Head of Brand Design and Creative
Wave is a mobile money company reinventing financial services across Africa. It lets users deposit, withdraw, and pay bills for free, send money for a 1% fee, and buy airtime instantly, serving everyday consumers who need affordable, accessible banking.
Projects
About Wave
Wave offers mobile money services designed to make banking modern and affordable, primarily for underserved populations across Africa. Its core product allows users to deposit and withdraw money for free, pay bills for free, send money to anyone for only 1%, and buy airtime instantly, backed by toll-free customer support and strong security. Wave operates across numerous African markets including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC, Gambia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, with a global team building what it describes as 'the future of money, Africa-first.' The company emphasizes a distinct hiring philosophy and culture rooted in transparency, mission-driven work, honesty, and rapid iteration, serving individual consumers and agents who rely on Wave for everyday financial transactions.
Skills
About the Role
You will take ownership of Wave's brand expression at scale, shaping how the brand shows up across every market we operate in. You'll build and lead a high-performing creative team, put strong creative processes in place, and make sure our brand keeps pace with our rapid growth across Africa. You'll partner closely with senior stakeholders across Marketing, Growth, and Product, and you'll manage relationships with external agencies and production partners to keep creative output consistent and effective.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in brand design or creative leadership roles
- Experience leading and scaling creative teams in high-growth environments
- Proven ability to design and implement scalable creative systems and governance frameworks
- Experience operating across multiple markets or regions
- Strong strategic thinking paired with high creative standards
- Experience managing agencies and external partners
- Fluent in English (French is a strong advantage)
- Hold a BSc/BA in advertising, fine art, design, or a relevant field
- You will be occasionally be required to travel to our operating markets
Responsibilities
- Define and lead Wave's brand design strategy, ensuring it supports business objectives across all markets
- Conceive and implement scalable brand systems, guidelines, approval processes and quality standards to ensure consistency and local adaptability
- Build, structure, and lead a global team of brand designers and creative leads
- Establish clear creative processes, intake systems, prioritisation frameworks, and review cadences to improve efficiency and quality
- Partner closely with Marketing, Growth, Product and leadership to align creative output with strategic priorities
- Lead and facilitate high-level creative direction sessions and provide clear, actionable feedback that elevates the team's work
- Collaborate and optimize relationship with external agencies, production partners, and vendors
- Set performance standards, mentor team members, and build career development paths
Benefits
- Subsidised health insurance for you and your dependents
- Retirement contributions
- 6 months of fully paid parental leave
- Subsidised fertility assistance
- Unlimited vacation with a 20-day minimum requirement
- $10,000 annual charitable donation matching
- Remote work