Creative Director - Marketing

The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc., ("JALC") is to entertain, enrich, and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy. From college students to young stars, from working professionals to celebrated masters, we present quality jazz for an ever-increasing audience in an unprecedented range of activities and a variety of venues. We are dedicated to lifting audiences and bringing people together with substance and with integrity. JALC has created a dynamic platform where our key constituents - jazz artists (beginner to grizzled veteran), fans (casual listeners to advanced scholars), educators (local band leaders to leading artist-educators) and advocates (local community advocates to important national promoters) - can meet, engage, learn, and work towards common objectives.

Jazz at Lincoln Center is committed to the highest design standards and the projection of a coherent, well-managed brand identity. The organization has invested heavily in its brand equity and regards it as an institutional priority to manage its brand effectively and communicate its visual identity. The Creative Director oversees the development and execution of all design, photography, and brand activations based on the organization's strategic goals and objectives.

A passionate storyteller and effective communicator, the Creative Director oversees the organization's visual identity and aesthetics, ensuring that all products, programs, and design concepts remain on-brand and align with the narratives developed across the department for both programmatic and audience needs. This visionary leader inspires creative thinking and nurtures innovative ideas for new product designs and formats.

The Creative Director will lead a multi-disciplinary team of designers, photographers, and freelancers, ensuring a unified creative vision across all platforms.

In addition to leading and inspiring a team of creative people, the successful candidate will ensure that standards are articulated and met in all expressions of Jazz at Lincoln Center's owned media channels, marketing materials, graphics and signage, and ever-expanding digital footprint.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain oversight of and direct a creative team that develops strategic campaigns across all channels that speak to a global jazz audience with a distinct and consistent voice.
• Serve as a hands-on leader, providing creative and strategic leadership in product and design conceptualization, content development, and execution, as well as personally creating new art and designs.
• Work closely with executive leadership and departmental directors to develop ideas and conceptualize designs based on market and consumer trends, research and data, competitive analysis, and other pertinent sources.
• Create dynamic, impactful strategic campaigns, collateral, and assets to support all departments across the organization in meeting revenue goals and impact targets.
• Design annual season materials for subscribers, single-ticket buyers, and the wider public.
• Strengthen and articulate the brand DNA: voice, tone, look and feel.
• Serve as the guardian of JALC's brand standards, ensuring adherence across all internal and external touchpoints, including partner or co-branded materials.
• Maintain and evolve the organization's visual identity guidelines to adapt to new media, audiences, or organizational priorities.
• Lead the visual design and creative strategy for JALC's website, social media, email campaigns, and other digital platforms, ensuring an engaging, user-first experience. Oversee UX/UI improvements in collaboration with the Marketing and Media teams.
• Attend planning meetings and make presentations to staff and the Board of Directors showcasing the strategic and creative direction of a new project or annual campaign.
• Plan, manage, and implement budgets to ensure quality and efficiency and establish schedules for short-term and long-term projects.
• Manage department's workflow by reviewing and prioritizing all design requests to maintain project deadlines.
• Help build a world-class internal production team and capabilities rivaling any outside agency.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of practical work experience in design and creative direction
• Bachelor's degree in art, design, or a related discipline
• A strong understanding of brand development and multichannel marketing concepts
• In-depth knowledge of campaign storytelling, taking an interest in the best work and the newest platforms and technologies
• Understanding of established and emerging trends in content consumption and audience behavior
• Strong connections in video production, animation, photography, printing presses, and other essential vendors crucial to departmental success
• Experience with the complete range of the creative process, including knowledge of four-color printing methods, print production, press checks, and vendor file preparation.
• Experience in managing and mentoring multidisciplinary creative teams, both in-house and freelance.
• Experience with relevant software, including Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Ability to work well in a deadline-driven, collaborative environment.

Work Hours

JALC does not offer a hybrid work schedule. All staff work together as a team, Monday through Friday at our offices (either Jazz at Lincoln Center's administrative offices at 3 Columbus Circle or at Frederick P. Rose Hall, The House of Swing).

Jazz at Lincoln Center is an equal opportunity employer that affords equal opportunities to all applicants, employees, contractors, and other covered persons, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Jazz at Lincoln Center is committed to creating an inclusive, open, and respectful culture that reflects and embraces diversity.