Creative Director

Yerba Madre is the leading yerba mate brand in the United States. A beverage with centuries of cultural history, rooted in the Atlantic Forest and built for the people who move through life with intention. We are entering a pivotal chapter. The brand strategy is set. The creative platform is defined. Now we need someone to make it live and breathe on social every single day.

The Creative Director is the brand's creative conscience. You are the guardian of the visual identity across every consumer touchpoint- social, packaging, point of sale, seeding kits, campaigns, digital assets, and everything in between. When someone picks up a can, sees a post, opens a kit, or walks past a display, that's our work. This is a creative leadership role for someone who understands that great creative is a business tool, one that drives trial, builds memory, and translates into measurable growth. You can defend a creative decision in a board meeting and brief a photographer on the same day. This person reports into the Head of Marketing, mentors a small in-house design team, builds and manages a network of creative partners, and works hand-in-hand with our Community and Social Director

THIS ROLE REQUIRED TO WORK ON-SITE IN OUR VIBRANT OAKLAND, CA OFFICE 3 DAYS A WEEK
What You'll Do

Primary, full accountability:

• Social - You own visual direction, content standards, and creative supply; Social owns channel and content strategy, editorial calendar, cadence, publishing, and performance.
• Packaging - can, glass, seeding kits, limited editions 3 Campaigns - tentpoles, launches, brand moments

Core, high involvement:

• Shopper - POS, shelf talkers, display, fridge decals
• OOH - truck wraps, transit, out-of-home

Contributor, directional input:

• D2C - landing pages, email, digital assets
• Events - festival presence, activations, kits
• Innovation - new flavor and formats

Creative Direction & Brand Identity:

• Own and evolve the Yerba Madre visual identity & brand voice across every consumer touchpoint
• Translate the new brand platform and positioning into a consistent, distinctive visual language
• Build and maintain a living creative brief: the visual toolkit, photography standards, typography, color, and motion principles that give the whole organization a shared language
• Apply the 'Yerba Madre creative filter' to every piece of work before it ships

Social & Content:

• Build a network of photographers, videographers, and creators who can execute to the brand standard
• Integrate both, the craft and the building, of content at a player-coach level. A unique opportunity to 'do' and 'lead'.
• Partner closely with Social Director on channel strategy; you bring the creative POV, they bring the strategy and distribution instincts
• CD has final call on brand/visual standard; Social has final call on what ships, when, and where.
• Know who's next before everyone else does- creators, aesthetics, formats, trends

Packaging & Product:

• Lead creative direction for packaging, eg can design, glass, limited editions, seeding kits
• Bring the same creative rigor to packaging as you do to social

Campaign & Content Strategy:

• Craft, lead, and drive end-to-end conceptualization and execution of brand campaigns, product launches, and fast-turn digital assets
• Apply a consistent visual POV that works across our annual brand tentpoles
• Partner with Brand Management, Innovation, and Commercial teams to translate consumer insights into visual narratives that drive action
• Build the creative brief that the whole team can execute against, from in-house designers to external production partners

Team & Studio Leadership:

• Develop the in-house design team, with a specific focus on building repeatable systems- shot lists, content templates, brief formats, that let the ideas team execute more independently over time, not just direct their output personally
• Set the creative standard: what good looks like, how work is reviewed, what gets shipped
• Curate and match the right network of talent to the right brief
• Opportunity to run a lean, fast studio: small team, high output
• Use external agency partners specifically to absorb execution overflow during packaging and campaign crunch periods, keeping the CD's own quick-turn capacity protected for social the rest of the year

Who You Are

• You are a doer and a leader, quick to roll up your sleeves in a cross-function collaborative environment.
• You have a genuine, specific point of view on what brands should and shouldn't look like and you can defend it in a room that doesn't agree.
• You've built or shaped a brand's visual identity across multiple touch points, not just one channel or one medium.
• You understand that creative is a business tool. You can translate a design decision into a growth argument and a growth problem into a creative brief.
• You're as comfortable art directing a packaging shoot as you are briefing a TikTok creator.
• Savvy in AI and maintain a daily curiosity with emerging technology and how to integrate new tools into the creative process.
• You move fast, make decisions, and don't wait for perfect, but you know the difference between fast and sloppy.
• You've worked in or around culture: fashion, music, food, beverage, wellness. You understand what aspirational looks like for a life seeker audience.
• You lead people well. You give clear direction, develop talent, and build creative cultures that attract good work.

What You'll Bring

• 7-10+ years in CPG brand marketing, creative agencies, or social media, with a portfolio demonstrating omnichannel creative success
• Proven track record in fast-growing lifestyle, health, wellness, or beverage categories
• Experience leading and developing in-house creative teams
• Strong hands-on craft; Adobe Creative Suite fluency at a player-coach level
• Prior print production experience preferred
• Demonstrated ability to translate creative work into commercial outcomes: trial, conversion, brand equity
• Experience managing external creative partners: photographers, production companies, art directors, agencies
• Social-native: deep understanding of how platforms work, what performs, and what builds a brand over time

Physical Requirements

• May sit or stand to complete work at a computer for many hours during the day.
• Heavy use of the computer.
• Utilize visual acuity to operate equipment, read technical information, and/or use a keyboard.
• Accurately complete detailed forms and reports.

The pay range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors; actual pay offered may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Sales commissions and/or variable pay plans are also offered depending on the position (ex: monthly, quarterly, annual bonuses). Additionally, we offer a competitive benefits package including top-tier benefits, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, employee life and disability, mental health benefits, paid medical leave, paid company holidays, and paid time off, as well as opportunities for career growth and advancement within our team!

Salary Range

$157,000-$205,000 USD