Senior Creative Director, Design; Hybrid; Medicine Marketing & Communications

Location St. Louis, MO 63110 Scheduled Hours 40

The Sr. Creative Director (design) is an outstanding designer and visual storyteller, an expert communicator and passionate problem solver responsible for all aspects of visual marketing and communications and, along with the Sr. Creative Director (copy), is responsible for creative operations, overseeing the work of the department’s in‑house creative staff as well as freelance and agency partners. The Sr. Creative Director is a compelling and inspiring presenter, a senior‑level client contact, and is focused on large‑scale campaigns and key initiatives that support the clinical enterprise, advancement, recruitment, commercialization and all departments across the education, research and clinical practices at WashU Medicine.

Both as manager and hands‑on designer, the Sr. Creative Director will ensure the team, including its culture, work environment, tools, capabilities and processes support the delivery of inspiring, industry‑leading creative that helps the university’s School of Medicine (including departments, labs, partnerships and more) achieve their objectives.

The Sr. Creative Director (design) is responsible for the development of the visual expression and creative strategy of the brand for all projects, including (but not limited to) digital, print, social, video and environmental design while providing clear and productive creative direction to team members. Establish best‑in‑class design for WashU Medicine while also pitching in and helping whenever and wherever needed, but this should not come at the expense of the development and productivity to other team members.

Strong design proficiency in a variety of capacities, especially digital, with a devotion to grammatical and material accuracy. Advanced understanding of typography, composition, color theory and design best practices and technologies. Work with the team to ensure the work delivers on the strategy, determine the effectiveness of the work after it has been activated, and use the learnings to make the necessary adjustments and improvements to future work.

Monitor projects through all phases of production. Effectively handle multiple assignments and manage multiple team members at one time and adhere to client budget and time constraints.

Lead, inspire, motivate, and develop a creative team of art directors and copywriters. Develop strategy, concept ideas, and provide direction to the team throughout the creative process. The Sr. Creative Director possesses strong creative ideas, but more importantly gives others the confidence to express their ideas, too. People shouldn’t work with you because they have to — they should work with you because they want to.

Present and sell in the department’s work in compelling ways to clients. The presentation should demonstrate a clear vision of how the work addresses the client challenge. Interact with members of the creative team to develop creative concepts and executions of assigned project(s). Possess solid understanding of the market dynamics and challenges of the medical and higher education categories. Present new ideas to members of the team.

The Sr. Creative Director ensures the professional development and readiness of the creative team so their team members are learning, growing, and getting better every single day. Train and supervise assigned staff of designers, writers, and production personnel; oversee their execution of all assigned creative efforts to insure they are on strategy, on budget, and on schedule. Resolve differences with other team members…