Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization
 
We are looking for a Senior Design Director to lead our newly formed Brand Creative team based in our LA HQ. This team will drive and oversee key campaign creative and strategic creative projects for the North American market, covering key categories including basketball, partnerships and NAM sports. 
Driving newness and acting as a key creative instigator for the brand, the Senior Design Director - Brand Creative NAM, will be part of the larger global Brand Creative team which sets the look, tone and feel for the adidas brand. In partnership with the global team, the role will involve translating the global creative direction and global brand narrative into compelling product stories, category expressions and creative concepts that will resonate with the North American consumer.  
The ability to inspire and manage a team of designers and art directors will be a key success marker of the role, as well as the ability to work collaboratively with communications stakeholders and their agencies to ensure understanding and consistent application of the creative direction, through continued support & governance. 
A pivotal role in our creative team, driving the creative direction of the brand for the region will require excellent knowledge of the North American market, across sport but also the culture that surrounds it, and the successful applicant will have an impactful network of creatives, agencies and cultural insiders to engage to ensure industry leading creative work, and authentic creative concepts are achieved. 
 
Key Responsibilities  
Lead and inspire the Brand Creative North American team with visionary and creative leadership. 
Define, develop, and deliver the Brand Expression for key North American focused categories including basketball, partnerships and NAM sports, meticulously outlining the look, feel, and tone for adidas. Create an inspiring and forward-thinking creative direction into the adidas brand for consumers across all communications and touchpoints. 
Lead the entire creative direction process from inception to execution, collaborating closely with the VP Brand Creative and your design first line across the department. 
Take charge of onboarding and steer the process with precision for all internal and external partners to brand creative directions and narratives. 
Translate the global brand creative direction and brand narrative to resonate and make impact with the North American consumer, ensuring creative outputs align with key brand creative frameworks, assuring consistency at regional and category level. 
Orchestrate and execute comprehensive creative strategies to deliver at key touch points including digital and retail to enhance brand engagement, increase consumer reach, and maximize conversion opportunities within the North American market. 
Own the Creative Direction process. Driving the unified implementation across key categories and all consumer touchpoints in collaboration with all key stakeholders.   
Lead the Brand Creative North American team by providing brand defining creative leadership for the visual image and voice of adidas across all communications and touchpoints, ensuring end-to-end creative excellence, from sell-in (internal) to sell-out (consumer-facing).  
Develop and drive clear brand identity across retail and digital. 
Own the look, tone and feel of our brand for consumer facing work in the market. This includes imagery, both still and moving, photography, illustration, typography, branding, color, composition, copy and brand voice/tonality.  
Identify opportunities of improvement and change and initiate own proposals/projects. 
Create a holistic big picture vision for the brand in North America and lead the creation of annual and long-term Creative Direction in alignment with the global direction. 
Collaborate and align creative vision through the lens of key categories in understanding how to effectively translate the brand vision to their target consumer groups.   
Advise Communications on the effective implementation of Brand Creative, including defining creative territories and briefing of third-party agencies.    
Consult and collaborate X-functionally with senior stakeholders to ensure holistic end-to-end storytelling.  
Lead creative execution at key creative milestones and review meetings, aligning feedback with the VP of Brand Creative and your Design first line as well as communicating edits, changes or opportunities to agencies/internal teams with clarity.  
Develop and implement integrated strategies for digital and retail activation to ensure a cohesive and impactful brand presence across all channels 
Seek out new creative resources and partners that can deliver world class results. Give concrete direction for selection of creative partners such as photographers, illustrators, videographers, directors, writers, agencies and freelancers consistent with budget allocation.   
Identify and prepare talents in the team for career progression within the adidas organization  
Support Communications with on-time and on-budget completion of initiatives and projects.  
Contribute to adidas’ creative community – culture and behaviors.  
On board and brief external design agencies according to Creative Direction   
Act as a creative leader and thought leader in the realm of creative direction and brand building.  
Build and lead a highly engaged creative team through the recruitment and professional development of members, including coaching and performance management.  
Delegation and distribution of projects and budgets to the brand design team.  
 
Key Relationships
VP Brand Creative 
Brand Creative Design and Operations First line  
Product Marketing teams  
Brand Communications  
Retail 
Digital  
External Agencies and Art/Creative Directors  
External Creative Resources  
  
 
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  
Proven leadership skills  
Ability to understand business opportunities and find creative ways to solve problems through design  
Thorough knowledge and in depth experience of crafting and executing successful creative work that speaks to the North American market. 
A passion for and deep understanding of North American sports culture, and streetwear/style culture.  
Graphic Design, Communication Design, Creative Direction skills. 
IT skills:  Excel, Word, PowerPoint: advanced /Outlook  
Design apps: expert  
Strong visual and verbal skills with the ability to create impactful/exciting visuals  
Excellent English knowledge and familiarity of additional languages a bonus  
Passion for adidas and sport culture  
Passion for creativity and design  
 
Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications  
Undergraduate level Design education or combination thereof   
Solid education and advanced experience in the creative development of communication tools and brand building  
At least 10+ years’ experience in Sporting Goods/Fashion Industry or Design on managerial level, in-house or agency experience  
5+ years personnel management experience  
Proven experience with the entire design process (project scope and time planning, design steps, production/execution of design solution, pre-press processes)