--- title: 'Creative & Brand Guardian at Aplazo' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/creative-brand-guardian-aplazo-mexico-city-qye7gwfjepj6' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-05' --- # Creative & Brand Guardian at Aplazo - **Company:** Aplazo - **Location:** Mexico City, Mexico - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-08-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/aplazo/5799a175-bfa8-41b7-a62e-6049ad024063 ## Job description ## About Aplazo Aplazo is Mexico’s leading “buy now, pay later” platform, giving consumers flexible, transparent payment solutions while helping merchants grow their sales. We’re a fast-growing Series B fintech backed by top global investors, combining technology, data, and design to redefine financial access. ## Role’s Mission Aplazo needs one creative owner who puts ideas on the table and makes sure they ship on-brand. Today that function—concept, narrative, trend judgment, and craft ownership—is split across leadership, the content team, and the agency. This role concentrates it in one person, giving the brand a single voice and a single eye, from idea to final piece. The Creative & Brand Guardian owns what the brand says and how it looks. You originate the concept and narrative behind campaigns and tentpole moments, and you are the last word on craft—nothing ships that doesn’t meet the bar. ## Key Responsibilities ## CONCEPT & NARRATIVE - Put ideas on the table — Originate campaign concepts and brand narrative; ideas start here, not just execution. - Own tentpole storytelling — Define the storytelling and creative territory for the brand’s biggest moments of the year. - Set the trend judgment — Decide what the brand jumps on, when, how—and when it doesn’t. - Write briefs that give direction — Translate concept into clear briefs the content and design team can execute against. ## BRAND GUARDIANSHIP & CRAFT - Own the design system — Be the steward of the brand book—know it well enough to defend it and evolve it. - Guard visual quality — Review and correct the team’s output before it ships; you are the last word on craft. - Direct the creative work of others — Give creative and design direction to the Content Specialists, correcting with a clear point of view. This role does not own operations: the calendar, scheduling, and publishing live with Marketing Ops. ## Requirements Must Have - 5+ years of experience in art direction, creative direction, or brand design (agency or in-house) - Background in design or art direction—not a pure content strategist; hands-on craft skills are non-negotiable - Proven experience originating campaign concepts and brand narrative end-to-end, not just executing briefs - Strong ownership of design systems—able to defend and evolve a brand book - Fluency in digital/social culture and trend judgment—knows what to jump on and what to skip - Experience directing and correcting the work of designers or content creators - Working proficiency with generative AI tools for creative production - Bachelor’s degree in Design, Visual Arts, Communication, or a related field (or equivalent demonstrable experience) ## Nice to Have - Experience in fintech, retail, or other fast-moving consumer brands - Background managing or briefing external contributors - Motion, video, or art direction for social-first formats - Experience building or evolving a brand book from scratch ## Skills Technical Skills: Art direction, brand systems, campaign concepting, generative AI tools (Midjourney, Runway, etc.), Adobe Creative Suite Soft Skills: Strong point of view, ability to give and receive critique, cross-functional communication, decisiveness under ambiguity Languages - Spanish (native/advanced) - English (advanced) What Success Looks Like - There is a defined visual system that nothing ships without going through—craft consistency across every channel - A tentpole campaign has landed end-to-end, from concept to execution, owned by this role - Dependency on the external creative agency for concept and narrative has dropped measurably - Content Specialists are executing against clear briefs and creative direction, with visible improvement in output quality - The brand has a single, recognizable creative voice across campaigns and everyday content Pro Tip: How do we review your CV? Help us find you! We filter applications with the help of AI. To ensure your profile is properly evaluated, we recommend describing your experience using the keywords from this job posting. Personal data collected during the recruitment process will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Notice of Aplaz, S.A. de C.V. (“Aplazo”), available at our Privacy and Policy Notice https://aplazo.mx/privacy-and-policy. Aplazo does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sex, gender, age, ethnic or national origin, marital status, disability, social or economic status, sexual preferences, or any other condition or characteristic. Selection is based solely on the qualifications and merits of the candidates. ## About Aplazo ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Aplazo is a Mexican fintech that provides a buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform enabling consumers to purchase goods in installments without needing a credit card, serving both online and physical merchants. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, $45 million raised in May 2024) - **Headquarters**: Mexico City, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, Mexico - **Founded**: 2020 - **Founders**: Angel Peña (Co-Founder & CEO) and others (COO also co-founder, but name not disclosed in sources) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Financial technology (BNPL / consumer payments) - **Target customers**: B2C (underbanked and credit-invisible consumers in Mexico) and B2B (offline and online merchants seeking to increase sales and loyalty) - **Mission or purpose statement**: To become the preferred payment method in Mexico by making credit more transparent, flexible, and accessible, especially for the large unbanked population. ## Products & Services - **Aplazo BNPL**: A virtual card that allows shoppers to pay in installments (typically 20% upfront, remainder in fixed payments) without a credit card. Available in-store (more than half of transactions) and online. - **Merchant Tools**: Integration services and data analytics that help businesses offer installment payments, drive conversion, and build customer loyalty. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company) - **Key Metric**: Total equity funding of ~$100 million, with an additional $75 million in committed debt. Revenue reportedly tripled in the past year (as of May 2024), and the company claimed to be near cash-flow breakeven. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: QED Investors (led Series B), Oak HC/FT, Kaszek, Picus Capital, and Volpe Capital (new investor). Partnerships with nearly 10,000 merchants. - **Growth Signals**: Revenue tripled year-over-year; delinquency rates cut by half while business more than 3x’d; 40% of users have no credit history, giving Aplazo a unique data advantage; strong presence in physical retail (in-store >50% of transactions). ## Competitive Advantages - **AI-powered underwriting**: The company uses AI to assess risk per transaction, enabling low delinquency even with limited traditional credit data. - **Massive underserved market**: Mexico has a large underbanked population (~40% of users have no credit history), making it difficult for international players like Klarna or Affirm to compete. - **Dual channel (online + offline)**: In-store BNPL is a key differentiator in a market where e-commerce penetration is still low. - **Data moat**: With ~10,000 merchant relationships and millions of transactions, Aplazo’s data network continues to compound, improving both underwriting and merchant value. ## Strategic Focus - **Deepen product ecosystem**: Use BNPL as a stepping stone to broader financial services (e.g., credit building, savings, or lending) for both consumers and merchants. - **Expand merchant network**: Continue onboarding physical and digital retailers, leveraging in-store adoption. - **Self-funded growth**: With near breakeven status and strong unit economics, the company aims to grow without heavy reliance on future dilution. ## Why Work Here - **Hybrid work model**: Employees work in a combination of remote and on-site (office in Mexico City). Some roles are fully remote; others require occasional in-office time. - **Culture of efficiency and AI**: The company emphasizes lean, data-driven operations. Engineering and data science teams are central, with AI embedded across the organization. - **Growth trajectory**: Revenue tripling and disciplined scaling make it an attractive place for those wanting impact in an emerging market fintech. - **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but a “high-growth startup” environment with a focus on financial inclusion and real-world impact. Headcount is around 190 (BuiltIn) or 130 (TechCrunch 2024); engineering team of ~65 is a significant portion of the company. ## Sources 1. [aplazo.mx](https://aplazo.mx/) 2. [Built In - Aplazo careers](https://builtin.com/company/aplazo) 3. [TechCrunch - Series B announcement](https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/13/aplazo/) 4. [The Org - Aplazo team structure](https://theorg.com/org/aplazo) ## Other roles at Aplazo - [Technical Lead Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-lead-manager-aplazo-remote-decyhebaj6t6) - [FP&A Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/fp-a-manager-aplazo-mexico-city-qzn8evavv4r0) — Mexico City, Mexico - [Lead Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-backend-engineer-aplazo-mexico-vf0xftcwe0v2) — Mexico - [DevOps Tech Lead Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/devops-tech-lead-manager-aplazo-mexico-csrsy925xnwb) — Mexico - [Senior Software Development Engineer in Test](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-development-engineer-in-test-aplazo-mexico-927mzxcm7krf) — Mexico - [Marketing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/marketing-specialist-aplazo-mexico-city-jv6ee9xyny5h) — Mexico City, Mexico - [Inside Sales Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/inside-sales-representative-aplazo-mexico-city-hst2a5paxr9y) — Mexico City, Mexico - [Territory Supervisor - Mexico City](https://feeny.ai/job/territory-supervisor-mexico-city-aplazo-mexico-city-xh4jmcdj8qpy) — Mexico City, Mexico - [Accounting & Tax Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/accounting-tax-manager-aplazo-mexico-city-3hm4k4hy1h24) — Mexico City, Mexico - [Product Manager, BNPL Online](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-bnpl-online-aplazo-mexico-city-76ax2ys4x5xt) — Mexico City, Mexico