Director, Brand Creative

Smoothie King•Coppell, TX

14h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Brand Creative provides creative leadership for Smoothie King’s brand: leading the in-house design and copywriting team, directing our creative agency partners, and owning the overall creative vision across every channel and touchpoint. This role moves beyond day-to-day production to make leadership decisions on brand direction, proactively drive new creative programs, and serve as the key stakeholder safeguarding brand integrity. The Director is also responsible for championing AI creative tools to expand what the team can produce and test, and acts as a strategic right hand to the VP, Brand, at the integration table.

Requirements

Genuine experience with, or strong curiosity for, AI creative tools and platforms, and how they can expand creative production, testing, and versioning.
Proven creative leadership: comfortable making brand and creative decisions, not just executing direction from others.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and present to senior leadership.
Strong understanding of design principles, typography, and color theory, with working proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
Experience directing external creative agencies as a strategic, collaborative partner, not just managing deliverables.
Ability to build and sustain team culture, morale, and pride in the work, while managing a fast-paced environment and competing priorities.
Promote the culture, values, and mission of Smoothie King.
Bachelor’s degree in art, graphic design, marketing, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
7+ years proven experience in graphic design or brand creative, with a strong portfolio showcasing your work.
5+ years experience in a creative leadership or managerial role, including experience directing outside creative agencies.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with AI creative tools/platforms strongly preferred, or a demonstrated track record of quickly learning and championing new creative technology.
Experience with video and editing highly preferred.
Personal passion for health and fitness is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own creative leadership decisions on brand direction, voice, and visual identity, moving beyond day-to-day production to lead the team’s vision and output.
Serve as the key stakeholder safeguarding brand integrity and consistency across every channel and touchpoint.
Proactively identify opportunities and drive new creative programs, rather than only responding to inbound briefs.
Provide creative direction and leadership to our agency partners as a collaborative, strategic partner, especially on media, helping shape an integrated brand look and feel.
Partner with our creative agency to shift its role from execution-based production toward concept, strategy, and integrated brand thinking, while building the in-house team’s capacity to execute against that vision.
Own the development of PR visuals and POP visuals, and drive the broader vision of the brand forward.
Champion the adoption of AI creative tools to expand in-house content output and enable more testing and creative versioning, leading the team through that adoption.
Manage the creative department budget, optimizing resources, tools, and training to support the team’s evolving scope.
Act as a strategic right hand to the VP, Brand, sitting at the integration table and helping the broader team think about how to do everything better.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, R&D, and other departments to translate business strategy and promotions into compelling visual communication, including menus, campaigns, and digital content.