Manager, Digital Creative; Art Director

Position: Manager, Digital 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.

About the Location

Collaborative Work Environment:

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.

About the Job

About the Role

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, Digital Creative (Art Director), you are a player-coach creative leader who blends strong creative judgment, hands-on digital craft, and an AI-forward mindset to deliver exceptional digital work.

In many organizations, this level of responsibility aligns to a Senior Art Director or Art Director with team accountability; at Pet Smart, we've intentionally structured the Manager role to lead with both creative authority and people leadership.

This role is for someone who thinks ahead, takes ownership, communicates with confidence, and is constantly exploring smarter, faster, more effective ways to create-without compromising quality.

What You'll Do

* Concept, art-direct, and design digital creative across web, app, email, animation, and select special projects, from concept through deployment

* 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 and motion designers, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and creative ambition

* Own creative quality, consistency, and on-time delivery across all assigned work

* Set clear direction, anticipate risks, and proactively solve problems before they slow the work

* Translate creative briefs and business goals into compelling, on-brand, conversion-aware creative solutions

* Partner closely with the Senior Manager, Creative Director, Marketing, eCommerce, Brand Creative, and Creative Operations teams

* Provide art direction for photo, video, and motion production as needed, guiding internal and external partners through shoot and post-production

* Present work with clarity and confidence to peers, senior leaders, and executive stakeholders

* Champion AI-enabled tools, animation, and new technologies to improve efficiency, scale output, and evolve creative execution-don't wait to be told, go ahead and make it happen

* Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, optimize processes, and help the team work smarter and faster

* Stay ahead of digital, UX, animation, and creative trends-continuously raising the bar

Who You Are

* 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 clearly explain creative strategy and sell ideas at all levels

* Incredibly organized, calm under pressure, and effective in a (very) fast-paced environment

* A strong creative storyteller with excellent judgment and attention to detail

* AI-obsessed and efficiency-minded, always experimenting with new tools, workflows, and ways of working

* Collaborative, confident, and trusted by partners and peers

* Comfortable giving clear, actionable feedback and pushing the team to evolve

* Possess a high level of expectations for yourself and for your team

* Passionate about digital craft, retail, the customer, innovation, and continuous improvement

* A pet lover who brings heart, energy,…