Head of Creative

Sporting Kansas City•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

Sporting Kansas City is seeking a visionary Head of Creative to lead and inspire our creative organization across all fan touchpoints driving creative excellence that connects purpose, performance, and soccer culture. This critical role is responsible for setting the creative direction, design and storytelling while driving innovation and emotional connection with our fans. The candidate we seek is a strategic and conceptual thinker with a deep understanding of brand storytelling. Thinking next level is a given, and this role works directly with national partners like adidas and the MLS office. Reporting directly to the Chief Marketing Officer, the Head of Creative is a key member of the marketing leadership team and oversees the internal creative & merchandise team, including art direction, copywriting, design, video, merchandise and styling—while partnering cross-functionally across internal teams and external agencies. This leader will champion emotionally resonant, strategically grounded creative that evolves how fans experience and engage with the Sporting Kansas City brand.

Requirements

Creative Leadership: 10+ years of progressive creative direction experience within sports, apparel, lifestyle, or agency environments.
Strategic Storytelling: Proven success driving brand evolution through emotionally resonant, purpose-driven creative work.
Team Building: Experience developing and mentoring diverse, high-performing creative teams.
Collaboration: Strong ability to build trust and alignment across internal partners and external agencies.
Execution Excellence: Expertise in design, photography, and digital best practices with a strong understanding of omnichannel marketing.
Analytical Mindset: Ability to assess and optimize creative performance against business goals.
Inspirational Communicator: Exceptional storytelling, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
Tools: Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Workfront, G-Suite, Keynote, and related tools.
Flexibility: Willingness to travel as needed to support creative initiatives and cross-functional collaboration.
Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Marketing, Communication, or a related field.
Portfolio of work that reflects omnichannel creative leadership
Strategic and conceptual thinker with a deep understanding of brand storytelling.
Inspirational leader with excellent communication and presentation skills.
Highly collaborative with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization.
Passion for quality, craftsmanship, and the customer experience.
Clear understanding of merchandise design.
Understanding of soccer culture and/or professional sports

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or additional certifications in Creative Direction or Brand Strategy is a plus.

Responsibilities

Creative Leadership & Vision With the CMO, define and evolve the creative vision and brand identity across all channels.
Champion a fan-first approach to storytelling that reflects Sporting KC’s heritage, values, and product promise.
Lead the development of seasonal creative strategies and designs that align with business goals and marketing campaigns.
Leverage consumer and cultural insights to inform creative decisions that drive engagement and strengthen brand connection.
Team Management & Collaboration Inspire, mentor, and manage a multidisciplinary team of merchandise, creative director, designers, videographers, and photographers.
Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Partnerships, Youth Soccer, Ticketing, Marketing, E-commerce, and Retail teams to ensure creative direction supports business goals and strengthens Sporting KC’s club distinction.
Champion a fan-first approach, ensuring all design and merchandising decisions enhance engagement, conversion, and loyalty.
Execution & Innovation Define and execute a holistic creative vision aligned with Sporting’s long-range brand plan and marketing strategy.
Oversee the creation of high-impact creative assets with a digital-first mindset (social, e-commerce, email), stadium and in-store environments.
Drive a high-performance creative culture that values innovation and results, while ensuring creative expressions reflect Sporting KC’s unique brand voice, maintaining consistency and emotional resonance across every touchpoint.
Lead creative innovation by exploring emerging trends, cultural insights, and emerging technologies that keep Sporting Kansas City’s brand innovative, relevant and aspirational across the MLS.
Operational Excellence Measure and assess creative effectiveness, optimizing output to maximize brand and business impact.
Champion creative consistency across all channels—retail, digital, social, stadium and events—to deliver a cohesive and inspiring brand experience.
Define and track KPIs to measure visual merchandising’s impact on the fan experience.
Partner with external agencies and vendors as needed to scale creative output.
Cross-Functional Partnership Collaborate with external agencies to deliver integrated campaigns that uphold brand integrity and inspire meaningful consumer action.
Encourage cross-functional partnership to align creative execution with marketing and brand storytelling.
Site and Social UX Leads - to deliver a seamless and brand-right fan experience across digital platforms.
Align physical and digital experiences through integrated design systems and innovation.