The Ideal CandidateThe VP of Creative leads Journeys' in-house creative team and is responsible for translating the brand strategy into distinctive, culturally relevant creative across the customer experience.
Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, this role oversees design, copy, photography, styling, production and creative operations for internally produced work. The Creative Director partners closely with the CMO and VP of Brand Marketing, who leads brand strategy, and with occasional external creative agencies responsible for developing Journeys' major brand campaigns.
The VP of Creative ensures that agency-developed campaign platforms are effectively translated, extended and activated across social, digital, ecommerce, stores and other consumer touchpoints. They also lead the development of ongoing in-house creative, including seasonal product stories, editorial content, social and digital assets, ecommerce content, photography and retail creative.
This role is accountable for raising the quality and distinctiveness of Journeys' creative, maintaining a cohesive brand expression across internally and externally developed work, building a high-performing and idea-driven team, and delivering work efficiently, on time and on budget.
How You Will Make an ImpactCreative Direction and Brand Expression- Evolve and steward Journeys' creative expression - including imagery, casting, styling, design, photography and tone of voice - within the broader brand strategy established by the CMO and VP of Brand Marketing.
- Translate brand strategy, business priorities, consumer insights and product stories into compelling creative across customer touchpoints.
- Establish and uphold clear creative standards for the in-house team, ensuring all work feels fresh, culturally relevant and unmistakably Journeys.
- Bring a strong creative perspective to campaign strategy and agency development, representing the needs of internal teams, channels and the broader customer experience.
- Champion ideas and creative approaches that strengthen Journeys' connection with teens and young adults, particularly teen girls.
- Balance brand storytelling, product discovery, consumer engagement and commercial effectiveness.
- Serve as the senior creative voice for Journeys, bringing a strong point of view on youth culture, fashion, footwear, entertainment and emerging creative trends and continually pushing the brand toward work that feels current, distinctive, and culturally credible.
Team and Creative Culture- Lead and develop the multidisciplinary in-house creative organization spanning art direction, design, copy and editorial, photography, styling, production and creative operations.
- Directly manage the Art Director, Lifestyle Editor/Copywriter, Photo Studio Lead and Creative Project Management/Operations Lead.
- Build a collaborative and ambitious creative culture that generates fresh ideas, challenges convention and continually raises the quality of the work.
- Provide clear direction, thoughtful feedback, coaching and development opportunities for the creative team.
- Establish effective ways of working that enable the team to move with speed while maintaining high creative standards.
Campaigns, Content and Customer Experience- Lead the in-house development and execution of seasonal product stories, ongoing brand content and channel-specific creative from concept through final delivery.
- Develop creative briefs in partnership with Brand Marketing, Merchandising, Buying, Ecommerce, Social and other key stakeholders.
- Direct still and video shoots, including concept development, casting, styling, location, production and post-production.
- Oversee the editorial and content calendar in partnership with Brand Marketing, Ecommerce and Social.
- Guide the brand's voice and ensure copy is purposeful, distinctive and appropriate to each platform.
- Develop channel-right creative for social, digital, ecommerce, stores and emerging youth-led platforms.
- Partner with Ecommerce and Content teams to create useful, engaging content that supports organic search and AI-powered discovery while inspiring style exploration and driving conversion.
- Partner closely with Visual Merchandising and Store Planning to extend the Journeys brand into compelling physical retail experiences.
- Lead the creative vision and execution of the annual Journeys Sales Meeting in partnership with Training and Development.
Agency and Brand-Partner Collaboration- Partner with the VP of Brand Marketing and external creative agencies throughout the development of major brand campaigns, providing an informed in-house creative and channel perspective.
- Lead the translation and extension of agency-developed campaign platforms across Journeys' social, digital, ecommerce, retail, editorial and internal creative needs.
- Ensure cohesion between agency-developed campaigns and the ongoing creative produced by the in-house team.
- Provide creative direction and review for vendor- and brand-partner programs, ensuring the work meets Journeys' standards and supports shared objectives.
Creative Operations and Effectiveness- Oversee ecomm and studio photography, ensuring efficient workflows, strong production values and consistent quality.
- Manage creative, studio, photography and production budgets, balancing cost efficiency with creative ambition.
- Prioritize creative resources effectively and ensure work is delivered on time and on budget.
- Regularly review creative output and performance with the CMO, VP of Brand Marketing and internal team, using consumer, channel and business insights to strengthen future work.
- Evaluate new creative capabilities, technologies, tools and production models that can improve quality, relevance and efficiency.
Experience and Skills You'll Need to Have- Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Art Direction, Mktg or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- 10+ years of progressive creative experience, including significant creative leadership responsibility, preferably within fashion, footwear, retail or a consumer lifestyle brand.
- Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary creative teams and developing creative talent.
- Demonstrated experience developing and activating integrated brand campaigns across physical and digital channels.
- A strong portfolio demonstrating creative direction, brand storytelling, retail campaigns, and lifestyle photography and video, inclusive of social and digital led campaigns.
- Experience partnering with executive leadership, external creative agencies, Product/Buying, Ecommerce, Retail Operations and Brand Marketing.
- Strong creative vision and the ability to translate brand and business strategy into relevant consumer-facing work.
- Deep understanding of integrated retail creative across social, digital, ecommerce and physical environments.
- Strong knowledge of fashion, footwear, retail, youth culture and the media habits of teens and young adults.
- Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop multidisciplinary creative teams.
- Experience developing seasonal campaigns and directing lifestyle photography and video.
- Strong presentation, communication and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to influence and align executive leadership, external agencies and cross-functional partners.
- Strong organizational, decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced retail environment.
- Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud and modern creative production workflows, including emerging AI-enabled tools.
- Strong understanding of project planning, resource management and creative budgets.
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