Director of Brand Creative

About the Role

The Brand Creative Director leads creative strategy and execution for the brand, infusing the discipline of design thinking into critical areas of brand marketing. They lead an integrated creative studio team—designers, copywriters, traffic managers, and video producers—on all creative for both internal brand and external customer-facing initiatives.

The role oversees the strategic ideation, design, and implementation of all print, visual, audio, and digital design deliverables, including menus, in-shop collateral, packaging, promotional pieces, websites, digital executions, mobile applications, email and social communications, and brand guidelines. The position also supports the development of recruiting/onboarding materials, internal communications/culture content, event signage for field events, Dutchwear, and corporate events.

This role manages, directs, and provides creative feedback to third-party partners such as photographers, producers, agencies, and contractors on all creative projects.

Responsibilities

• Support marketing leadership with best-in-class creative to deliver annual traffic and sales plans, as well as employee connection and engagement.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Marketing Leadership Team and peers in setting overall brand direction, objectives, and goals.
• Lead visual identity for the brand, guide creative execution against brand positioning/architecture across all consumer and employee touchpoints, and inspire creativity throughout the company.
• Build internal design team skill set with subject matter expertise in UX/UI design, paid media design, and front-end development capabilities.
• Organize, coach, develop, train, and run the creative team effectively and efficiently.
• Cultivate a bench of leadership and talent to deliver results and support future growth.
• Build strategies to ensure Dutch Bros’ brand vision connects to two equally critical audiences: broistas and consumers, driving connection, engagement, and awareness.
• Translate business imperatives into compelling strategic messages from concept to completion.
• Direct development, review, and production of all creative assets in adherence to the brand positioning/architecture and deliver best-in-class photography and videography that inspires and drives engagement.
• Produce and direct brand video and photoshoots and manage the completion of all deliverables.
• Build organizational culture through close partnership with the Employee Experience team, ensuring a strong ecosystem of content that evokes broista belonging, pride, and connection.
• Support design work on the Dutchwear apparel program and embrace continuous improvement to refine the program based on field/consumer feedback and sell-through rates.
• Develop creative materials for internal and external events, including signature field culture events, consumer activations, and new market initiatives.
• Ideate, test, and deliver successful innovation and brand activations that position the brand for long-term growth and drive relevancy with consumers.
• Ensure prioritization and implementation of production calendars to meet established deadlines and ensure timely delivery of marketing, employee engagement, and merchandising materials.
• Partner with the brand marketing team to prioritize key initiatives, implement brief-writing discipline, and track projects to ensure ongoing efficiency and optimized executional processes.
• Oversee development and management of annual creative and production budgets.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field from a university or an accredited art school; or 4 years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 11+ years of experience in managing creative teams.
• Experience in a corporate in-house department or a mix of agency and corporate.
• Experience hiring, leading, challenging, and coaching a team of junior marketers for high performance.
• Servant leader with a demonstrated track record for building, mentoring, and motivating creative teams.
• Expertise in the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Quark. Flash, HTML, and CSS are highly desired.
• Ability to manage multiple projects creatively, efficiently, and thoroughly in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Skills

• People Management / Coaching
• Creative Excellence
• Business Curiosity
• Prioritization and Workflow Optimization
• Critical Problem Solving
• Building the Bench
• Budgetary Responsibility

Schedule

This role is required to be in the office 4 days per week (Monday–Thursday); Fridays are optional remote work days.

Location

This role is located in Tempe, Arizona.

Physical Requirements

• In-Office Environment: Must be able to work in a busy, crowded, and loud office with frequent distractions and interruptions. Must be able to collaborate in-person with occasional impromptu in-person meetings.
• Office Conditions: Adaptability to typical office conditions, which may include exposure to air conditioning, heating, artificial lighting, and varying noise levels.
• Mobility: Ability to sit, stand, reach, twist, stretch, and work at a desk for long stretches. Must be able to occasionally move or lift office items up to 25 pounds.
• Hearing Requirements: Hearing must be sufficient or correctable to ensure clear understanding of spoken information, including participating in virtual meetings and phone calls. Use of hearing aids or other assistive devices is acceptable if needed.
• Reading and Writing Proficiency: Ability to read and write in English is essential for processing documents, drafting reports, and following up on necessary actions. Proficiency in written communication is required.
• Vision Requirements: Vision must be adequate or correctable to perform essential job duties, such as reading documents on a computer screen and using other visual tools. Use of corrective lenses or other measures is expected if needed.
• Technology Proficiency: Must be proficient in operating a computer and other office productivity tools such as printers, scanners, and collaboration software.
• Effective Communication: Must possess strong verbal and written communication skills to interact effectively with team members, clients, and other stakeholders via email, video conferencing, and other in-office communication tools.