Creative Director

JOB SUMMARY: The Creative Director will manage the day to day operations of the creative team. The Creative Director is able to interpret internal business needs and client briefs, translating them into elegant, creative solutions. This role is well versed in time sensitive requests, serving as a skilled leader who oversees a creative team (including, but not limited to: content and video producers, graphic designers, and photographers). The creative director must be exceptional at pitching creative concepts to clients and company stakeholders as well as communicating ideas and concepts to other team members. The Creative Director, reporting to the Executive Creative Director, will collaborate with top executives to set strategic goals and KPIs, ensure brand consistency across all visual content, and leverage a keen eye for design to influence and drive creative decisions within a talented and passionate team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Creative Leadership: Possess excellent supervisory, people management, and leadership skills in order to lead and inspire, hire, develop, and oversee the creative team.
• Team Management: Provide mentorship, coaching, and performance feedback to Creative team members to foster growth and development.
• Interdepartmental Collaboration: Collaborate with social media, PR and creative clients and the corresponding internal teams to understand timelines, project objectives, target audience, and messaging goals.
• Strategy and Planning: Develop comprehensive visual content strategies aligned with client needs and agency objectives.
• Project Management: Create detailed project plans, including timelines, resources, and budget requirements. Master multi-tasking and leading multiple projects from conception to completion in accordance with deadlines.
• Goal and KPI Setting: Collaborate with executive leadership to establish and refine departmental goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with the overall business objectives. Take ownership of monitoring and assessing the creative team’s performance against these benchmarks, implementing strategies for continuous improvement. Provide regular reports to the Executive Creative Director on progress, challenges, and opportunities related to goal achievement.
• Strategic Collaboration with New Business: Partner closely with the New Business team to align creative strategies with client needs, providing valuable insights to ensure effective pricing that not only reflects the creative department’s expertise but also contributes to the overall profitability of the agency. Leverage market analysis and industry trends to inform pricing strategies, fostering a symbiotic relationship that enhances the agency’s competitive edge and financial success.
• Budget Management: Drive financial success by skillfully managing and optimizing project budgets, ensuring resource allocation aligns with project requirements and business objectives. Implement cost-effective strategies, negotiate vendor contracts, and consistently track expenditures to maximize the value delivered to clients while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
• Client Communications: Act as the primary point of contact for clients regarding visual content-related discussions and updates.
• Onsite Shoots: Independently photograph and / or capture video for clients, but also provide onsite guidance, strategy, and creative direction to creative team members during their shoots as needed.
• Quality Assurance: Review and approve all visual content before final delivery to clients, ensuring it meets agency and client standards. Conduct thorough quality checks to verify accuracy, consistency, and proper branding.
• Presentation and Feedback: Present visual concepts and project updates to clients, incorporating their feedback and ensuring alignment with project goals. Be open to receiving feedback and constructive criticism.
• Digital Engagement: Be excited about collaborating and communicating closely with the Digital department and other stakeholders via a distributed model to regularly deliver design solutions for approval.
• Creative Problem Solving: Distill abstract business concepts and client needs into refined, elegant creative solutions.
• Product Consistency: Ensure that all of Giant Noise’s and client’s creative output/visuals are consistent across channels.
• Network Building: Continually develop and maintain a roster of trusted freelancers and contractors who can be called upon for specialized projects.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Industry Experience: Creative Direction experience (10+ years). Preference will be given to candidates who have experience creatively directing complex solutions for digital products. Ability to work with clients to understand detailed requirements and determine a creative vision that matches client briefs.
• Managerial Experience: (5+ years) Extensive supervisory experience (including leadership, team-building, and delegation) leading and managing a creative team.
• Education: A fine arts degree (preferred) or an undergraduate degree in graphic design, visual communication, typography, or a related subject, or equivalent professional experience.
• Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects, meeting deadlines without compromising quality.
• Adaptability: Excellent problem-solving skills and adaptability to changing project requirements and scope adjustments, attention to detail and ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment. Ability to work effectively in a team setting, including synthesizing abstract ideas into concrete design implications.
• Technical Proficiency: Proficiency in visual content creation tools, industry standard photography and videography equipment, editing software, and post production techniques, experience with analytics tools to measure the performance of visual content and derive insights.
• Collaborative Attitude: Excellent interpersonal skills to clearly and effectively communicate the creative vision, concepts, ideas, and solutions to stakeholders, internal teams, and clients.
• Industry Knowledge: Understanding of digital media trends, social media platforms, and content distribution strategies. The ideal candidate will be forward-thinking and bring fresh, cutting-edge ideas to the table.
• Creative Vision: Detail-oriented mindset with a keen eye for design, branding, and visual quality, strategic thinking and ability to align visual content with Executive Creative Director goals and clients’ brand identities.
• Nice to Haves: A solid grasp of art history, design history, photography and the visual arts, pop culture, internet trends and counterculture; fluency in current technology, a deep understanding of the zeitgeist of social tastes and current affairs.

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Physical Demands: Sitting 40% of the time, standing 60% of the time.
• Working Hours: Typically, work hours are from 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST, Mondays through Fridays. Depending on the type of content, irregular hours may be required, including weekends and evenings, to accommodate clients’ schedules or capture events as they occur.
• Physical Ability: Ability to kneel, squat, or stand for extended periods to capture images. Capable of lifting 20-50 lbs. as necessary.
• Manual Dexterity: Regular use of hands and fingers for computer use.
• Sensory Function: Everyday use of vision and auditory senses, including exposure to blue light from computers.
• Environment: Work in various environments, including indoor environmentally controlled spaces, outdoor locations, depending on project requirements. Travel may be required for on-location shoots, covering events, or working on assignments in different regions.
• Communication: Daily communication with peers and clients is essential to the role.
• Cognitive Demands: Ability to maintain cognitive thinking and logical reasoning throughout tasks and responsibilities.

At Giant Noise, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that celebrates diversity in all its forms. We believe that a diverse and equitable team leads to richer creativity, innovation, and success. We welcome and encourage applicants of all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply. Giant Noise is an equal opportunity employer, and we are dedicated to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

Giant Noise