Director of Brand Creative

POSITION SUMMARY:

The director of brand creative will report to the chief external relations officer (CERO) and will lead a team responsible for creative, brand and some digital marketing-communications work. Responsible for elevating the hunger conversation and inspiring the community to join our efforts, s/he will establish a direction for brand and creative work within the organization annually and build increasingly integrated marketing efforts to create a unified approach. The director will lead collaborative and consultative teams to effectively guide the organization’s creative services, ensuring excellence, integration and strategic focus across the organization.

The director will work with the chief external relations officer, the director of communications and the director of creative operations to develop and oversee an organization-wide annual plan and measure progress toward objectives. They will support the development and execution of program-area communication plans annually.

This position is responsible for using creative, communications and marketing skills to tell thoughtful stories of people facing food insecurity and the role of the hunger-relief network in supporting them.S/he will deliver an increase in the effectiveness of communication campaigns and the public’s engagement with the issue of hunger.

The director will develop the right internal and external relationships to support these efforts withvendors, team leads and peer organizations.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy and Benchmarking

• Work with the external relations leadership team to develop and execute the organization’s annual organization-wide communications, creative and marketing plan that sets out priorities, key activities and objectives to support business goals and strategic priorities. 
• Regularly assess the effectiveness of communications and marketing efforts, leveraging and influencing the corporate and external relations scorecards. 
• Work closely with the director of creative operations to refine workflow, assignments/resourcing and pacing as needed to ensure get is completed with excellence and efficiency. 
• Integrate program-area visibility and stewardship work with efforts on the organization-wide external relations plan, ensuring the foundational plan supports and complements all secondary plans.

Unified Brand

• Create close working relationship with directors of communications and creative operations to ensure creative, advertising and marketing work are on-brand and tightly aligned with visual brand identity work. 
• Contribute to the organization’s efforts to build better alignmentacross all high-visibility external communications, spanning tactics and teams, offering best practices and strategic counsel to guide next steps.

Content Excellence

• Collaboratively develop integrated content strategy, inclusive of organization and program-specific communications objectives. 
• Ensure integrated (creative team, project champions, comms/digital team) development of content to complement marcomm plan. 
• Work closely with content supervisor to ensure images of people experiencing hunger are respectful. 
• Continue to grow and nurture our newly refreshed visual identity and suite of brand assets 
• Oversee and update brand guidelines annually. 
• Oversee regular evaluation of content performance and implement culture and processes for optimization.

Team Leadership / Leadership

• Readiness to lead a stellar team of creative and digital team members

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS:

• Demonstrate behavior consistent with SHH’s mission, vision, and values daily. 
• Strong commitment to equity; ability to work with individuals from different abilities, ethnicities, genders, races, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds 
• Demonstrate self-reflection on how their own identities, experiences, and biases will impact team culture, employee well-being, and the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan. 
• Supporting and collaborating on organization-wide equity and diversity efforts. 
• Commitment and experience in operationalizing racial equity in brand creative. 
• Demonstrate the ability to support the work of others. 
• A high level of understanding and respect for the urgency and needs of others. 
• Ability to see how actions impact others. 
• Willingness to put the needs of internal and external customers first. 
• Support innovation with an openness to new ideas, learning from others and flexibility to support change as needed. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 10-12 years of experience in marketing, communications and creative work in a for-profit or nonprofit setting(s), including 10 or more years of experience managing teams and serving clients or internal customers. 
• Energized and skilled at managing change at evolving organizations, comfortable with transition work and guiding teams through new ventures. 
• Excellent at implementing and evaluating processes, procedures and increasingly effective ways of working. 
• Proficient in presenting creative concepts and creating consensus on creative ideas within a diverse group of stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated experience leading integrated marketing communications initiatives and campaigns. 
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and help develop creative team members, experience leading creative teams, either in an agency and/or in-house creative team environment. 
• Experience with the Adobe Creative Suite Programs, Microsoft Office, Office 365 and the ability to learn other computer software programs. 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including experience creating content for marcomms plans and/or campaigns. 
• Demonstrated exceptional customer service skills to create an inclusive environment where everyone is welcomed and valued. 
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency and enthusiasm, both individually and as part of a team in a fast-paced, high-demand environment. 
• Demonstrated ability to plan, manage and follow through on multiple daily tasks and projects.

WHAT SECOND HARVEST HEARTLAND OFFERS:

By joining Second Harvest Heartland, you will have an impact on feeding the community. You will work with a passionate, mission-driven team to end hunger together. Use your skills, experience, and talents to do good and be a part of an innovative, efficient hunger relief organization.

This role will office out of our Brooklyn Park, Minnesota headquarters. We offer full benefits: 3 medical plan options, including HSA with company match and co-pay plans, dental, vision, voluntary life/accident, flex spending/dependent care spending accounts, a 403b retirement plan with company match, 4 weeks of paid time off, 6 weeks of paid parental leave, and 10 paid holidays.