Creative Director

Job Title: Creative Director

Department: Communications

Location: San Francisco, CA

Reports To: National Communications Director

Supervises: Web Team, Sierra Club Productions, and Visual Communications Team

Context: The Creative Director is responsible for developing the organization's creative direction and visual representation. Establishes and ensures the quality of the look, feel, and functionality of the Sierra Club brand, assuring that all web and print products are vibrant, fresh, engaging, and easy-to-use.

Scope: As the Sierra Club's key information architect, the Creative Director works closely with National Communications Director and other Communications staff to define and implement an authentic, exciting, and engaging "look and feel" for the Sierra Club. Ensures that the rhetoric and visual language of all Sierra Club branding is consistent and compelling. Manages staff working on visual communications and design-related tasks, including the web team, content team, and Sierra Club productions. Collaborates with Sierra magazine and Sierra Club Books, oversees outside vendors and consultants on design-oriented projects including web and online initiatives, posters, pamphlets, signs and props, product lines, and created media.

Job Activities:

1. Develops and delivers original creative concepts and approaches to ensure the quality, freshness, and attractiveness of all Sierra Club branded products and communications.
2. Promotes, inspires, and advances continual creative improvement among all communications work teams.
3. Conceives and creates new designs and strategies to meet the Club's communications objectives.
4. Provides professional development, encourages and leads creative efforts, establishes performance standards and objectives, provides performance feedback to subordinates.
5. Oversees quality control for all design work produced by or for the Sierra Club, assuring professionalism and consistently raising standards of excellence.
6. Negotiates contracts with outside vendors for paid media and supervises aesthetics of contracted advertising, marketing, and created media projects.
7. Stays abreast of aesthetic and technological advances and trends and assures that cutting edge best practices inform the Sierra Club's creative work.
8. Initiates, helps lead, and participates in creative brainstorming sessions concerning branding, messaging, and other aesthetically-oriented projects.
9. Project manages web and print efforts; determines strategy, creates work plans, tracks results.
10. Responsible for creating and maintaining style book to define direction of all visual communications.
11. Fosters atmosphere of creative collaboration for Communications department.
12. Some travel will be required.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Bachelors degree in Art, Graphic Design, or closely related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 5 years prior experience, including management, working with large scale websites as a Creative Director, Art Director or supervising designer.
• Proven success in leading projects from concept to completion, meeting deadlines, applying best practices in user interface and interactive design.
• Proficiency with software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign & Flash.
• Proficiency with video editing.
• Knowledge of HTML, DHTML CSS, Actionscript & Drupal.
• Excellent communications skills; effective in making presentations.