SR. MANAGER, BRAND CREATIVE & DESIGN

Chicago Sky - Chicago, IL

Part-time,Full-time - Mid Level

Chicago, IL

0

Real Estate

About the position

The Sr. Manager, Brand Creative & Design at Chicago Sky is a leadership role focused on developing and executing innovative graphic design strategies to enhance the brand's visibility and engagement. This position is pivotal in creating culturally relevant marketing materials that resonate with fans and drive sales, awareness, and loyalty. The role requires collaboration with various departments and stakeholders to maintain a consistent brand identity across all marketing channels.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and communicate consistent Chicago Sky brand identity that ties to brand positioning, including overall campaign and season look and feel
• Develop world class and innovative graphic designs that are fresh, contemporary, and connect with Chicago Sky fan segments
• Provide design, layout, and production support of required materials, including marketing and sales collateral, social media, digital marketing, partnership marketing, sponsored content, merch, community, video end cards, arena content, promotional theme game elements, etc.
• Closely manage timelines and ensure flawless execution to meet internal and external partner timelines
• Partner closely with Video and Photo Content team to drive consistency and excellence
• Responsible for cataloging, storage, and maintenance of images, artwork, and logos based on approved filing and naming conventions to ensure information is accessible and available to all service providers and marketing team members
• Collaborate and participate in ideation sessions with the creative team and other cross-functional teams, including external marketing partners/agencies as required
• Collaborate with Partnership Marketing and Corporate Partnerships to ensure sponsored content best represents Chicago Sky and our partners
• Oversee direct reports including full-time and part-time designers

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in graphic design or a related field preferred
• 5+ years of graphic design experience in a marketing or ad agency environment, including digital design expertise
• Advanced skills using Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Lightroom
• Experience working in college or professional sports
• Good understanding of photo editing, typography, and layout design
• Some familiarity with AI design, animation, and latest technologies to drive innovation in design
• Strong leadership, teamwork, and executive presence skills with an ability to navigate feedback from multiple stakeholders
• Energetic, self-starter who must be proactive and is comfortable working in a fast paced environment, with and without direct supervision
• Able to multi-task in a high-volume work environment with tight deadlines
• Perform work requiring analytical thinking, creativity, and a holistic business mindset
• Maintain consistency in projects within graphic standards guidelines
• Possess organizational and communication skills, both oral and written
• Work independently, with a supervisor, and as a team
• High attention to detail and strong project management skills
• Passionate about sports marketing, specifically women's sports and the WNBA

Nice-to-haves

• Familiarity with AI design and animation
• Experience in a fast-paced sports marketing environment

Benefits

• Hybrid work model with 1-2 days in office
• Attendance at all 22 home games
• Opportunities for professional development