VP, Brand Creative and Innovation

The Vice President of Brand Creative & Innovation will lead innovation in content creation, storytelling, and brand experiences, ensuring Build-A-Bear remains an emotionally resonant, culturally relevant, and commercially impactful brand. This role has a profound strategic impact, shaping audience connection, fosters engagement, and business growth while driving brand differentiation and long-term success.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute bold and innovative creative vision
• Lead a multidisciplinary team in design, copywriting, content, visual merchandising, and digital
• Creative brand leadership
• Apply a deep understanding of guest insights, market trends, and cultural moments
• Storytelling and content development
• Partner with internal teams and external agencies to produce breakthrough campaigns
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure a unified and strategic brand expression
• Evolve our digital and omnichannel approach
• Explore and leverage new technologies and engagement strategies
• Brand governance
• Optimize workflows

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in creative leadership with a strong background in brand strategy, content creation, and storytelling across multiple channels
• Able to develop, present, and execute a strategic long-term vision
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects)
• Typography & Layout Design
• UI/UX Design (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD)
• Motion Graphics & Animation (After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender)
• Photography & Videography (Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Final Cut)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Retail or customer-facing industries
• Bachelor's degree

Behavioral Traits for Success:

• Leads with a confident style that can enliven, engage, and positively impact individuals and groups
• Driven to achieve outstanding results
• Enjoys meeting and interacting with new people
• Displays strong initiative and self-direction
• Comfortable making rapid decisions in ambiguous situations
• Motivated to build high-performing people and teams
• Maintains a positive outlook when encountering challenging circumstances
• Thrives in creating a fun and interactive experiences
• Able to remain calm under pressure
• Enjoys mentoring and developing others

Working Environment:

• Typical office environment with climate control and sufficient lighting, ergonomic desk/chairs
• Hybrid work schedule
• Corporate Office located St. Louis, MO
• Limited Domestic Travel

Your Performance Will Be Measured On:

Your performance will be measured by your ability to achieve annual department objectives and corporate goals which include but are not limited to the following.

• Overall creativity and innovation
• Decision-making, judgment, and execution
• Ability to foster team collaboration, communication, and performance
• Adherence to brand guidelines by all
• Efficiency
• Lead digital initiatives (interactive storytelling, social media, emerging technologies, and e-Commerce
• Quality 3rd party partners
• Use of technology
• A unified and strategic brand expression among cross functional teams
• Able to communicate complex issues in a clear and concise manner
• Quality presentations that are engaging and offer actionable insight
• Stakeholder Feedback