Executive Creative Director

Mercury•Portland, OR

5d•$229,700 - $319,000

About The Position

In 1954, architect Eero Saarinen designed a radically modern bank branch for Irwin Union in Columbus, Indiana. With glass walls, no private offices, and a floor plan that invited openness, it embodied a new kind of transparency in finance. The building was surrounded by trees, furnished by Herman Miller, and featured rustic brick flooring. Today, that space is a conference center, and that spirit of design-forward thinking in banking feels all but extinct. Mercury believes that level of care and craft in design has been lost in modern finance and we’re building a brand that brings it back. We’re building a company with the ambition to become the new standard for banking: products that are technically excellent and extraordinary to use, with a brand to match. We’re looking for an Executive Creative Director to elevate Mercury’s brand from strong to best-in-class, and to set a bar for craft, clarity, and taste across the entire industry. This is a rare opportunity to build a category defining brand, at a company that truly values brand and design. As Executive Creative Director, you’ll be responsible for Mercury’s brand and creative expression across every customer touchpoint outside of the product (and you’ll collaborate with product designers to bring the brand inside the product, too) Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column, NA, Members FDIC.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in creative leadership roles, with both in-house and agency experience
Experience building or evolving brands at companies known for strong design and craft
Exceptional taste — and the ability to articulate what it will take to push work from good to great
Ability to understand high-level strategy and translate it into clear, tactical feedback for creative teams
Excellent leadership and ability to set a vision that the entire company can get excited by
Comfort operating at all levels – both where are we going in 10 years? And how can we make this billboard more resonant?
Credibility with designers, writers, and product teams alike
Willingness to take creative risks in service of building a distinctive, durable brand
Ability to manage complexity: evolving a brand while delivering against an ambitious roadmap

Responsibilities

Own the creative vision behind Mercury’s brand – elegant, technically excellent, creative, and unmistakably recognizable
Set strategy and vision for how we can establish Mercury as the new standard for design and craft in modern banking
Oversee creative and brand work across all marketing channels, including digital ads, OOH, video, editorial and blog content, website, events & experiential marketing, physical products (like our credit cards and print magazine), and more
Ensure a consistently high bar for craft, clarity, and creativity across all channels
Lead a growing team of 16+ talented creatives (brand designers, writers, and people managers); as well as manage and direct external agencies and freelancers
Foster a team culture for delivering excellent and impactful creative work
Be comfortable getting hands-on when needed — reviewing work in detail and providing precise, actionable feedback to push work from good to excellent
Partner closely with Product Design and Product leadership to ensure brand and product feel cohesive
Collaborate with executive leadership to translate strategy into creative direction.