Creative Director

Navan • San Francisco, CA

9h • $143,100 - $318,000

About The Position

At Navan, our mission is to power the in-person connections that move people, ideas, and businesses forward. We help our travelers focus on being there, not getting there. Navan’s Marketing team is looking for a Creative Director to lead a talented, high-output creative studio that balances the prestige of a world-class brand with the relentless speed of a social-first newsroom. You won't inherit a playbook or manage "the look"—you will have greenfield creative authority to shape the brand and business impact of every creative asset. This role requires someone comfortable operating in a dual-audience world, possessing a consumer-grade storytelling sensibility. You understand that enterprise creative doesn’t have to be boring, and you know how to switch registers to make both corporate buyers (CFOs, procurement) and end-users feel seen across their emotional and rational journeys.

Requirements

• 10+ years of creative leadership with a proven track record of building and mentoring high-performing design/creative teams.
• Scaled creative operations through significant growth inflections (e.g., Series C+, rapid headcount expansions, or post-IPO environments).
• Big-brand pedigree leading multi-channel, integrated campaigns for global brands, paired with an infrastructure-agnostic mindset.
• Formative years spent in fast-paced environments like newsrooms, agencies, or social-first shops.
• Thrive in an environment of candor and assertive leadership. You provide direct, objective feedback and expect the same from your peers and team.
• Hold a "strong opinion, loosely held". You will fiercely defend the best creative concept, but you possess the humility and speed to pivot instantly when stakeholder needs or business data dictate a new direction.

Nice To Haves

• Ideally, you have run creative inside design-forward travel/hospitality brands (e.g., Airbnb, Away, Expedia), category-norm-breaking B2B SaaS spaces (e.g., Stripe, Figma, Brex), or consumer lifestyle brands with a distinct B2B reach (e.g., Squarespace, Notion).

Responsibilities

• Own the Creative Vision: Drive the global creative strategy and brand consistency across all marketing assets, platforms, and physical experiences—from TV, OOH, Digital, and Social to flagships like our Navigate conference.
• Lead a High-Output Engine: Oversee and scale our in-house design, copy, video, and animation team.
• Integrate Creative into the Business: Help writers and designers deeply understand Navan’s business model, sales cycles, and customer pain points. You are fluent in the metrics of conversion and business impact, not just aesthetics.
• Pioneer AI-Driven Efficiency: Act as a champion for generative innovation. You will operationalize AI tools to automate ideation, rapid prototyping, mood boarding, and asset generation—enabling your team to move 10x faster and stay focused on "big-rock" ideas.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Act as a strategic peer to Demand Generation, Sales, and regional teams to translate complex functionality into powerful, persona-centric campaigns.

Benefits

• A post-IPO company with real momentum and an internal culture that always asks "Can we go bigger?" rather than one that hedges.
• Travel as a creative canvas: rich, emotional visual territory that most B2B corporate creative functions never get access to.
• An execution-strong, capable team that is hungry to be pushed, elevated, and expanded.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed