Creative Director, Marketing and Communications

$110,000 - $122,000/Yr

University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

Full-time - Mid Level

Ann Arbor, MI

Educational Services

About the position

As the Creative Director for Marketing and Communications at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the creative direction and marketing strategy of the institution. This position is designed for a dynamic leader who can align the school's website, creative projects, and media plans with an integrated marketing strategy and brand identity. You will be responsible for fostering a positive and inclusive community by forming trusted partnerships across the school, developing impactful experiences, and taking ownership of outcomes. Your creativity, leadership, and technical skills will be essential in enhancing the Ross brand and engaging diverse audiences. You will guide the creative strategy in alignment with the school's mission, reporting directly to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). This role also involves managing a team of 8 direct reports, making it critical to the marketing direction of Ross. The position is hybrid, requiring onsite presence in Ann Arbor, MI, and involves occasional travel, primarily once a year domestically. You may also need to work during early mornings, nights, and weekends as necessary. The Creative Director will lead strategic creative planning and execution, collaborating closely with the CMO to develop a creative strategy that aligns with the strategic goals of the school. This includes overseeing the execution of marketing and advertising materials across various platforms, ensuring that all creative outputs maintain the highest quality and effectively represent the brand's image and message. Additionally, you will be responsible for providing positive leadership to your team, ensuring they have the necessary skills and tools to succeed, and supporting their professional growth through ongoing feedback and coaching.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the CMO to develop a creative strategy that aligns with the strategic goals.
• Lead the execution of the creative strategy and programs related to the development of marketing and advertising materials.
• Manage the talents of the creative team and the external ad agency to enhance the school's reputation.
• Partner with the brand and content teams to understand goals, creative direction, and target audiences.
• Work with the marketing research group to assess campaign effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Ensure all creative materials produced are of the highest quality and represent the brand image, message, and tone.
• Stay current on industry trends, technologies, and best practices in design and visual storytelling.
• Provide positive leadership to the team, communicate vision and expectations, and ensure necessary skills and tools are available.
• Support the development of the annual budget and maintain spending within budget while achieving overall goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in art or graphic design, advertising, marketing, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in advertising, marketing, and professional design, with progressively more responsibility at a medium-sized or large organization.
• 3+ years of experience in a creative leadership position managing a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrated expertise in advertising across traditional media, digital, mobile, social, and emerging platforms.

Benefits

• Generous time off (Vacation, Holidays, Season Days)
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Flexible Work Program
• Ross Onsite Fitness Center