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Job Description
Job Description
This position plans and manages our design team’s work and performance and serves as the main point of contact with our clients. The primary goal of the Creative Director (CD) position is consistent, high quality, successful delivery of our team’s creative work to drive a high level of productivity, stronger client relationships, and company and team growth. This position manages all team activity by: 1) ensuring work is planned and executed properly, meeting project requirements, budget, schedule, and team workload constraints and 2) providing creative oversight so the work is creatively superior, fundamentally correct, and achievable within time constraints. The CD actively manages both industrial and graphic designers and their projects along with a range of client-facing deliverables. As the design team leader, he or she is responsible for fostering the growth and development of our team members’ talent and skills, as well as their happiness and longevity within our firm.
Accountability
This position reports to our Chief Operating Officer (COO) and is accountable to that person for on time, high-quality creative deliverables for project success, client satisfaction, and team growth. Any issues related to substandard deliverables, budget or timeline, or client information management are ultimately the CD’s responsibility.
Success in this Position
Success in this position requires total clarity on our company’s core values and culture, exemplary leadership, high level creative strategy, technical mentorship, and clear, proactive communication with the project support and executive teams. It requires strong interpersonal skills, accountability, and a tenacious work ethic. This role will result in a cohesive team effort, growth within our market sector, and client delight. An ecstatic, profitable client base and a highly skilled group are your license to continue to grow your team.
Required
– Experience planning and managing creative teamwork and complex projects, resulting in successful project execution
– Experience and skill in client account management, including giving presentations, translating project requirements and feedback, and maintaining strong relationships
– Experience managing others, excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to motivate a team to do their best work
– Proficiency in strategic planning and the ability to accomplish big picture objectives through a strong focus on detail and translation of project requirements into direction/design intent for others
– Ability to maintain composure under pressure, strong leadership skills, and aptitude in on-the-fly decision-making and problem-solving
– Mastery of industry and project management software and other digital & physical tools of the trade
– Outstanding organizational habits and abilities
– Experience in hand fabrication and physical model making
Preferred
– 10+ years of project management (ideally in a creative field) or creative direction experience in a product development / design agency environment
– Industrial Design: Familiarity with all aspects of user research methodologies, ideation sketching, CAD modeling software, mechanical engineering, product development, and manufacturing processes
– Personal or professional background in fabrication, industrial trades, or general craftsmanship
– Familiarity with graphic and web design, branding, packaging design, and UI/UX
Objectives of this Role
Translator – Foresee problems that may arise on projects before they become difficult to manage, or they derail our progress, budget, or teamwork. Plan and communicate project timelines and internal and external milestones with clients, and adapt them as they progress. Capture and delegate project information from client and internal meetings to your team members to deliver a clear, comprehensive stylistic plan for projects.
Sentinel – Establish accountability within your team for unfinished or sub-standard work of any kind. Ensure that work delivered to clients is fully correct. Set a strong example for how the team conducts itself. Balance and manage your team’s workload.
Mentor – Regardless of the landscape of our work and its requirements, remain in control as an example to your team, employ forward-thinking strategies in problem solving, and keep your team focused on solutions instead of dwelling on challenges. Serve as a resource for your team’s development through advice, examples, and an open door for questions as they relate to improvements on project work. Keep accountability for growth assigned to your team members so they put in the time and effort required to achieve it.
Moderator – Protect your team’s creativity and our company’s culture by ensuring our work remains lighthearted in the face of tight deadlines and challenging client requests. Advocate for your team’s ideas while respecting project requirements.
Curator – Keep our firm on the cutting edge of the design industry by sampling new software and other tools, and managing a collection of books, objects, material samples, and other resources that inspire you and your team.
Relationships
This role manages graphic and industrial designers as well as a high volume of work and information. Communication between our CD, project support team, and COO is vital. This flow of information ensures that our sales team understands current and projected capacity and can adjust sales efforts accordingly. It also helps our executive team incorporate the data it needs for strategic planning and key account management.
The Project Support Lead (PSL) – bridges the gaps between business development and management as well as between creative teams
The Creator (CD) – imagines and creates the stylistic direction of their team’s output while meeting the client’s schedule, requests, and budget
The Integrator (COO) – executes on company vision by creating and implementing functional systems that allow teams to achieve our goals
Application Details
TO APPLY: Please email a resume and cover letter to [email protected].
