AEG
About the Pittsburgh Penguins:
Founded in 1967 as one of the NHL's first expansion teams during the league's original expansion from six teams to twelve, the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the most prestigious brands in sports. The Penguins have appeared in the Stanley Cup Final six times and have won five times, including back-to-back championships in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Job Summary:
The Pittsburgh Penguins seek an inspiring and visionary Creative Director to partner with the VP of Marketing in setting the strategic vision and overseeing the execution of creative initiatives for the team. This role will guide the team's brand identity across all platforms, ensuring that visuals, messaging, and campaigns resonate deeply with fans and stakeholders. The Creative Director will manage a multidisciplinary team, set the visual tone for the brand, and ensure alignment with organizational objectives. A deep passion for sports, particularly hockey, and prior experience in team-oriented environments is highly desirable.
The ideal candidate has a strategic creative vision but can adjust to meet the needs of the many stakeholders within a professional sports organization from ticketing to partnerships to community efforts. The nature of this job requires adjustments on the fly, collaboration, and the ability to react quickly just like the sport of hockey. The candidate should have a strong sense of digital and performance marketing best practices and a desire to create campaigns that not only drive the business, but also set the standard for visionary marketing in the NHL.
This job requires a flexible schedule including work outside of normal business hours including weekends, evenings, and some holidays based on the established team schedule. In addition to a standard 40-hour work week, availability for games, events, and other projects is expected.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Campaign Oversight
Creative Team Leadership
Project And Production Management
Collaboration And Communication
Qualifications
Job Questions:
Founded in 1967 as one of the NHL's first expansion teams during the league's original expansion from six teams to twelve, the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the most prestigious brands in sports. The Penguins have appeared in the Stanley Cup Final six times and have won five times, including back-to-back championships in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Job Summary:
The Pittsburgh Penguins seek an inspiring and visionary Creative Director to partner with the VP of Marketing in setting the strategic vision and overseeing the execution of creative initiatives for the team. This role will guide the team's brand identity across all platforms, ensuring that visuals, messaging, and campaigns resonate deeply with fans and stakeholders. The Creative Director will manage a multidisciplinary team, set the visual tone for the brand, and ensure alignment with organizational objectives. A deep passion for sports, particularly hockey, and prior experience in team-oriented environments is highly desirable.
The ideal candidate has a strategic creative vision but can adjust to meet the needs of the many stakeholders within a professional sports organization from ticketing to partnerships to community efforts. The nature of this job requires adjustments on the fly, collaboration, and the ability to react quickly just like the sport of hockey. The candidate should have a strong sense of digital and performance marketing best practices and a desire to create campaigns that not only drive the business, but also set the standard for visionary marketing in the NHL.
This job requires a flexible schedule including work outside of normal business hours including weekends, evenings, and some holidays based on the established team schedule. In addition to a standard 40-hour work week, availability for games, events, and other projects is expected.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Help define and implement the creative vision for the Pittsburgh Penguins across all touchpoints, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and brand values.
- Develop and oversee a cohesive creative strategy for campaigns, fan initiatives, merchandise, and digital platforms.
- Act as a steward of the Penguins' brand, ensuring all creative outputs are on-brand, reflecting the organization's values and fostering an emotional connection with fans.
- Help create and foster initiatives that drive fans to come to watch the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena - this can include ticketing efforts, theme nights, and more.
- A desire to break from the status quo and help the Penguins stand out from not only the rest of the NHL, but sports overall.
Campaign Oversight
- Lead the ideation and execution of high-impact campaigns, promotions, fan engagement, corporate sponsorships, and key team initiatives.
- Collaborate with stakeholders across marketing, content, and sponsorship teams to deliver innovative, results-driven campaigns that resonate with the Penguins' fanbase.
- Use data and insights to make campaign adjustments. The ability to pivot campaigns based on real-time data is essential to this role.
Creative Team Leadership
- Lead, mentor, build, and inspire a team of in-house creatives, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence across both our graphics and in-house production teams.
- Work closely with external creatives to deliver high-quality, on-brand solutions.
- Promote a supportive team environment that encourages growth, creativity, and continuous improvement, while ensuring the creative team delivers top-tier work.
- Act as a liaison between the Pittsburgh Penguins and creative departments within other organizations that are part of Fenway Sports Group.
Project And Production Management
- Oversee production schedules, ensuring the timely delivery of creative assets while maintaining high-quality standards.
- Direct high-profile projects, including photoshoots and video productions, ensuring alignment with creative objectives and brand guidelines.
Collaboration And Communication
- Act as the primary creative liaison across departments, presenting ideas and concepts to executives, partners, and other stakeholders.
- Provide clear and actionable feedback to ensure the creative team meets and exceeds expectations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, graphic design, or a related field.
- At least 8 years of professional experience in creative roles, with 3+ years in a leadership position.
- Proven expertise in leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering innovative, on-brand creative solutions.
- Strong knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, with experience using other industry-standard tools and platforms like Canva, Final Cut, Figma, After Effects, and project management tools like Asana and Workfront.
- Extensive experience directing photoshoots and video productions.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate creative concepts and strategies effectively.
- Outstanding organizational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Prior experience in sports, entertainment, or team-oriented organizations is highly valued. Advertising agency experience is also highly valued.
- Passion for sports and a strong understanding of hockey culture and fan engagement.We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
Job Questions:
- Do you have experience leading a team?
- If yes, please describe your experience.
- Do you have experience with the Adobe Creative Suite?
- Please submit a portfolio of your work.