Manager, Brand Creative; Art Director

About the Team

Marketing brings our brand to life through deep expertise and an authentic love for pets. The team is dedicated to delivering personalized experiences for our consumers, supported by best-in-class, data-driven marketing capabilities. The work spans key areas including Loyalty, Customer Analytics & Research, Brand Experience & Creative, and Omni-Channel Marketing. Each team member brings a unique perspective, working together to create meaningful and engaging experiences for both pets and pet parents.

At Pet Smart, teamwork and connection are core to how we thrive. This role is based at our Phoenix Home Office, with an expectation of working a minimum of four days in the office each week. In a standard work week, associates may work up to one remote “flex day” (with leader approval). Our hybrid approach is designed to foster strong collaboration while also supporting flexibility and individual success.

Pet Smart is building a modern, high-performing in-house creative organization—one that owns outcomes, moves fast, and leverages innovation to scale impact. As Manager, Brand Creative (Art Director), you are a player-coach creative leader who blends strong creative judgment, hands-on craft, and an AI-forward mindset to deliver exceptional brand work.

This role calls for a confident, collaborative leader who designs alongside their team, owns outcomes, and communicates with purpose. You are relentlessly curious about better, smarter, faster ways to create and scale impact—while protecting the integrity of the brand. You are brand-obsessed and have a keen eye for aesthetically impactful design, photography, and storytelling.

• Concept, art-direct, and design brand campaigns, seasonal storytelling, and evergreen brand moments across digital and physical channels
• Split your time between hands-on design and team leadership—staying close to the craft while elevating others
• Lead, mentor, and allocate work for 2–5 designers, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and creative ambition
• Actively lead and participate in brainstorming and creative sessions, shaping ideas into clear, executable concepts
• Art-direct photo and video shoots from concept through post-production, partnering with photographers, producers, stylists, and editors
• Translate creative briefs and business goals into compelling, on-brand creative solutions
• Partner with the Senior Manager and Creative Director to define, protect, and evolve Pet Smart’s brand look, feel, and creative standards
• Co-govern external agencies and production partners aligned to brand and visual standards
• Collaborate deeply with Copy, Digital Creative, Store Creative, Marketing, Merchandising, eCommerce, and Loyalty teams to ensure holistic campaign alignment
• Present work with clarity and confidence to peers, senior leaders, and executive stakeholders
• Champion AI-enabled tools, automation, and modern production workflows to improve efficiency and scale—don’t wait to be told, go ahead and make it happen
• Stay ahead of cultural, retail, and design trends—keeping Pet Smart’s brand work fresh, relevant, and differentiated

• A visual storyteller with an exceptional eye for imagery, typography, composition, color, and brand expression
• A proactive, solution-oriented leader who takes full ownership and follows through
• Comfortable balancing hands-on design with people leadership, coaching, and mentorship
• Highly articulate communicator who can confidently present creative work to peers, senior leaders, and executives
• Experienced in art-directing photo and video shoots, including pre-production, on-set direction, and post-production
• Strategic and business-minded—you understand how creative drives emotional connection and business results
• Organized, decisive, and calm under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• AI-obsessed and efficiency-minded, always experimenting with new tools, workflows, and ways of working
• Collaborative, kind, direct, and trusted by partners and peers
• Passionate about mentoring talent and building high-performing teams
• A true pet lover who brings heart, pride, and purpose…