What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Director of Creative Strategy position at Vanderbilt University?
Job Description
The Assistant Director of Creative Strategy is a leader on the Marketing and Communications team at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. This role leads all visual storytelling and multimedia production, translating brand, content, and marketing strategy into compelling creative execution.
The Assistant Director is responsible for the end-to-end creative process, from concept and storyboarding through production and post-production. The role ensures Owen consistently captures and activates high-value moments across paid, owned, and earned media.
Reporting to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Owen, this role partners closely with the Office of the Dean, Strategic Enrollment Management, Academic and Student Affairs, Career Management Center, Leadership Development Programs, Development, Alumni Engagement, and University Communications teams, along with students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, corporate and community partners, media and rankings organizations, and more.
The Owen Graduate School of Management (OGSM) is a professional school at Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, focused on graduate-level business education. OGSM’s mission is to create opportunities for its faculty, staff, and students to discover, grow, and thrive in business and beyond. OGSM recognizes discovery in traditional forms, such as scholarly research, intellectual curiosity, and curricular learning. But it also celebrates discovery unique to the human experience, that is, the art of becoming, which is lived through a desire to connect with others, to find meaning in work and relationships, and to create something new. OGSM sees transformation as foundational.
The Marketing and Communications team at the Owen Graduate School of Management serves as a strategic partner to the school’s enrollment, academic, advancement, and engagement efforts. The team is responsible for shaping and stewarding the Owen brand, translating strategy into clear messaging, and bringing the school’s people, programs, and impact to life across channels.
The team blends brand strategy, content, creative, digital, analytics, and paid media to drive demand, strengthen reputation, and support institutional growth. Work is highly collaborative and cross-functional, with close partnerships across Owen, Vanderbilt, and external stakeholders.
The culture of the team emphasizes strategic thinking, creative excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on measurable outcomes and long-term brand equity.
Duties and Responsibilities
This position has supervisory responsibility for the creative strategy sub-team. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.
Qualifications
The Assistant Director of Creative Strategy is a leader on the Marketing and Communications team at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. This role leads all visual storytelling and multimedia production, translating brand, content, and marketing strategy into compelling creative execution.
The Assistant Director is responsible for the end-to-end creative process, from concept and storyboarding through production and post-production. The role ensures Owen consistently captures and activates high-value moments across paid, owned, and earned media.
Reporting to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Owen, this role partners closely with the Office of the Dean, Strategic Enrollment Management, Academic and Student Affairs, Career Management Center, Leadership Development Programs, Development, Alumni Engagement, and University Communications teams, along with students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, corporate and community partners, media and rankings organizations, and more.
The Owen Graduate School of Management (OGSM) is a professional school at Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, focused on graduate-level business education. OGSM’s mission is to create opportunities for its faculty, staff, and students to discover, grow, and thrive in business and beyond. OGSM recognizes discovery in traditional forms, such as scholarly research, intellectual curiosity, and curricular learning. But it also celebrates discovery unique to the human experience, that is, the art of becoming, which is lived through a desire to connect with others, to find meaning in work and relationships, and to create something new. OGSM sees transformation as foundational.
The Marketing and Communications team at the Owen Graduate School of Management serves as a strategic partner to the school’s enrollment, academic, advancement, and engagement efforts. The team is responsible for shaping and stewarding the Owen brand, translating strategy into clear messaging, and bringing the school’s people, programs, and impact to life across channels.
The team blends brand strategy, content, creative, digital, analytics, and paid media to drive demand, strengthen reputation, and support institutional growth. Work is highly collaborative and cross-functional, with close partnerships across Owen, Vanderbilt, and external stakeholders.
The culture of the team emphasizes strategic thinking, creative excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on measurable outcomes and long-term brand equity.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead all photo and video production from concept through final delivery
- Develop visual narratives through storyboarding, scripting, and creative direction
- Oversee graphic design to ensure innovative, modern, and brand-aligned execution
- Execute and manage pre-production, production, and post-production workflows
- Translate brand, content, and marketing strategy into high-impact multimedia storytelling
- Capture high-quality content during key moments and milestones
- Build campaign-ready creative assets for use across paid, owned, and earned channels
- Pilot new and emerging formats including short-form video, motion graphics, audio, and brand activations
- Maintain production standards, asset management, and efficient workflows
- Use analytics and performance data to guide creative investment, optimization, and experimentation
This position has supervisory responsibility for the creative strategy sub-team. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Strong creative direction and multimedia storytelling skills are required
- Demonstrated experience leading photo and video production from concept through post-production is required
- Hands-on experience with video, photography, and multimedia production tools is required
- Experience producing content for paid media and brand campaigns is required
- Experience managing creative workflows, timelines, and resources is required
- Experience in higher education or mission-driven organizations is strongly preferred
- Experience supervising creative staff is preferred