all design outputs — reviewing and approving work before it reaches clients or vendors, and holding the team to a consistent creative standard.
  • Act as a creative and strategic partner to customers and internal teams, helping transform ideas into visual collections that meet brand standards and project goals.
  • Oversee the swag design process from intake through delivery, including interpreting client briefs, creating mock-ups, preparing files for production, and managing complex or escalated projects directly.
  • Audit team workflows end-to-end and identify where delays, rework, or manual effort are creating bottlenecks — then fix them.
  • Continuously improve, automate, and streamline design workflows and processes for efficiency and scalability; champion new tools and systems that increase team capacity without sacrificing quality.
  • Build and document repeatable SOPs for the team's most common tasks — artwork submission, vendor briefing, revision handling, file delivery, and more.
  • Guide customers through design decisions and communicate directly with clients when needed to clarify creative direction and manage expectations.
  • Stay current with industry trends, design best practices, swag production innovations, and emerging automation technologies.
  • Own KPIs for team throughput, turnaround time, revision rates, and client satisfaction — and report on them clearly to leadership.
  • Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Sales, Customer Success, Uploaders, and Vendors, representing the design team's capabilities and commitments.

Requirements

  • 3+ years of experience working in the promotional products industry — with fluency in decoration methods (screen print, embroidery, laser engraving, dye sublimation, pad print, etc.), product categories, supplier networks, production specs, and order timelines.
  • Strong design background with 4+ years in graphic, product, or fashion design, with a portfolio that demonstrates production-ready branded merchandise work (portfolio required).
  • Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) with hands-on experience preparing files for physical production — understanding of bleeds, PMS colors, imprint areas, vector requirements, and similar constraints.
  • 2+ years of experience leading or directly managing a creative or operations team — including setting performance expectations, delivering feedback, and developing team members.
  • Demonstrated experience stepping into a team that needed structure, direction, or operational improvement — and a clear sense of how you diagnosed and addressed it.
  • An automation-first mindset with a track record of implementing tools or systems that reduced repetitive work and improved team output — not just a passion for it.
  • Experience with project management and workflow tools (e.g. Clickup, Notion, Airtable) and the ability to configure and optimize them, not just use them.
  • Comfort evaluating and adopting emerging tools — AI-assisted design, digital asset management, workflow automation platforms — and training others on them effectively.
  • Customer-facing experience with the ability to communicate design concepts clearly and professionally, and to de-escalate complex client situations with confidence.
  • Solutions-oriented and able to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment — you identify a problem, propose a solution, and move without waiting for perfect conditions.
  • Excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, and the organizational habits to manage multiple projects and people simultaneously.
  • Familiarity with print-on-demand platforms such as Printful, Fulfill Engine, or similar is a major bonus.
  • A collaborative spirit and the self-awareness to know when to coach and when to step in and do the work yourself.
  • English fluency (additional languages a plus).
Benefits
  • Fantastic company culture focused around recognizing and leveraging individual strengths for the benefit of the whole
  • Career mobility and opportunities to work across areas of the company
  • Remote-first work environment with frequent Zoom company events and chance to make genuine connections
  • Competitive salary, generous PTO
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
graphic designproduct designfashion designAdobe Creative Suitescreen printembroiderylaser engravingdye sublimationpad printproduction-ready merchandise
Soft Skills
leadershipcoachingcommunicationproblem-solvingorganizational skillsattention to detailcustomer-facing experiencecollaborationadaptabilitysolutions-oriented