Associate, Marketing Operations

What You'll Do We are looking for a detail-oriented digital designer to join Principal’s Marketing Operations & Technology team. This role sits at the intersection of visual design, brand systems, accessibility, and marketing technology. In this role, you will help design, build, test, and refine high-quality digital communications, with a focus on Salesforce Marketing Cloud email experiences. You will work across B2B and B2C marketing communications, supporting emails, templates, content blocks, animated assets, social, web, app and programmatic creative, and other digital design needs. This is a hands-on production and craft role for someone who understands that strong digital design is both visual and technical. The right candidate should care about layout, typography, hierarchy, accessibility, responsive behavior, platform constraints, and the small details that make a marketing communication accurate, usable, and on brand. Here is how you'll spend your day: Design and build branded digital communications in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, with a focus on enterprise email design and development. Translate creative briefs, source documents, and partner direction into clear, on-brand, accessible email and digital design executions. Use layout, typography, hierarchy, color, image selection, and composition to create communications that are clear, readable, and aligned to Principal’s brand. Create and refine supporting digital assets, including Web/app banners, graphics, charts, animated GIFs, social assets, and programmatic ad creative. Use Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop and Illustrator, to create, edit, resize, optimize, and export production-ready creative assets. Test email designs for accuracy, accessibility, responsiveness, rendering behavior, dark mode, links, images, and overall quality before final delivery. Apply accessible design practices, including WCAG 2.2 AA expectations, to help create inclusive digital communications. Work within established brand standards, design systems, templates, and reusable components to improve consistency, speed, and scalability. Collaborate with designers, project managers, marketing partners, data and deployment teams, and other stakeholders to clarify requirements and resolve issues. Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 145 years! Who You Are Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, digital design, visual communication, human-computer interaction, marketing, or equivalent work experience. 2+ years of professional design experience, with demonstrated strength in visual design fundamentals, production accuracy, and multi-channel execution. Working knowledge of HTML and CSS, preferably with experience building or editing marketing emails. Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, email design, email production, Content Builder, or similar email marketing platforms. High attention to detail, with an emphasis on content accuracy, brand consistency, technical quality, and production readiness. Ability to follow creative direction, interpret feedback, solve execution-level design problems, and improve work through review cycles. Ability to manage multiple assignments, prioritize work, meet deadlines, and communicate clearly in a fast-paced environment. Strong collaboration skills and comfort working with designers, project managers, marketers, developers, data partners, and deployment teams. Curiosity and willingness to learn new tools, workflows, automation capabilities, AI-assisted production practices, and evolving digital design methods. Comfort balancing creative quality with operational speed, compliance needs, and platform limitations. Additional skills that would make you stand out: Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, especially Photoshop and Illustrator. InDesign, After Effects, or animation experience is a plus. Portfolio showing strong command of layout, typography, composition, visual hierarchy, image use, and digital design craft a plus. Experience creating or editing animated GIFs, digital banners, social creative, programmatic ads, charts, or other digital marketing assets. Familiarity with AMPscript, personalization logic, dynamic content, data-driven email modules, or reusable SFMC components. Working awareness of accessible design standards and ability to apply WCAG 2.2 AA practices to digital communications. Experience testing emails in Litmus or similar tools. Salary Range Information Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salary Range $55800 - $126000 / year Salary Details Below are examples of salaries in different geographies: Dubuque, IA / Wichita, KS / Grand Island, NE Associate, Marketing Operations: $55,800 - $75,600 Sr. Associate, Marketing Operations: $69,300 - $94,500 Des Moines, IA / Louisville, KY / Green Bay, WI Associate, Marketing Operations: $58,900 - $79,800 Sr. Associate, Marketing Operations: $73,150 - $99,750 St. Louis, MO / Pittsburgh, PA / Charlotte, NC Associate, Marketing Operations: $68,200 - $92,400 Sr. Associate, Marketing Operations: $84,700 - $115,500 Denver, CO / Houston, TX / Chicago, IL / Minneapolis, MN Associate, Marketing Operations: $74,400 - $100,800 Sr. Associate, Marketing Operations: $92,400 - $126,000 Seattle, WA / Los Angeles, CA / New York City, NY Associate, Marketing Operations: $74,400 - $100,800 Sr. Associate, Marketing Operations: $92,400 - $126,000 Time Off Program Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided. Pension Eligible Yes Additional Information Job Level We’ll consider talent at the next level with the right experiences and skills. Sr. Associate, Marketing Operations Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, digital design, visual communication, human-computer interaction, marketing, or equivalent work experience. 4+ years of professional design experience, with demonstrated strength in visual design fundamentals, production accuracy, and multi-channel execution. Working knowledge of HTML and CSS, preferably with experience building or editing marketing emails. Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, email design, email production, Content Builder, or similar email marketing platforms. Work Authorization/Sponsorship At this time, we're not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links. Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants Investment Code of Ethics For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization. Experience Principal At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits. Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Posting Window We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline. Date First Posted (TTF) 8/21/2026 Latest Post Date: Careers - US 8/21/2026 LinkedIn Remote Hashtag #LI-Remote