Creative Services Manager

Company Overview

North Sails is a global leader in sailmaking technology, renowned for its innovative high-performance sails and cutting-edge composite construction processes. Our team works with everyone from local club racers and cruisers to grand prix racing programs around the world. We are passionate about sailing, innovation, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Primary Purpose

The Creative Service Manager guides the creative direction of North Sails across website, social, advertising, and photo/video content. Reporting to the Marketing Director, this hands-on role manages a small in-house design team while still doing design work directly. The role works closely with Social, Web, Sales, and Apparel, and supports our global network by keeping creative consistent across regions and markets.

North Sails is the sailmaking division of the company, and this role covers creative for the sailmaking business. It works alongside the Apparel team on shared web spaces such as the homepage and navigation, as well as any shared projects or promotions, but does not lead Apparel creative.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the development of creative concepts and campaign narratives from brief through execution.
• Develop creative direction for selling promotions and campaigns.
• Keep up with trends in design, digital, and the marine and performance sports space, and bring relevant ideas to the team.
• Maintain and regularly update the brand book.
• Review the website and other creative against the brand book and flag gaps.
• Create and maintain usage and format guidelines for the Sailmaking team so content is consistently on-brand.
• Manage in-house designers: delegate workload, provide feedback, and develop their skills.
• Stay current with AI-driven workflows to enhance creative output and productivity[AS1] .
• Brief, direct, and review freelancers and agencies.
• Manage creative budgets and timelines.
• Direct UX layout architecture, imagery selection, and copy placement for landing pages, editorial content, and new page rollouts.
• Create wireframes, mockups, and page templates for new sections to enhance visuals and UX.
• Identify UX improvement opportunities across the site and partner with the web development team to execute buildouts.
• Ensure website content accurately reflects current product information and promotional campaigns.
• Support the Social team on the design of social content: carousels, service graphics, and general social graphics.
• Create or direct paid social and ad graphics, in coordination with the design team.
• Plan content needs with the Social team ahead of shoots and campaigns.
• Own the digital asset management process, ensuring approved creative assets are organized, archived, and easily accessible for the internal team and global marketing, sales, and product teams
• Plan and manage product photoshoots and video production.
• Work with Sales to identify customers who would make good cooperative shoot partners.
• Make sure shoots deliver the specific assets Social and Web need.
• Review how creative performs (engagement, traffic, conversion) with Marketing, Social, and Web, and adjust creative direction accordingly.
• Coordinate with the Apparel team on shared website spaces.
• Work with regional teams ensuring creative and brand standards travel across markets and languages.
• Additional responsibilities as requested, or assigned.

Qualification Requirements

• 7 years of experience in design or creative roles, ideally in a consumer, sport, or performance brand
• At least 2 years leading designers or creative projects, with a track record of developing people and delivering work through a team
• Portfolio demonstrating creative leadership, brand and campaign development, and multi-channel execution across web, social, photography, and video.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
• Experience maintaining a brand book and applying guidelines
• Comfort working with web teams and e-commerce platforms; experience with Shopify is helpful
• Ability to explain technical products to customers; sailing or marine knowledge is a plus
• Experience working with international teams.

North Sails is an Equal Opportunity Employer. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, sexual orientation, or protected classes under applicable state or federal law.

Decisions related to hiring, compensating, training, evaluating performance, or terminating are made fairly, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and employees. We examine our unconscious biases and take responsibility for always striving to create an inclusive environment that makes every employee and candidate feel welcome.

Pay: $90,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Work Location: In person

Salary : $90,000 - $110,000