Creative Director

With a culture of recognition and reputation for excellence, ELS is the ideal organization in which to develop a long and successful career!

ELS is hiring for the position of Creative Director for our MHVillage/Datacomp subsidiary.

Company

Founded in 1987, MHVillage/Datacomp is a subsidiary of ELS and a national leader in the manufactured housing industry based in Grand Rapids, Michigan Our business units include MHVillage.com, the largest online marketplace for manufactured housing with more than $3 billion in home sales and rental transactions annually; Datacomp Appraisal Systems, the nation’s leading provider of market-based manufactured home valuation and inspection services; Datacomp/JLT, the most trusted source for market data on the manufactured housing asset class; and the MHInsider magazine, the industry’s trade publication for manufactured housing professionals.

Position

Reporting to the Vice President–Marketing, the Creative Director is a senior marketing role that oversees the production and day-to-day operations of the marketing department. Working in collaboration with the Vice President–Marketing, the Creative Director ensures timely development and execution of strategic product, brand, advertising and marketing initiatives for both internal and external clients. In addition to providing ongoing coaching, mentoring and direction to a small marketing team, this position works hands-on with several projects at a time, will be involved in all phases of creative development, will oversee the creative process, proof all work created by direct reports, and stay apprised of the competitive landscape as well as the latest creative, advertising, and marketing trends.

Although creativity and artistic talent are critical skills for this position, we’re looking for someone who loves to create purpose-driven marketing that increases conversions, leads and sales; not just someone who likes to do art for art’s sake (to make things look pretty) or spend two months working on a project that should only take two days.

To fulfill the needs of this role, the Creative Director must have exceptional attention to detail; be pro-active; have a strong work ethic; good customer experience / people skills in line with our company’s core values; strong conceptual thinking and creative problem-solving; the ability to multi-task under ever-changing deadlines; have a creative eye for design, composition, video editing, typography, and image selection; direct-response copywriting and editing experience; plus proven success leading a creative team to develop highly-effective, conversion-optimized marketing in a timely manner.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

Responsibilities and essential functions of this position include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with the Vice President–Marketing to ensure the timely development and execution of advertising, marketing, branding, and revenue initiatives for the organization and external clients as assigned.
• Oversee the day-to-day activities of the marketing team including project management, traffic control, production schedules and quality assurance for a multi-disciplined, cross-functional marketing department to complete projects on time and within budget including: digital and print production of marketing collateral, transactional and marketing emails, direct-response copywriting, advertising and promotional campaigns, PPC management, social media, content marketing, website design, etc.
• Lead the team in ideation, conceptual thinking and creative problem solving, then guide the process of distilling the best ideas into strategic marketing solutions that tactically fulfill the business needs of our organization and external clients.
• Share what you know while listening to, and learning from, what we know.
• Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring and direction to marketing team members to facilitate the achievement of individual and departmental goals, while ensuring quality work, integrity and professionalism from the marketing team.
• Successfully distinguish good ideas from bad ideas, developing the good ones into effective marketing assets that generate traffic, sales leads, and revenue.
• Initiate and maintain key relationships with marketing suppliers, stakeholders, and internal teams through ongoing phone, video conference, e-mail and Slack contact.
• Engage in hands-on departmental production work as a backup for existing team member absences or to bridge gaps in available talent resources as needed.
• Develop systems and standard operating procedures to improve departmental efficiency and team member training.
• Coordinate with the appropriate departments to gain relevant information, resolve or escalate customer concerns, execute initiatives, fulfill orders and provide product support.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on MHVillage/Datacomp products and services including MHVillage.com and the MHVillage advertising network, the MHInsider trade magazine and professional advertising channels, and Datacomp valuation services and market data.
• Support the business development and customer experience teams with high levels of customer service, including timely and accurate fulfillment of marketing requests.
• As one of the essential functions of this role, this position coordinates the organization’s promotional presence at industry events including display management, shipping, swag inventory management, staff registrations, travel arrangements, sponsorships and marketing collateral. This function also involves attending industry events and conferences to unpack, assemble, disassemble, pack and ship the organization’s trade show displays (moving around large event venues, lifting and moving items weighing up to 75 lbs), and works the organization’s booth to understand the needs of customers and prospects, and identify market opportunities.
• Miscellaneous responsibilities as requested by executive management and required by the business needs of the organization.

Successful candidates will produce work to the highest standards and are passionate about branding, advertising, marketing, copywriting, social media and evolving technology. Communication and leadership are big parts of the job, so the Creative Director must feel confident enough to lead to the entire creative process. Keeping a finger on the pulse of current and competitive trends and going above and beyond is also necessary to be successful in this role.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 5-7 years of hands-on marketing or creative services experience including campaign development, graphic design/art direction, copywriting, email marketing, websites, social media, search engine marketing, etc.
• Minimum 2 years of experience leading a multi-disciplined marketing team, including designers, copywriters and digital marketers by managing and directing projects from ideation, through production, to completion–on time and within budget.
• Agency or creative services background preferred.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating mastery of traditional, website and digital design and copywriting including proven marketing campaign results with case studies.
• Self-starter, can recognize, qualify and recommend marketing opportunities.
• Up-to-date knowledge of marketing trends and best practices, especially in the areas of content development, video and email marketing.
• Exceptional computer proficiency including extensive experience with Macintosh computer systems, Adobe Creative Cloud (especially Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop), WordPress, HTML, CSS, email marketing including Mailchimp and Klaviyo, AgoraPulse or similar social media management software, Unbounce, SEO, content development, direct-response copywriting, MS Office, Google Apps, and other marketing software.
• Lead by example, inspire and excite the team by creating and maintaining an engaged, creative and happy department culture.
• Extraordinary attention to detail, proofreading, editing, organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced working environment.
• Flexibility and willingness to pitch in as necessary.
• Superior communication skills in person, on the phone and in written communications.
• Dependable, adaptable and enthusiastic.
• Ability to travel to the MHVillage office and industry conferences or events approximately 6-10 times annually for periods of 3-5 days; the ability to lift and move 75 lbs; and the ability to move about event venues, assemble trade show displays, work the organization’s trade show booth for extended periods of time, and interact with current and prospective customers to identify market opportunities are essential functions required of this role.

From time to time, the Creative Director may need to work hours that aren’t typical, so a flexible approach is needed to be a good fit for this position.

Compensation and Benefits

This position offers an opportunity for a top performer to stand out as exceptional in a small, yet highly-important niche of the overall real estate market. We offer an attractive compensation program including medical benefits with available dental, vision, life and disability insurance; employee stock purchase plan; and company-matched 401(k).

This is a full-time, remote position based in Grand Rapids, Michigan with some travel required.

Although this is a remote position, travel to the MHVillage office will be necessary from time-to-time. So, priority will be given to candidates located within a reasonable driving distance from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.