Managing Director, Creative Strategy

Description

Managing Director, Creative Strategy leads the creative vision and brand stewardship for GMHC. This is a strategic leadership role responsible for shaping how GMHC's brand is expressed across all touchpoints, managing creative resources and vendor relationships, and ensuring visual consistency and quality across the organization's communications, development, and programmatic work.

Reporting to the Vice President of Communications & Brand, this role owns creative strategy and direction while overseeing production through a combination of internal staff, freelancers, and agency partners. A key priority for this role will be stewarding GMHC's organizational rebrand through implementation, ensuring consistent adoption across all channels and stakeholders. Following the successful completion of the probationary period, the Managing Director will be expected to evaluate creative priorities and propose a resourcing structure that aligns with organizational goals.

The ideal candidate brings strategic brand thinking, strong vendor management skills, and the creative fluency to evaluate and direct work across multiple formats and channels. This role requires someone who can balance big-picture brand vision with the practical demands of a high-volume nonprofit environment.

The following duties are mandatory requirements of the job:

• Develop and implement creative strategies for organizational campaigns, publications, and events that align with GMHC's mission and strategic goals.
• Serve as brand guardian, ensuring a cohesive visual identity across all digital and print assets.
• Lead visual strategy development, maintaining brand recognition and impact across all channels.
• Oversee storytelling strategies including art direction, photography direction, and video production oversight.
• Maintain and evolve brand guidelines, ensuring internal and external adherence.
• Lead rebrand implementation across all organizational touchpoints, managing rollout timelines, stakeholder adoption, and vendor transitions.

• Assess organizational creative needs and recommend staffing structure within first 90 days.
• Provide leadership and direction to creative staff (Graphic Designer or Web Designer).
• Manage relationships with freelance designers, photographers, videographers, and other creative vendors.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with creative agencies, boutique studios, and production partners.
• Promote professional development within the creative team.

• Oversee and quality‑control creative production across Communications, Development, and Program work streams.
• Direct the production of collateral for events, campaigns, and organizational initiatives including AIDS Walk New York.
• Manage digital asset management systems (Stockpress, SharePoint, Smugmug, GMHC Photo Server).
• Oversee design tools and platforms (Canva, Penji) and ensure effective use across the organization.
• Direct website visual standards and coordinate with web development partners.
• Manage Mesmerize digital screens and other in‑facility visual communications.

• Serve as primary liaison with creative agencies and production vendors.
• Manage relationships with print vendors (Westprint, Automation Graphics).
• Coordinate with outdoor advertising partners (Intersection, Outfront).
• Oversee event production partnerships (En Pointe, signage and swag vendors).
• Manage freelance creative relationships and ensure quality and timeliness of deliverables.

• Partner with Communications, Development, Policy, Community Relations, and Program departments to translate needs into creative solutions.
• Lead creative intake and briefing processes to ensure clarity and alignment.
• Collaborate on photo and video shoot production, from concept through execution.
• Support adoption of brand standards across all organizational functions.

• Manage creative and production budgets, identifying opportunities to maximize value.
• Oversee multiple concurrent projects from concept through completion.
• Maintain…