Vice President of Brand & Creative

Proper Hospitality Careers•Santa Monica, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Proper Hospitality is an independent hospitality company operating a growing portfolio of design-forward properties under the Proper Hotels, By Proper, and The Collective brands. We are not a large hotel chain. We build brands with texture rooted in place, culture, food and beverage, wellness, and community. Our creative output is a direct expression of that conviction. This is a senior leadership position and one of the most senior creative roles in the company. The Vice President of Brand & Creative owns the strategic and creative direction of the Proper portfolio. You set the standard, shape the point of view, and ensure that everything we put into the world across every brand, channel, and property is coherent, intentional, and differentiated. You will partner closely with the C-suite and founders to shape how Proper shows up in the world, and work in close partnership with F&B, wellness, programming, marketing, and property teams. You will lead an in-house creative and social team — including a Creative Director, design, and brand & campaign — bringing senior direction, editorial standard, and operating discipline to a function poised to scale with the company. The social media function will report directly into this role. This position is responsible for defining Proper's social strategy, creative voice, and content standards across all platforms, while leading and developing the social team to ensure social is fully integrated into the broader brand and creative vision. AI fluency — or strong systems thinking with active buy-in — is a requirement. You'll use AI tools meaningfully in your own practice and lead the work of translating brand voice, editorial standards, and creative judgment into systems that scale across the portfolio. This is one of the first functions at Proper where AI-augmented workflows will be visible, and you'll help define how.

Requirements

Active, demonstrated use of AI tools in your own creative practice — or a clear, evidenced point of view on systems and how creative work scales through them. We're looking for fluency or strong systems thinking with active buy-in, not theoretical interest
Ability to assess and integrate new AI-powered creative tools and workflows at the team level
10+ years of progressive brand and creative experience, with at least 3 in a senior leadership capacity
Demonstrated experience leading integrated creative teams, including oversight of social media and content functions
Demonstrated ability to build and steward multi-property or multi-brand creative systems
Background in lifestyle, hospitality, fashion, or culture-driven consumer brands preferred
Strong strategic thinker: you connect brand to business, not just visual to visual
Proven collaborator across non-creative disciplines: ops, F&B, programming, real estate
Ability to brief and direct external agencies and creative partners at a high level
Clear, direct communicator with a point of view you can defend
Energized by team-building: comfortable leading and developing a team that includes junior and mid-level talent, raising both the standard and the capability of the people around you
Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment
Energized by a blank canvas: this role will help define what Proper means creatively as we scale into new markets, properties, and residential projects

Responsibilities

Brand strategy and evolution across Proper Hotels, By Proper, and The Collective
Campaign concepting and storytelling: defining the narrative, not just the look
Creative direction across all channels including digital, print, environmental, social, and brand partnerships
Consistency and integrity of brand expression across all properties and sub-brands
Cross-functional creative collaboration with F&B, wellness, programming, sales, and operations
Leadership of the in-house design and creative team, setting direction, raising the standard, and ensuring consistent execution across all outputs
External agency and vendor relationships: briefing, directing, and holding standards
Building the creative infrastructure and processes needed as the company scales
Leading AI adoption within the creative function: defining how brand voice and creative standards translate into AI-augmented workflows for ideation, production, and brand consistency, and holding the team accountable to using them well
Ensure brand and creative are a meaningful driver of commercial performance — supporting revenue growth across properties and reinforcing positioning with key partners
Social media: leadership of the social function and team, defining social strategy, creative voice, content standards, and platform storytelling across all properties — including codifying how corporate and property-level social work together as the portfolio scales

Benefits

Competitive Salary + Bonus
Recognition Programs
Annual Performance Reviews
Culture of Growth
Guided Skills Development
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Community Engagement
Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision plans through Aetna
Wellness Access: Company-subsidized memberships with Equinox and ClassPass, plus wellbeing workshops and mental health resources
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Paid Time Off: Flexible PTO plus 11 paid holidays each year for corporate team members
Paid Parental Leave
Flexible Work Practices: Hybrid schedules for eligible roles and an emphasis on work-life balance
401(k) Program: Company match of 50% of employee deferrals, up to the first 4% of eligible compensation
Employer-Paid Life & Disability Insurance
Financial Education
Hotel Stay Benefits: 75% off BAR (floor of $100) across the Proper portfolio
Design Hotels Partnership: 50% off participating Marriott Design Hotels
Dining Discounts: 75% off food & beverage at all Proper Hospitality outlets
Lifestyle Perks: Complimentary or subsidized parking, cell phone reimbursement, and exclusive hospitality and retail discounts