Creative Lead, Artist Experiences, Growth & Operations

VAWAA

7d•$95,000 - $110,000•Remote

About The Position

We are building VAWAA, a global platform for human creativity in an AI world. VAWAA offers multi-day apprenticeships where people travel to learn directly from master artists in their studios, experiencing the rhythm of their practice and leaving transformed. Our guests are curious individuals seeking meaningful experiences beyond traditional vacations, while our artists are masters across various disciplines like ceramics, painting, weaving, and more. The company is growing rapidly, with demand outpacing supply and a significant waitlist of artists. The team is small (5 people) and operates with a focus on continuous improvement through feedback, observation, and system optimization to ensure a high-quality, 10-star experience. The business has strong fundamentals and a mission to champion human creativity.

Requirements

Trained creative judgment, experience producing excellent work, and the ability to operate commercially and get things shipped.
Trained in architecture, interior architecture, industrial or product design, or another discipline where you developed a strong understanding of materials, making, creative process, and visual quality.
Ability to distinguish between work that is competent, work that is interesting, and work that is genuinely distinctive and why it belongs on VAWAA.
At least 2–3 years of professional experience in a high-pace, high-standards creative environment such as a design or advertising agency, multidisciplinary studio, technology company, or creative startup.
Experience in a computer-based role requiring responsiveness, self-direction, and reliable delivery.
Relationship management experience through outreach, partnerships, onboarding, account management, or client support.
Ability to manage multiple relationships at once.
Commercially thoughtful: respect an artist’s practice while thinking clearly about guest demand, pricing, positioning, and what makes an experience compelling.
Strong editor with writing and visual judgment: ability to identify the story inside a large amount of messy information and turn an artist’s practice into clear, compelling content.
Highly organized AI-native operator and systems thinker: ability to manage many moving relationships, deadlines, and details simultaneously.
Experience maintaining a CRM, setting project timelines, and improving how information and work are organized.
Experience using AI and automation to coordinate multiple projects, build workflows, manage information, or increase team capacity.
Careful execution and effective prioritization: work efficiently, catch details, manage competing deadlines, and take responsibility for the quality of finished work without repeated reminders.
Independent judgment and an ownership mindset: form an original point of view, explain reasoning, make thoughtful decisions, and balance artist needs, guest experience, and business priorities.
Openness to feedback: advocate for ideas constructively, adapt when another direction is chosen, and remain engaged in making the work successful.
Cultural sensitivity, curiosity, and mission alignment: communicate respectfully across backgrounds and traditions and want to build a career helping a creative business grow.
Comfortable being hands-on: negotiate with an established artist in the morning and edit their page copy in the afternoon.
Approximately 6+ years of relevant professional experience (though focus is on ownership rather than years).
Must be available during New York working hours, with candidates living in US/Canada time zones.

Nice To Haves

An existing network of artists, designers, makers, or cultural organizations.
International or cross-cultural work experience.

Responsibilities

Own the growth of VAWAA’s artist supply, from identifying exceptional artists to building relationships, shaping their VAWAA experiences, and getting them successfully launched.
Identify and curate exceptional artists by reviewing applications, researching artists, and building priority shortlists based on creative quality, distinctiveness, geography, art form, and guest demand.
Lead video conversations to assess artistic mastery, communication, teaching ability, studio environment, hospitality, reliability, and overall VAWAA fit.
Build relationships and move artists forward by being a primary face of VAWAA to prospective artists, building trust, understanding motivations and hesitation, answering objections, establishing clear next steps, and helping the right artists confidently decide to join.
Shape VAWAA experiences that people will travel for by working with artists to turn their practice into a compelling multi-day experience, considering what makes the artist distinctive, what access a guest could have, what makes the experience worth traveling for, and how to balance artistic integrity with guest desire and business viability.
Develop and launch the story by reviewing artist submissions, identifying gaps, researching missing context, writing and editing profiles and experience descriptions, and selecting images that communicate the artist, process, and place.
Manage contracts, content, approvals, follow-ups, and launch deadlines so artists move from interest to live experience without things falling through the cracks.
Build systems as you go by improving how artists are screened, researched, prioritized, followed up with, onboarded, and launched.
Use AI and automation thoughtfully to increase capacity while knowing where human judgment and personal relationships matter.
Help build the operating system that future team members can work within.