Creative Director

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University Systemtime type:
Full time posted on:
Posted Yesterday job requisition :
JR100295
** Position**:
Creative Director
** Department**:
Marketing    
** Reports to**: VP for Marketing
** Direct Reports**:
Videographer, Photographer, Graphic Designers, Copywriter; dotted-line leadership of Director of Campus Creative & Licensing For the purposes of ACU's Background Check and Self-Reporting Policy, this position is classified as security sensitive.
** Position Class**:
Exempt, Full-time

The key principle of this job is to support ACU's Mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.
** Scope**:
The Creative Director serves as the university's senior creative authority, responsible for defining, evolving, and governing Abilene Christian University's creative vision and brand expression. This role ensures that all creative work – across marketing, enrollment, advancement, alumni, and institutional communications – is strategically aligned, emotionally compelling, and unmistakably ACU.This leader operates at both the strategic and executional levels: setting creative direction, guiding campaign concepting, mentoring creative leaders and practitioners, and ensuring brand consistency and quality  Creative Director partners closely with marketing strategy, enrollment marketing, content, and media teams to translate institutional priorities into powerful creative systems and campaigns.

The role is part visionary, part coach, part operator – balancing high-level brand leadership with practical oversight of people, process, and creative output.
** Basic Responsibilities
*** Creative Vision & Brand Stewardship
* Campaign Leadership & Creative Strategy
* Creative Team Leadership & Development
* Creative Operations & Quality Oversight
* Cross-Campus Partnership & Influence# Essential Duties include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

Creative Vision & Brand Stewardship
* Define, evolve, and champion the university's creative vision and brand expression in partnership with the Vice President for Marketing.
* Translate institutional priorities – enrollment growth, academic distinction, spiritual mission, and reputation – into clear creative principles, campaign narratives, and visual direction.
* Serve as the final creative authority for high-visibility and high-impact brand expressions across paid, owned, and earned channels.
* Ensure creative work differentiates ACU in a competitive higher education landscape while remaining authentic to its mission and values.
* Set expectations for creative excellence, innovation, and consistency across all marketing and communications efforts.

Campaign Leadership & Creative Strategy
* Provide strategic creative leadership for major institutional initiatives, including student recruitment, brand campaigns, advancement, and alumni engagement.
* Partner with enrollment marketing, digital strategy, and content teams to ensure creative concepts are audience-centered, insight-driven, and performance-informed.
* Guide concept development, storytelling approaches, and visual systems for integrated, multi-channel campaigns.
* Review and approve key creative deliverables to ensure brand fidelity, quality, and strategic alignment.
* Balance innovation with scalability, ensuring creative ideas can be executed effectively across channels and timelines.

Creative Team Leadership & Development
* Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary creative team across design, copywriting, video, and photography.
* Create clarity around roles, expectations, workflows, and decision-making within the creative function.
* Provide clear creative direction, constructive feedback, and coaching to elevate individual and team performance.
* Empower and support the Director of Campus Creative & Licensing in executing brand systems, quality control, and campus-facing creative services.
* Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and creative confidence.

Creative Operations & Quality Oversight
*…