Art Manager

Description

Art Manager

Department: Brand Strategy
Reports to: Creative Director
Location: Lawrence, KS or remote

Job Summary:As an Art Manager, you will play a pivotal role in guiding a team of graphic designers to success using servant leadership qualities and tactics. Your primary responsibility will be to professionally develop and continually lead your team to successful creative concepts for our financial planning clients (members).

You must demonstrate expert-level understanding of design principles, typography, color theory, and layout composition; be able to train and continually develop on these concepts to create a team of 11-star graphic designers.

You will work alongside the creative director to collect and deeply analyze data that aids in decisions we make about our brand tools. This data allows us to stay attuned to shifts in the competitive landscape, all to ensure our members' brands remain relevant and resonant in the minds of their audience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate conversations and presentations between members, internal teammates and stakeholders regarding brand identity including logos, color schemes, messaging, voice and tone
• Expertly understand (master) how Triad products work within the client journey to serve as a guide and ensure products and tools support a Member's place in the journey
• Collaborate with fellow managers in brand, communications, digital, video and operations to ideate, inspire, and oversee the quality of all client-facing brand deliverables
• Identify gaps in tool creation, quality and delivery by assessing internal data and using it to help the creative director drive better processes and efficiencies
• Prioritize, oversee and enforce quality control of client-facing deliverables to ensure a 0% mistake rate; collaborate with other managers to hold each other accountable
• Ability to step into direct reports' roles when needed
• Ability to easily maneuver between big-picture strategizing and in-the-weeds execution
• Produce high-quality design deliverables from initial concept sketches to polished mockups and prototypes, demonstrating mastery of design principles and techniques
• Masterfully present design concepts and rationale to members, articulating the strategy behind each decision and soliciting feedback to drive continuous improvement
• Demonstrate knowledge of brand-related business practices including advertising, market research, technology and budgeting; ability to transfer this knowledge to team
• Create and oversee production and printing process, ensuring high-quality output and adherence to project timelines
• Expert (mastery) understanding of regulatory, legal and compliance requirements within the independent financial advisory space
• Expert (mastery) understanding of industry KPIs that drive the tools from the brand strategy division and how those tools are effectively used in the marketplace
• Alongside the creative director, partner with coaching and business development tools to collaborate, ideate and estimate existing and new tool demands to effectively allocate (and plan for) resources
• Alongside the creative director, standardize KPIs of graphic designers for accountability
• Manage a team of graphic designers through servant leadership; provide art direction and creative guidance to internal and external stakeholders
• Review and approve final designs, ensuring they meet brand guidelines and project specifications
• Regularly assess and hold the graphic designers accountable to their required performance with the following:
  • Consistent 1:1s structured around performance and culture tracking resulting in organized and clear documentation; escalate if needed
  • Regular oversight (shadowing) on graphic designer calls/meetings to ensure performance expectations and best practices are being followed; escalate if needed
  • Regular oversight (shadowing) on calls/meetings between vertical managers to ensure collaboration, efficiencies, and professionalism; escalate if needed
  • Aid with regular professional and personal development; escalate if needed
  • Motivate to not to just meet, but exceed performance expectations
  • Inspire creativity, innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Consult on effective conflict resolution that results in proactive and transparent communication; escalate if needed
• Train graphic designers through both curriculum-based and situation-based trainings so that they can gain the expertise and confidence needed to guide members through the Triad products and Triad's Principles of Significance
• Document and manage team schedule to ensure proper year-round coverage for members; escalate if needed

Soft Skill Requirements:

• Innovative and Flexible Problem Solver:
• • Ability to adapt communication style to different mediums and member preferences
  • Ability to understand business objectives and translate them into effective and strategic designs
• Life-Long Learner:
• • Interest in the ideas and strategies behind business development, leadership and design best practices
  • Interest in emerging technologies and trends related to brand strategy, persuasion/influence and communication
  • Actively seek learning opportunities for graphic design strategy and marketing; must regularly demonstrate a passion for both
• Accountable and Proactive:
• • Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects to independently manage multiple at once without sacrificing quality or deadlines
  • Extremely organized with high attention to detail to ensure accuracy, consistency and quality
• Positive Team Player:
• • Open mind, positive outlook, and an abundance mentality
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills
  • Exhibit leadership qualities and a willingness to take on increasing responsibilities
  • Lead by example to proactively guide peers towards skill advancement

Required Qualifications:

• Proven experience (7+ years*) in graphic design roles, with a successful track record in leading
• Proven managerial experience (5+ years)
• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, visual communication, or related field
• Passionate and proficient in quality control, time management, and servant leadership
• Master in Microsoft (Teams, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)
• Advanced level design experience that demonstrates creativity, innovation and quality
• Exceptional customer service, communication and critical thinking skills
• Master in layout and formatting designs
• Master in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop)
• Proficient with interactive design tools such as Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of UX/UI design principles
• Proficient with data visualization
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to produce high-quality work even under tight deadlines
• Strong organizational and project management skills to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Familiarity with web design principles and user experience concepts
• Experience in the financial industry, specifically the FMO space preferred
• Familiarity with Salesforce and Asana preferred
• Proficient in video editing software (e.g., Premiere Pro) preferred

Core Competencies:

Extreme Ownership
Day One Mentality
Selfless
Customer-Obsessed
Culture Mindset
Long-term Thinking

Come do business, and life with us!