Company Description

What we do at Shaker matters. We help to connect people with jobs. A recruitment marketing pioneer since 1951, Shaker is a full-service agency specializing in highly customized communications and strategies for attracting and retaining the right talent...in the right places, with the right messages. That takes smarts and creativity. Ideas and innovation. That takes great people of many talents. And that is exactly what we have at Shaker. There’s so much we can accomplish together. Join us.

Job Description

The Executive Creative Director has experience leading and driving multiple large-scale projects with a strong understanding of how creative can influence and drive business results. This role requires strong presentation skills, business acumen and the ability to influence both up and down the organization. In close collaboration with the project management team, the Executive Creative Director will influence workflows to ensure efficient and acceptable delivery. 

As the leader of our creative service team, the Executive Creative Director oversees the research and creative teams and is ultimately responsible for the creative vision and output of the team. This person supports the team’s professional growth and ensures the best possible work for our clients. This role works in seamless concert with a wide range of teams across the organization, including client service, media, tech and digital to ensure alignment on multiple factors, including innovative solutions, budgets, deliverables and tech stack, among others.

LEADERSHIP: 

• Oversees creative team 

• Develops Shaker’s creative vision on projects and, in coordination with the Creative Director, nurtures and coaches creative talents and teams, to ensure consistent delivery of exceptional work 

• Builds a culture of creativity, comradery, and accountability, helping to bring out the best of creatives at all levels 

CREATIVE STRATEGY: 

• Sets creative strategy and oversees all phases of creative process to ensure successful completion and execution of client deliverables 

• In collaboration with the Creative Directors, the ECG will build the strategic foundation of the department ensuring the work is founded in unique and relevant insights and programmed for various platforms and audiences 

• Identifies opportunities to take smart risks and successfully propel exceptional and innovative ideas forward to execution 

• Leads the integration the research team, uncovering insights to fuel creative excellence 

• Partners with clients and internal stakeholders to understand client objectives and business, ensuring work is on brief and on brand 

• Expertly leads new business presentations showcasing strong, clear delivery and credibility with the expertise of uncovering the prospects gaps and confidently addressing how Shaker can address 

• Collaborates with account leads and integrated teams to oversee projects to ensure high-quality delivery

• Exhibits a strong EQ to understand dynamics and capture the attention of C-suite executives 

• Speak confidently with client or prospect Marketing teams and can “talk shop” to alleviate concerns and address potential barriers (i.e. the complexity of speaking to consumers vs candidates 

• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and creative best practices to ensure the agency remains at the forefront of recruitment marketing. 

Qualifications

This role requires both creative, client service, technical and interpersonal skills. The Executive Creative Director (ECD) has big ideas and is adept at implementing them. The ECD has the ability to clearly energize the team to bring creative ideas to life, help the team to articulate the rationale and inspire the team with the confidence to express them to the client. This person for this role must be cool under pressure, a leader by example, deadline oriented and possess the ability to influence at all levels.

The Executive Creative Director must have the following characteristics: 

• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment 

• Proven client service experience and deep understanding of client-centric demands 

• Experience building and growing teams – and for inspiring, coaching and leading people leaders 

• Track record of winning new business and effectively presenting to clients and prospects

• Inspiring groundbreaking multi-channel work

• Experience targeting a variety of audience segments 

• Strong track record of collaborating with creative and client service teams

• Ability to successfully work within a matrixed environment Creative, visionary and big idea advocate 

• Strategic and critical thinker 
  Analytical and insightful, attention to detail 

• Flexible yet able to stay on point 

• Expert communicator to internal and external stakeholders 

• Strong, decisive decision maker 

• Excellent change manager 

• Able to handle high volume/multiple high-pressure deadlines 

The Executive Creative Director must have well rounded experience, having touched all pieces of the creative process in some way over time. We are seeking someone with the following experience: 

• Experienced: A minimum of 12 years’ agency leadership experience, managing, training, and coaching multiple team members at an agency including: copywriters, designers, web designers and web developers 

• Strategic Thinker: Demonstration of high-caliber creative where you specifically led the transformation of strategic thinking into best-in-class creative work

• Proven Leader: Coach and mentor with experience providing actionable feedback and managing underperformers 

• Effective Communicator: Able to clearly articulate and defend ideas, provide clear and comprehensive feedback, lead the team, liaise with client services, clients and project management team to achieve one shared goal 

• Presenter: Must effectively and confidently pitch ideas to clients, expand client relationships and wow new business prospects, focusing on the work, as well as the strategy and insights that root the delivery 

• Change Manager: Embrace a world where change is frequent and uncertain 

• Conflict Negotiator: Able to maintain focus and handle conflict situations effectively and professionally 

• Technical Expert: Drive a modern creative environment 

• Visionary: Promote a culture of collaboration & innovation and reshape the norms in recruitment marketing and the candidate experience 

• Team Builder: Ability to integrate multiple teams (from research to designers) to create cohesion and reinforce how all are critical to creating the best possible work 

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.