Director, Brand and Content

Description

This position is open to applicants located within the Minneapolis or Denver metro areas.

At Independent Pet Partners (IPP), we’re more than a retailer—we’re a community of passionate pet experts dedicated to making life better for pets and the people who love them. Loving your pet is the easiest thing in the world. Taking care of them should be just as easy.

IPP brings everything pet parents need into one trusted place. Through our local pet store brands, Chuck & Don’s and Kriser’s, we create welcoming neighborhood stores where knowledgeable team members help pet parents make the best choices for their pets’ health and happiness.

Our approach is guided by the 5 Pillars of Pet Wellness®, a philosophy that shapes everything we do - from the products we carry to the services we offer and the advice we share. With more than 80 neighborhood pet stores, we’re proud to serve pet communities across Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas and Colorado.

The Brand Director is responsible for shaping and protecting the Independent Pet Partners brand family including the Chuck & Don's and Kriser's brand experience across every customer touchpoint. This leader develops compelling brand campaigns, oversees creative execution, champions exceptional design and storytelling, and inspires a high-performing creative team.

The Brand Director partners closely with Marketing, Merchandising, Ecommerce, Store Operations, and external agency partners to bring integrated marketing campaigns to life while ensuring every customer interaction reflects our brand promise.

This role is a strategic creative leader who is well versed in creative operations. Success is measured by building a distinctive brand, producing effective creative that drives business results, and developing an engaged, collaborative creative team.

The incumbent must be able to perform all the following duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Serve as steward of the IPP, Chuck & Don's and Kriser's brands across all customer touchpoints
• Develop and evolve brand standards, messaging, visual identity and creative guidelines
• Ensure consistent customer experience across digital, social, CRM, paid media and retail stores
• Partner with executive leadership to strengthen long-term brand strategy

• Lead concept development in partnership with creative team for integrated marketing campaigns
• Establish the creative vision for campaigns, promotions, product launches and brand initiatives
• Provide art direction and copy direction to ensure exceptional creative quality
• Review and approve creative work before production

• Partner with marketing leaders to translate business objectives into compelling creative solutions.
• Support initiatives including promotional campaigns, new store openings, customer acquisition, loyalty marketing, salon services, vendor partnerships, brand storytelling and community engagement

• Provide creative oversight for In-store signage, Window campaigns, Point-of-sale materials, Store graphics, Visual merchandising standards, Brand photography and Video production
• Partner with Store Operations and Merchandising to create engaging retail experiences

• Work closely with Marketing, Merchandising, Channel Operations, Store teams and Vendor partners to ensure creative solutions meet business objectives while maintaining brand integrity for both customer and internal team member experiences.
• Manage Creative Operations
• Partner with Creative team to ensure smooth creative operations including project intake, team prioritization, workflow automations, and resource allocation.

• Lead and develop the internal creative team including coaching and mentoring designer and copywriter, providing clear creative feedback and building creative capabilities
• Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, creative excellence and operational efficiency
• Manage agency and freelance partners when needed

• Participate in quarterly…