Senior Manager, Brand Creative (Associate Creative Director)

About The Team

Making a difference starts with our people. Our team members are passionate about pets and their families, and they play a vital role in creating meaningful experiences for everyone. We believe that every voice and experience matters, and we strive to do what's right, lead responsibly, and bring our love for pets to life every day.

About The Job

As Senior Manager, Brand Creative, you will lead and elevate brand campaigns, seasonal storytelling, special projects, and evergreen brand moments across digital and physical channels. You will partner closely with the Creative Director to define, protect, and evolve PetSmart’s brand look, feel, and creative standards. You will actively lead and participate in brainstorming and creative sessions, shaping ideas into clear, executable concepts. You will own creative quality, consistency, and storytelling excellence across all brand work.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and elevate brand campaigns, seasonal storytelling, special projects and evergreen brand moments across digital and physical channels
• Partner closely with the Creative Director to define, protect, and evolve PetSmart’s brand look, feel, and creative standards
• Actively lead and participate in brainstorming and creative sessions, shaping ideas into clear, executable concepts
• Serve as a hands-on creative lead, designing work, strategically conceptualizing campaigns and art-directing photography and video from concept through post-production
• Own creative quality, consistency, and storytelling excellence across all brand work
• Serve as a trusted creative and brand expert and Creative Director proxy when needed—leading reviews, presentations, and partner discussions
• Communicate and reinforce brand and visual standards with marketing and business partners, while supporting governance of external agencies and production partners
• Collaborate deeply with Copy, Digital Creative, Store Creative, Marketing, Merchandising, and eCommerce teams to ensure holistic campaign alignment
• Build strong relationships with photographers, producers, stylists, editors, and external partners
• Lead, mentor, develop, and allocate work for 2 – 5 designers and art directors, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and creative ambition
• Manage multiple high-profile projects simultaneously while balancing speed, quality, and brand integrity
• Champion operational excellence by driving more AI utilization, automation, and modern production workflows to improve efficiency and scale
• Stay ahead of cultural, retail, and design trends—keeping PetSmart’s brand work fresh, relevant, and differentiated

Skills & Experience

• 6–10+ years of creative experience in retail, lifestyle, or consumer brands
• 4+ years leading or managing creative teams (Senior Manager, Associate Creative Director)
• Proven experience creating, evolving, and extending cohesive visual systems that scale across campaigns, brand identities, and style guides
• Expert in Adobe Creative Suite, presentation software; working knowledge of Figma, and modern production tools
• Working experience with AI-enabled creative workflows and emerging technologies strongly preferred
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and executive-level presentation skills
• Proven ability to balance creative vision with operational rigor
• Demonstrated interest in growth toward Creative Director role

Additional Job Considerations

• This role requires collaboration, teamwork, and face-to-face interaction with colleagues, leaders, and/or clients
• Being in the office ensures access to leaders, cross-functional partners, and resources necessary to make timely decisions and drive results
• On-site presence in accordance with our FlexSmart policy supports our culture of innovation, mentorship, and engagement, which is integral to our success in developing the best team

About The Culture

At PetSmart, we believe that anything for pets starts with our people. Our team members are passionate about pets and their families, and they play a vital role in creating meaningful experiences for everyone. We empower our teams with the tools, resources, and opportunities to grow and succeed. Our culture is built on belonging and shared purpose, where every voice and experience matters. Guided by our values, we strive to do what's right, lead responsibly, and bring our passion for pets to life every day.