Position: Design Lead

Location: Bangalore (Near Hoodi)

Type: Full-time

Reports to: Marketing Head

About KLAY:

KLAY is India's premium early childhood education brand. For 15 years we have run preschools and daycares where young children learn, play, and grow; today across 175+ company-operated centres in 18 cities, trusted by more than 80,000 families. We built our reputation on high standards: safe, thoughtfully designed spaces, a research-backed curriculum, and educators who take a child's earliest years as seriously as the child's own family does.

We are now sharpening how the brand looks, sounds, and feels - moving from a trusted service provider to the defining voice in early childhood education in India. That means a full identity system and work that holds up everywhere a parent meets us, from a centre's front door to a phone screen. Design sits at the centre of that shift, which is why this role matters.

About the role:

KLAY is looking for a Design Lead to own the visual identity of everything we put into the world. You'll set the creative direction across the brand, lead all artwork and creative output, and build and mentor a team of 5 - 6 designers. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can translate strategy into striking, consistent, on-brand work and raise the creative bar across the company.

Responsibilities:

- Define and own the overall visual direction and design language for KLAY across all channels and touchpoints.

- Lead, review, and elevate all creative and artwork, from brand and marketing assets to within KLAY centres.

- Lead and mentor a team of 5 to 6 designers; set standards, give feedback, and support their growth.

- Partner with the CMO, marketing, product, and leadership to align creative with business goals and brand strategy.

- Establish and maintain brand guidelines, design systems, and creative processes that scale.

- Manage the creative pipeline: prioritize projects, set timelines, and deliver on deadlines.

- Stay ahead of design trends and bring fresh, original thinking to the brand.

What we're looking for:

- 8+ years of design experience, with a proven track record leading creative work at a senior level.

- Proven experience leading, managing, and mentoring a team of designers.

- A strong portfolio showing range across brand, visual, and campaign design.

- Fluency across the core design toolkit (e.g. Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and a solid grasp of design systems.

- Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills; able to sell ideas and give clear creative direction.

- Sharp eye for detail, strong sense of aesthetics, and the ability to balance creative ambition with practical delivery.

Contact: Nishi Gupta, 8951946694