Sr Director Creative

Come work at a place where we take pride in creating a workplace environment that values hard work, commitment, and growth.

Education:

• Bachelor degree in relevant field of study or equivalent years of related work experience required
• Masters or Advanced degree preferred

Work Experiences:

• 15+ years' experience in agency management or internal creative team management, business strategy development, and growing and developing talent
• 8+ years of experience leading a creative division
• Experience with design, creative management for digital and broadcast media, in store signage, print, art direction, and copywriting.

Skills:

• Exceptional listening, verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence across a broad range of constituents including senior executive leadership
• Strong technical and analytic skills with attention to detail
• Ability to present data and conclusions in an organized, concise manner at all levels of the company
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic and tactical issues.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, with the ability to support multiple projects simultaneously and meet critical deadlines within a high volume, fast-paced environment
• Cooperative team player and a leader at all levels of the organization who can perform well in a decentralized, fast-paced environment
• Work effectively across functions with minimal direction (self-discipline, self-starter)
• Ability to travel
• Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and operate with a sense of urgency
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office programs, including Word and Excel
• A storyteller with the ability to leverage strong written and verbal skills to translate strategies into convincing and inspiring stories
• Ability to think outside the box and courageous to consider big, compelling ideas for content marketing and creative strategies
• Grow, develop and retain top talent
• Well versed in integrating vendor content, user generated content and proprietary content
• Strong ability to analyze, articulate, and solve complex problems/concepts to make effective business decisions
• Able to maintain the customer perspective as a driving force behind business decisions and activities

Responsibilities:

• Lead creative vision, development, and production processes in a retail marketing environment
• Deliver creative that resonates with consumers on a functional and emotional level
• Thought leader who sees the big picture and grows brand loyalty; sets the vision for creative tone and brand positioning while remaining well-informed on popular culture and trends; monitor the effectiveness of advertising campaigns in contrast to the competitive landscape
• Drive the creative and aesthetic direction of go-to-market (GTM) marketing campaigns and customer facing initiatives
• Champions access to a fun, active lifestyles for peoples, cultures and backgrounds by ensuring appropriate representation of all customer types in creative presentations
• Provide leadership and creative direction for Academy's portfolio of private label brands in partnership with Global Sourcing, Product Development and Private Brand departments.
• Provide leadership and creative direction for all brand expressions and experiences in the store environment in collaboration with Visual Merchandising, New Store, Real Estate and Store Operations.
• Provide creative and brand oversight for all internal, investor, and corporate communications in partnership with Human Resources, Recruiting, Investor Relations, and Communications.
• Responsible for the execution of an integrated communications strategy and creative framework based on the brand's unique voice and positioning, broader business objectives, the competitive situation, with a deep understanding of key stakeholder needs and expectations across channels
• Drive the differentiation of the Academy brand; build a forward thinking, progressive approach to creative execution that is engaging, impactful, consistent and drive sales across all channels.
• Provide creative leadership for the Marketing team, including art directors, copywriters, photo/video artists, graphic designers, cinematographers, videographers, editing, post-production and production staff; coach, train and develop a diversely skilled team
• Long range planning, budget development and efficient application of resources to deliver outstanding creative
• Build and maintain opportunities to maximize efficiency through development of people, process and technology
• Set expectations with internal customers, specifically Executive Committee, Brand Team, GMM's, Category and Regional Marketing Teams; effectively manage process and execution of department workflow to meet those expectations
• Provide strategic vision and leadership for all creative and production agency partners.
• Lead all aspects of the production planning process (photography and video, and inclusive of all marketing channels), ensuring that the strategic creative vision is translated and evolved.
• Provide strategic oversight of the creation, management and turnover of the agency selection process, negotiations, and including RFPs, budgets and treatments for all creative content productions based on a variety of business objectives and with regards to the overall annual budget; constantly evaluating quality vs speed as it relates to overall business objectives.
• Leads the team that manages and schedules all studio staff and external partners from pre-production to creative asset delivery, which include producers, creative coordinators and photographers; as well as sets project schedules and manage calendars for creative workers, including internal creative teams and/or external partners
• Exceed quality expectations in the final deliverables of each production
• Responsible for recruiting, interviewing and hiring all staff and providing performance feedback for review and staff development
• Drive breakthrough engagement and innovation for Academy as it continues to expand its customer base through the ability to identify and drive trends in the marketplace
• Develop, document, execute, and continuously refine a content strategy, roadmap, and program calendar that supports and extends our breadth of products within our target audiences
• Partners closely with Communication and Brand teams to produce, create, and edit innovative content in support of business and marketing strategies
• Calibrate across all marketing channels on content delivery to drive engagement
• Set expectations with peer departments and internal customers for department output, and effectively manage process and execution of department workflow to meet those expectations.
• Lead a team of content strategists and producers to create original content using deep consumer insights to be deployed via all marketing channels
• Evangelize Academy creative standards and brand voice across customer-facing marketing and enterprise communication
• Generate data-driven decisions to move the team and marketing execution forward to meet and/or exceed company goals
• Collaborate with Academy's external agencies and vendors to develop and implement integrated marketing programs that drive value for the company
• Oversees daily operation of the creative department and associated budgets and advertising expenses.
• Constantly analyzes consumer, fashion and social trends to stay ahead of changes in the customer preferences, style, competitive positioning within the evolving landscape of sports and outdoors.
• Required to learn company policies, procedures and safety rules
• Duties may change and associates may be required to perform other duties as assigned

Physical Requirements & Attendance:

• Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties
• Adhere to company work hours, policies, procedures and rules governing professional staff behavior
• Regular attendance required
• Ability to work flexible hours such as evening, weekends, and holidays as necessary
• Some travel required

Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate with regard to employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.