Creative Director

The Creative Director at American Equity Investment Life Insurance will report to the Head of Brand and Marketing Operations. The individual will lead a team responsible for creating design assets and content for the American Equity and Eagle Life brands.  Drawing on management experience, the role inspires team members to produce next level multi-channel creative & copy that aligns with brand and business goals. Collaboration with business partners and guiding creative professionals are key aspects of this role.

***This position will sit onsite in our West Des Moines, Iowa location***

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Leads, manages, and mentors a team of graphic designers, production artists, and content strategists and copywriters, ensuring high quality content that successfully engages the target audience

• Leads development and review of creative concepting, design, messaging and production for web, print, and digital marketing collateral, ensuring alignment with business goals and brand strategy aligned with established timelines, process and

• Manages multiple creative projects from start to finish; determines project objectives, brainstorms project or campaign themes, refines concepts, and oversees final production of deliverables.

• Produces a variety of creative projects including newsletters, advisor marketing materials, sales brochures, digital ads, web content, and various B2B and B2C marketing deliverables.
• Ensures the team has a strong understanding of American Equity and Eagle products and target audiences.
• Develops a strong, nimble team that creates innovative concepts that help translate complex product messaging and concepts into clear, compelling materials and digital experiences.
• Works closely with brand and marketing strategists to evolve, maintain, and implement brand guidelines for consistency across channels.
• Reviews, provides feedback, and approves creative marketing content, including design and copy, to ensure high quality deliverables on a consistent basis.
• Facilitates ongoing collaboration and alignment with internal stakeholders, especially with business marketing, sales, and product management.
• Work closely with Resource Planning Manager to establish appropriate lead times for various types of projects, optimizing team’s ability to deliver high quality work against tight deadlines.
• Guides team through efficient review and approval process for all projects with a focus on gaining consensus.
• .
• Assists the team in prioritization of multiple design and copywriting projects simultaneously. Ensure prioritization aligns with partner expectations.

• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of design techniques, trends, and emerging technologies.
• Manages design asset library and/or maintain digital records.
• Identifies, selects, and coordinates creative vendor services as required.
• Develops a continuous learning approach to facilitate growth and enhance the team’s skill set in design concepting and execution, copywriting, software aptitude, and best practices.

 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team of 8-10 designers, production artists, and copywriters.

 

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university, preferably in graphic design, communications, marketing, or related field.
• 8+ years of related creative experience including both design and copywriting, including 2+ years as a people manager of a creative team
• Experience in B2B, financial services, or related field a plus

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Proven success managing, developing, and inspiring a team of creative professionals
• Experience managing the creation of integrated content across multiple channels, e.g. digital, social media, email, paid media, mobile, offline, and print
• Experience leading development of content and digital journeys on websites, social media, online advertising and email campaigns
• Strong creative vision, grounded in a focus on business objectives
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Ability to successfully handle pressure, multi-task, adapt to change and meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.

• Digital workflow automation experience

 

SOFTWARE KNOWLEDGE LEVEL:

Basic	Intermediate	Expert
After Effects	Word	InDesign
Premiere Pro	Dreamweaver	Photoshop
Bridge	Outlook	PowerPoint
Camera Raw	Excel	Acrobat
Sketch	Marketing Cloud	Illustrator
Figma	InCopy	Workfront