Head of Design

Opportunity Overview

• Job Title: Head of Design
• Agency Name: Confidential - Integrated Agency
• Reports To: Chief Creative Officer (CCO)
• Direct Reports: Creative Department
• Engagement Type: Full-Time
• Employee Type: W2
• Location: Los Angeles, CA
• Work Policy: Hybrid, 1-2 Days Per Week
• Travel Required: 25% +/-
• Rate and/or Salary Range: $225,000 - $275,000 + Tiered Commission for New Business
• Full Time Benefits Offer: Health, Dental, Vision, 401K, PTO
• Ideal Start Date: July 2024

Company Overview

For 35 years, the agency has created award-winning campaigns for history’s biggest pop-culture moments, applying strategic thinking and creative execution to a wide range of industries and clients across every platform. While the agency is built for fully-integrated campaigns, its structure allows for custom teams for any assignment, moving at speeds impossible at more traditional agencies. The result? Delivering breakthrough ideas with world-class creative that moves people to action.

The agency is committed to creating teams reflective of the real world at all levels, with women and BIPOC people now comprising 46% and 27% of senior leadership roles.

Services include Strategy, A/V, Design and Branding, Production, Print & Digital, Social, and Finishing, with clients including Amazon, AppleTV, NBA, Netflix, Marvel, Activision, Playstation, UFC, Waymo, Lexus, Cheesecake Factory/North Italia.

Role Overview

As a fully integrated agency, we seek a seasoned Head of Design with deep experience across multi-disciplinary creative production workflows for Entertainment, Gaming, Sports and more. Balancing project creative direction, workflow management and utilization, and business development for all design, motion graphics, and VFX aspects of projects is central to this role.

The Head of Design will play a pivotal role in conceptualizing and executing creative specifically tailored for the medium, while exploring emerging technologies. Working across A/V trailer, branding, print, social, and experiential, this role collaborates with teams and department heads to identify the right skills and experiences in team members and vendors, ensuring efficient utilization that allows for flexibility as project demands shift. Additionally, this role will leverage existing relationships and identify new opportunities to solve creative challenges for clients in new business ventures.

The Head of Design is passionate about mentoring, supporting, and developing the creative team for their professional growth. Their infectious excitement for the creative process extends not only to the team but also to the industry through public thought leadership and active community involvement, paving the way for the future of creativity in the Entertainment, Gaming, and Sports industries.

Responsibilities

Creative Direction

• Guide and/or directly lead, as needed, the creative direction for all projects involving design, motion graphics, and VFX for the agency.
• Appropriately assign creative leads and help guide building teams to efficiently and effectively execute project deliverables.
• Maintain a clear understanding of all project statuses to appropriately support projects by addressing challenges or opportunities for improvement as needed.
• Collaborate with creative department heads across the organization to support A/V, Social, Print, Production, Finishing, and Operations creative needs.

Workflow Utilization and Optimization

• Lead the company's creative process, workflows, and pipelines while seeking to improve/refine as needed to meet industry standards and incorporate new practices appropriately.
• Work in partnership with team leads and resourcing to scale or shift teams as needed for appropriate utilization with a lean mindset.
• Evaluate utilization opportunities to transition freelance roles to full time for cost efficiencies or cross-training creatives from one department to another.

Business Development

• Bring in existing book of business or recurring client work from brands through existing relationships
• Work in collaboration with the Leadership team and department heads to strategically target new clients and grow business from existing clients.
• Maintain positive, productive, and professional client relationships, building and maintaining a client base within expectations set by the leadership team.
• Identify areas of future growth and provide solutions to accomplish desired creative expansions.
• Attend and participate in industry events, conferences, or networking events to identify new business opportunities.
• Actively participate in thought leadership opportunities for agency brand building and creative innovation.

Culture

• Mentor and guide creative team members for internal growth opportunities and skill set improvement.
• Identify opportunities to create a community-based environment among the creative team such as Creative Work Reviews, New Technology Walkthroughs, and Industry Events.

Requirements (Skills & Experience)

• 10-15+ years of experience across design, motion graphics, VFX projects for Entertainment, Sports, Gaming and CPG clients within an agency production environment.
• Proven experience conceptualizing and executing award-winning projects that push the boundaries of mixing creativity and technology for various brands.
• Proven track record of acquiring new business opportunities for six figures and above, ideally both project and retainer-based engagements.
• Comprehensive understanding of branding and visual identity, 2D/3D, motion graphics, compositing, production, post-production, experiential, immersive, and visual effects pipelines.
• Clear understanding of budgeting and financial implications of creative production such as labor, software (i.e., Render Farms), and hard costs.
• Well-versed in new technologies used for creative workflows such as AI/ML, real-time rendering/virtual productions, AR/VR/XR, etc.
• Demonstrated success in building profitable creative departments.
• Ability to work effectively on long-term and quick turnaround projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional communicator and presenter, adept in articulating ideas clearly and engagingly across written, verbal, and visual formats for internal teams, partners, and clients alike.
• Skilled in collaboration, bridging communication gaps with internal teams, partners, and clients, and adept at generating innovative solutions while efficiently managing daily tasks.
• Demonstrated proficiency in multitasking across various projects, combining integrity, self-motivation, and accountability with excellent time management skills.

Performance Expectations

• By day 30, gain a clear understanding of company capabilities, team roles, and responsibilities. Partner with creative leadership to guide teams for creative execution.
• By day 60, identify opportunities for process improvement and efficiency, including staffing, pipelines, and cross-departmental collaboration.
• By day 90, secure capabilities presentation and/or initial new business engagement that present viability.

Interview Process

• Recruiting Screening
• 3-4 Interviews with Creative and Business Leadership
• Candidate Role Proposal outlining their plans for 3, 6, 9 months, and beyond
• References