Creative Director

The Hinkley Marketing team is a game changer. To say we are passionate about this company is an understatement. We love creating beauty and inspiration and making it synonymous with the Hinkley brand. Our team has a love and respect for the printed word as well as being digital dynamos so that we can create dynamic content across multiple media platforms. Being a member of this crowd means you are an enthusiastic Hinkley brand ambassador with a great design aesthetic and style. Oh, and excellent time management skills and the ability to turn around high volumes of work in a flash (with a smile) is essential while collaborating with this energetic, highly creative group.

At Hinkley, our mission is to create chic, innovative lighting that illuminates the special moments of life, from the hustle of day-to-day moments to the joyful glow of memorable occasions. We’ve been around a long time and learned a few things along the way… and one of the most important is that meaningful experiences with our products and our people are more important than business transactions. It’s the relationships that matter: with our customers, colleagues and partners. We call it ‘Life Aglow.’

This full-time role is based at Hinkley company headquarters in Avon Lake, OH. This position is NOT A FULLY REMOTE ROLE, it will require several days working ON-SITE but it does have the flexibility for up to 2 days per week remote.

Summary: The Creative Director will collaborate with leadership to develop marketing collateral that inspires Hinkley’s consumer/customers, maintains brand integrity and aligns with strategic business goals and objectives . By giving clear direction and feedback, the Creative Director will lead, support and inspire the multi-functional design team with the goal of concepting and delivering great work that is on strategy, on time and within budget. This position manages the systems, processes and tools that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the design services team, including recommending and implementing new systems and processes when needed. Reports to the Director of Marketing.

Primary Tasks and Responsibilities

• Oversees the creation of all collateral for Hinkley, Fredrick Ramond, Lark, Hinkley Hospitality and Hinkley Landscape Lighting to ensure the visual integrity of the brand is met in every internal and external print, digital, social and experiential avenue.
• Lead brand strategy and architecture, branding guidelines and editorial identity efforts to delineate Hinkley brands and collections.
• Direct the brand voice and story to ensure consistency and execution through written and visual content, video and social marketing across all channels, web, catalog, retail and trade.
• Maintain accountability for quality of creative work and Hinkley brand standard.
• Drive innovation with editorial storytelling that elevates customer engagement with creative and well-executed content across Hinkley.com, Hinkley Ink, ShopHinkley.com, B2B sales collateral, email, IG, YouTube, Pinterest and new channels like TikTok.
• Drive the Creative Asset Planning process to ensure on time delivery and quality product.
• Inspire and cultivate a best-in-class Design team while decisively guiding the Hinkley aesthetic in all deliverables.
• Contributes to the development of key creative B2B and B2C strategies to maximize engagement and growth.
• Manages the planning and creation of assets such as (but not limited to): product catalogs, print and digital advertising, social media strategies and visuals, email marketing, website presence, sales support, inner-office communication, product packaging and identification and trade show preparation.
• Works with external vendors including printers, photographers, videographers, designers and developers
• Manages all related budgets such as print buying, photography and more.
• Collaborates with Product Development, Sales, Visual Merchandising Manager and other key stakeholders to provide marketing collateral that meets various team needs.
• Drives the spirit and growth of the design team through onboarding, mentoring, goal setting, project and ongoing feedback.
• Develops project timelines and production schedules to meet goals and deadlines and manages the workflow of the design team to ensure deadlines and key project milestones are met.

Level and Type of Education Required

• BA or BFA required. Degree in Graphic Design or related area strongly preferred.

Related Work Experience Required

• 10+ years of experience in a strategic creative role, including 7 or more years leading a team of designers.

Necessary Specialized Training, Knowledge, Skill and Abilities

• Ability to lead, direct and mentor team of graphic design professionals.
• Deep attention to detail with process-centric focus.
• Well organized and able to thrive in an environment that is fast-paced and rapidly changing.
• Proven track record of successfully managing multiple project priorities in high volume work environment.
• Well versed in the design process and all forms of design development (including but not limited to branding, advertising, digital, experience design and print production) as well as how each may affect the others.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (particularly InDesign and Photoshop) on a Mac platform.
• Exceptional design skills relating to graphic design, typography, color theory and photography.
• Solid knowledge of media outlets, marketing trends and avenues of consumer engagement.
• Expert understanding of CMYK process printing.
• Experience successfully managing outside vendors and agencies and developing RFQs.
• Strong passion for the arts, interior design/home décor, fashion and/or design trends.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, able to effectively communicate with stakeholders.
• Excellent visual and verbal presentation skills.
• Strong project management, problem-solving, and analytical thinking skills.
• Responds effectively and appropriately to feedback.
• Maintains a positive, open and objective attitude.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

The following descriptions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to work in an office and perform in a corporate environment
• Occasionally asked to assist in tasks outside of office environment (i.e.: distribution center)
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time
• Ability to view computer screen and type on a keyboard
• Ability to see color, differences between colors, shades and brightness.
• Ability to converse over a telephone (hear, speak)

We are committed to providing a total reward package including a market-competitive salary, an annual performance bonus for every position in the company, a comprehensive benefits program, community service volunteer program and much more! Our benefits package includes: 401(k) plan with company match, comprehensive health insurance coverage, paid time off (PTO), 10 paid holidays, life insurance, short-term disability, wellness programs, voluntary benefits including dental, vision & more, flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care and generous employee product purchase discounts.

WHAT IS AT OUR CORE:

➢ Working as a professional family which cares about people

➢ Passion for growth and doing whatever it takes

➢ Empowering people to take action and try new things

➢ Common vision and goals

➢ Focus on the customer & end user

➢ Hinkley quality & brand really meaning something

➢ Honesty and integrity

➢ Enjoyment, fun, friendliness, life-work balance

Hinkley is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity, all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran’s status or any other protected characteristic.

Candidates must possess authorization to work in the United States, as it is not our practice to sponsor individuals for work visas.

Hinkley