Creative Project Director

The Public Affairs Department builds public trust and understanding by sharing the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ research, analysis and activities in words, pictures and video. Public Affairs develops and executes strategic marketing and communications internally and externally across all platforms, including social media, email marketing, web, video, media relations, print, and design services.

The creative project director establishes creative direction, maintains consistency and ensures our collateral and communications effectively reinforce our brand among our key audiences, including policymakers, business and community leaders, academics and economists, and the general public.

The creative project director is an individual contributor who works directly and effectively with web and print designers, writers, videographers, illustrators and other professional staff within Public Affairs as well as with clients from across the Bank. The ideal candidate is creative, analytical and has a record of strengthening brands and organizational reputations, relying primarily on owned and earned channels. We are a relatively small team, and this is a new position that will require creative, brand management, marketing and client service skills.

Key Responsibilities:

Creative direction

• Serves as the Bank’s creative lead and brand champion to establish and maintain a cohesive, consistent and strong identity.
• Provides creative vision and direction to ensure work products adhere to brand standards.
• Leads creative development that motivates our target audiences to “take action” and deepens their engagement with the Bank.
• Provides work direction to designers and other creative and digital services staff; identifies training needs and develops team members, as needed.

Brand management

• Owns organization-wide brand management across all mediums, including event and marketing collateral, email marketing, content packages, web design, photography, video concepts, and social media.
• Identifies, evaluates, develops, and communicates the Bank’s brand and design guidelines. 
• Maintains up-to-date style guides, templates, and sample work products.
• Stays abreast of design and marketing trends, analyzes data and assesses the effectiveness of campaigns, shifting direction accordingly.

Client service

• Develops creative approaches and campaigns for achieving client needs and effectively reaching key audiences.
• Meets and liaises regularly with internal stakeholders to provide creative direction, identify collateral and campaign needs and share Bank practices and guidelines.
• Develops creative briefs and secures client approval for projects and campaigns.
• Builds relationships with and manages vendors, ensuring photography, illustrations, and other contracted collateral support adhere to the brand.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least five years of design leadership experience are required.
• Strong analytical skills partnered with a creative mind.
• Design background and demonstrated proficiency in managing institutional brands across multiple channels and mediums.
• The ability to influence decision-makers and colleagues; skilled at developing strong relationships and working collaboratively.
• Experience in devising effective campaigns to reach target audiences and presenting plans and recommendations to clients and leadership.
• Comfortable managing through ambiguity, making independent high-level decisions, and communicating both affirmative and negative feedback clearly and productively.