Creative Execution Lead

Northern Trust • Chicago, IL

1d • $137,400 - $240,400 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Creative Execution Lead is a senior, hands-on leadership role responsible for driving the end-to-end delivery of creative production and integrated campaigns into market. This is a true player-coach role that balances direct involvement in the work with leadership of the team delivering it. Sitting at the intersection of creative craft, production excellence and team leadership, and reporting to the Head of Creative, you will personally lead and contribute to execution across multiple channels while mentoring, coaching, and developing the creative team responsible for day-to-day delivery. This leader ensures that creative ideas are translated into high-quality, on-brand, and on-time executions across digital, social, video, print and emerging platforms. You will partner closely with Marketing strategists, Digital, Compliance, and external vendors to operationalize campaigns efficiently while maintaining a high creative bar. This is a pivotal role in scaling creative output, strengthening production rigor, and building a confident, capable execution team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Fine Arts, Communications, or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of experience leading a creative team of 8+ people (agency or in house)
• Strong understanding of production workflows across digital, social, video, and print
• Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud; experience with production management tools a plus
• Ability to partner effectively with cross-functional teams and external vendors
• Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills
• Experience working in large organizations or regulated industries is a plus
• A portfolio demonstrating strong executional craft across channels
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa).

Responsibilities

• Lead Creative Execution & Marketing Delivery: Own the executional delivery of creative production for campaigns from concept handoff through final launch.
• Translate creative strategy and direction into actionable production plans and timelines.
• Ensure campaigns are delivered on time, on brief, and ready for market across all required channels.
• Act as the primary executional lead for integrated campaigns, coordinating across teams and partners.
• Build, Mentor & Coach the Creative Team: Lead, mentor, and coach designers and production-focused team members.
• Provide clear direction, constructive feedback, and growth-oriented coaching to elevate craft and confidence.
• Support career development by identifying strengths, skill gaps, and learning opportunities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Oversee Production Across Channels: Oversee the production of digital, social, video, print and experiential assets.
• Ensure creative output aligns with brand standards, campaign objectives, and channel specifications.
• Guide motion design, animation, and video execution in partnership with the internal and external teams.
• Manage multiple workstreams and priorities while maintaining quality and consistency.
• Drive Operational Excellence & Process Rigor: Establish and refine production workflows, resourcing models, and delivery standards.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks early and proactively resolve them.
• Balance speed, quality, and efficiency across concurrent campaigns and initiatives.
• Continuously improve executional processes, templates, and ways of working.
• Collaborate Across Creative, Marketing & External Partners: Coordinate with production partners and vendors to scale delivery as needed.
• Present work-in-progress and final executions clearly, articulating rationale and trade-offs.
• Ensure alignment across stakeholders while protecting creative integrity and executional quality.
• Ensure Quality & Brand Consistency: Uphold brand standards across all executions and touchpoints.
• Conduct quality reviews to ensure accuracy, consistency, and readiness for market.
• Ensure final assets meet technical, legal, and compliance requirements prior to launch.
• Champion creative excellence while operating within real-world constraints.

Benefits

• retirement benefits (401k and pension)
• health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability)
• paid time off
• parental and caregiver leave
• life & accident insurance
• other voluntary and well-being benefits
• discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior