AHEAD USA
Senior Creative Director
AHEAD USA, New Bedford, Massachusetts, us, 02746
Located in SE Massachusetts; Ahead, LLC is leading the competition with exciting and fresh apparel for golf, resort, corporate and collegiate customers! This is a Director level position working in an office based setting out of New Bedford Head Quarters.
The Senior Creative Director is responsible for leading the creative efforts for
Ahead , ensuring that the visual design, messaging, and branding align with the strategic goals of the organization. This role oversees the development of creative materials, leading with an approach that fosters innovation and excellence in all creative outputs. The Senior Creative Director is a strategic thinker who refines and approves creative concepts, mentors creative staff of all levels, and collaborates with others to ensure effectiveness of these efforts.
Primary Responsibilities Include:
Serve as the external facing creative voice for
ahead
across all markets that
ahead
competes in, engaging with sales representatives, customers, to reinforce
ahead 's creative place in the market.Lead and set the creative tone internally through mentoring, coaching, and managing the creative department, including participation in the hiring and development process of creative associates at all levels.Collaborate with other managers / departments including sales, marketing, product development, and operations, setting project deadlines and content goals ensuring all efforts are fully aligned.Set strategic direction for
ahead 's creative efforts, ensuring all are cohesive and brand enhancing.Evaluate market trends, assess new data, and keep up to date on graphics trends across all markets that
ahead
competes in.Balance creative needs with the introduction of more ambitious stretch goals designed to get attention, drive market share, create buzz, and enhance the perception of
ahead
in the marketplace while providing supervision, motivation, and direction to the creative staff.Supervising the department's daily workflow, assigning project workloads, and monitoring deadlines and deliverables, including the review of all key creative projects prior to delivery to the customer.Develop working partnerships with key decision makers at strategic accounts to instill continued trust and confidence in
ahead 's creative abilities which includes collaborating with marketing, sales, and products on trade show needs, guiding visual and product display that best promote
ahead 's capabilities, new products and ornamentation, and creative design.Direct logo development for both template and custom graphics, assessing trends across design, color, and technique.Spearhead the R&D of new techniques, development, and processes related to keeping ahead at the forefront of creative excellence in the categories and markets it competes in.Contribute to the development of creative resources both within and external to
ahead .Manage any outsource and / or freelance workload as required to meet deliverables.Partner with sales channel leaders to ensure marketing materials are aligned with current product offerings.Determine the communication medium to both reps and customers for selection of logo graphics to apply to all product categories and execute a project plan to deliver.Lead the initiative for seasonal new ornamentation with a focus on unique applications that can be effectively translated into a production environment, which includes overseeing sales sample ornamentation selection which reflects an aspirational assortment of graphics to drive sales.Attend trade shows and key customer appointments as needed to interact with reps and customers and maintain up to date market awareness.Develop a thorough working knowledge of
ahead 's product assortment, ornamentation techniques and processes and understand how those inform the creative approach.Contribute to overall leadership as a member of the executive team at
ahead , speaking not only for the creative side of the business but also adhering to the first team principle.Contribute to the overall success and growth of
ahead .The Ideal Candidate will have:Education
Minimum Bachelor's Degree required in a creative discipline with a minimum of 15 years' experience in Creative leadership roles, ideally in a sports related industry.Headwear and / or apparel and custom decoration experience preferred.Working knowledge of all programs including but not limited to InDesign, Adobe, and Microsoft Office Suite.Qualifications
Must willing to exhibit and model
ahead 's core values.Emotional intelligence, adaptability, collaboration, and business maturity are critical in this role with the ability to maintain work levels in a fast-paced work environment.Analytical and problem-solving skills.Ability to empathize with clients and team members.Leadership and public speaking skills.Exceptional planning and organization skills, including time-management.Ability to oversee projects, budgets and the creative departmentRecord of accomplishment in meeting or exceeding goals in service organizations with reputations for demanding high-level results.Superior interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills and ability to establish and maintain effective internal and external relationships to support business success.Willing to travel as needed for key client meetings and trade shows.Ability to deliver results under pressure, as well as the willingness to address and shift priorities.Ability to demand of himself/herself and others the highest level of personal and professional integrity, ethics, and confidentiality.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Senior DesignersCreative Liaison
The Senior Creative Director is responsible for leading the creative efforts for
Ahead , ensuring that the visual design, messaging, and branding align with the strategic goals of the organization. This role oversees the development of creative materials, leading with an approach that fosters innovation and excellence in all creative outputs. The Senior Creative Director is a strategic thinker who refines and approves creative concepts, mentors creative staff of all levels, and collaborates with others to ensure effectiveness of these efforts.
Primary Responsibilities Include:
Serve as the external facing creative voice for
ahead
across all markets that
ahead
competes in, engaging with sales representatives, customers, to reinforce
ahead 's creative place in the market.Lead and set the creative tone internally through mentoring, coaching, and managing the creative department, including participation in the hiring and development process of creative associates at all levels.Collaborate with other managers / departments including sales, marketing, product development, and operations, setting project deadlines and content goals ensuring all efforts are fully aligned.Set strategic direction for
ahead 's creative efforts, ensuring all are cohesive and brand enhancing.Evaluate market trends, assess new data, and keep up to date on graphics trends across all markets that
ahead
competes in.Balance creative needs with the introduction of more ambitious stretch goals designed to get attention, drive market share, create buzz, and enhance the perception of
ahead
in the marketplace while providing supervision, motivation, and direction to the creative staff.Supervising the department's daily workflow, assigning project workloads, and monitoring deadlines and deliverables, including the review of all key creative projects prior to delivery to the customer.Develop working partnerships with key decision makers at strategic accounts to instill continued trust and confidence in
ahead 's creative abilities which includes collaborating with marketing, sales, and products on trade show needs, guiding visual and product display that best promote
ahead 's capabilities, new products and ornamentation, and creative design.Direct logo development for both template and custom graphics, assessing trends across design, color, and technique.Spearhead the R&D of new techniques, development, and processes related to keeping ahead at the forefront of creative excellence in the categories and markets it competes in.Contribute to the development of creative resources both within and external to
ahead .Manage any outsource and / or freelance workload as required to meet deliverables.Partner with sales channel leaders to ensure marketing materials are aligned with current product offerings.Determine the communication medium to both reps and customers for selection of logo graphics to apply to all product categories and execute a project plan to deliver.Lead the initiative for seasonal new ornamentation with a focus on unique applications that can be effectively translated into a production environment, which includes overseeing sales sample ornamentation selection which reflects an aspirational assortment of graphics to drive sales.Attend trade shows and key customer appointments as needed to interact with reps and customers and maintain up to date market awareness.Develop a thorough working knowledge of
ahead 's product assortment, ornamentation techniques and processes and understand how those inform the creative approach.Contribute to overall leadership as a member of the executive team at
ahead , speaking not only for the creative side of the business but also adhering to the first team principle.Contribute to the overall success and growth of
ahead .The Ideal Candidate will have:Education
Minimum Bachelor's Degree required in a creative discipline with a minimum of 15 years' experience in Creative leadership roles, ideally in a sports related industry.Headwear and / or apparel and custom decoration experience preferred.Working knowledge of all programs including but not limited to InDesign, Adobe, and Microsoft Office Suite.Qualifications
Must willing to exhibit and model
ahead 's core values.Emotional intelligence, adaptability, collaboration, and business maturity are critical in this role with the ability to maintain work levels in a fast-paced work environment.Analytical and problem-solving skills.Ability to empathize with clients and team members.Leadership and public speaking skills.Exceptional planning and organization skills, including time-management.Ability to oversee projects, budgets and the creative departmentRecord of accomplishment in meeting or exceeding goals in service organizations with reputations for demanding high-level results.Superior interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills and ability to establish and maintain effective internal and external relationships to support business success.Willing to travel as needed for key client meetings and trade shows.Ability to deliver results under pressure, as well as the willingness to address and shift priorities.Ability to demand of himself/herself and others the highest level of personal and professional integrity, ethics, and confidentiality.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Senior DesignersCreative Liaison