Senior Manager, Brand Creative

PetSmart•Phoenix, AZ

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

PetSmart is building a modern, high-performing in-house creative organization—one that owns outcomes, moves fast, and leverages innovation to scale impact. As Senior Manager, Brand Creative, you are a proactive creative leader who blends strong creative judgment, operational discipline, and an AI-forward mindset to deliver exceptional brand storytelling. As Senior Manager, Brand Creative, you serve as a senior creative leader with significant scope, influence, and ownership. In many organizations, this level of responsibility aligns to an Associate Creative Director; at PetSmart, we’ve intentionally structured the Senior Manager role to lead with both creative authority and operational accountability. This role calls for a proactive, collaborative, confident leader who thinks ahead, owns results, and communicates with purpose. You are relentlessly curious about better, smarter, faster ways to create and scale impact—while protecting the integrity of the brand. You are brand obsessed and have a keen eye for aesthetically impactful photography and design. You lead with humility and extreme collaboration, grounded in the belief that the strongest work happens when the entire team succeeds.

Requirements

A visual storyteller with an exceptional eye for imagery, composition, color, and brand expression
A proactive, solution-oriented leader who takes full ownership and follows through
Highly articulate communicator who can confidently present creative work to peers, senior leaders, and executives
Deeply experienced in art-directing photo and video shoots, including pre-production, on-set direction, and post-production
Highly Strategic and business-minded—you understand how creative drives emotional connection and business results
Organized, decisive, deadline & process oriented and calm under pressure in a (very) fast-paced environment
Future-minded, constantly exploring new tools, workflows, and ways of working
Collaborative, kind, direct, and trusted by partners and peers
Passionate about mentoring talent and building high-performing teams
A true pet lover who brings heart, pride, and purpose to the work
6–10+ years of creative experience in retail, lifestyle, or consumer brands
4+ years leading or managing creative teams (Senior Manager, Associate Creative Director)
Proven experience creating, evolving, and extending cohesive visual systems that scale across campaigns, brand identities, and style guides
Strong portfolio demonstrating brand-defining ideas, designs, photography, video, and campaign work
Expert in Adobe Creative Suite, presentation software; working knowledge of Figma, and modern production tools
Excellent communication, storytelling, and executive-level presentation skills
Proven ability to balance creative vision with operational rigor
Demonstrated interest in growth toward Creative Director role. You’re willing to put in the hard work

Nice To Haves

Working experience with AI-enabled creative workflows and emerging technologies strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Lead and elevate brand campaigns, seasonal storytelling, special projects and evergreen brand moments across digital and physical channels
Partner closely with the Creative Director to define, protect, and evolve PetSmart’s brand look, feel, and creative standards
Actively lead and participate in brainstorming and creative sessions, shaping ideas into clear, executable concepts.
Serve as a hands-on creative lead, designing work, strategically conceptualizing campaigns and art-directing photography and video from concept through post-production
Own creative quality, consistency, and storytelling excellence across all brand work
Act as a trusted creative and brand expert and Creative Director proxy when needed—leading reviews, presentations, and partner discussions
Partner with the Creative Director to communicate and reinforce brand and visual standards with marketing and business partners, while supporting governance of external agencies and production partners
Collaborate deeply with Copy, Digital Creative, Store Creative, Marketing, Merchandising, and eCommerce teams to ensure holistic campaign alignment
Build strong relationships with photographers, producers, stylists, editors, and external partners
Lead, mentor, develop, and allocate work for 2 – 5 designers and art directors, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and creative ambition
Manage multiple high-profile projects simultaneously while balancing speed, quality, and brand integrity
Champion operational excellence by driving more AI utilization, automation, and modern production workflows to improve efficiency and scale
Stay ahead of cultural, retail, and design trends—keeping PetSmart’s brand work fresh, relevant, and differentiated

Benefits

Pet-friendly environment, bring your pets to work and enjoy the on-site dog park!
On-Site Events & Adoptions, enjoy community-building opportunities, including pet adoption days, seasonal celebrations, family events, art events, & holiday festivals
“Top Dog” gym with equipment, fitness classes, massage therapists, personal trainers, and wellness spaces
“Sit & Stay” Café serving fresh breakfast and lunch options, snacks, & more
“Lil Paws” NAEYC-accredited onsite childcare facility providing high-quality early education
Paid Volunteer Opportunities to spend time doing good for causes close to heart
Print Center and Business Services, Dry Cleaning, Mother's Rooms, Sustainable Infrastructure & more
PetSmart provides an equal opportunity for all associates and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics.

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