Creative Design Manager

Job Title: Creative Design Manager

Department: Communications 

Location: Oakland, Washington D.C, or remote – working within standard business hours of the contiguous U.S. (PST, MST, CST, EST)

Reports To: Head of Creative Programming 

Supervises: Up to five staff

Context:  At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel injustice, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees.

Scope: The Creative Design Manager is responsible for managing the people, projects, strategies and contracts of the design team as part of the overarching Creative team and strategies. This is an ideal position for a design, illustration and visual communications expert who inspires collaboration, thinks like an organizer, improves tactics based on results, and is skillful at integrated content strategies and storytelling from a relational approach. 

The person in this role holds a birds-eye view of Sierra Club priority campaigns and initiatives – supporting the design team towards innovative graphic design, marketing materials, and visual strategies that contribute to these priorities in order to build the Sierra Club brand; break through the noise of digital & physical content; support chapters and staff; develop and drive story-based content; and support in the delivery of concrete campaign and policy outcomes. The Creative Manager works with the Head of Creative Programming, Director of Brand and Strategic Communications and Production Manager to ensure that multi-channel and story-based visual content strategies, tone, and message are in-line with Sierra Club brand, values and 2030 Strategic Framework for all of Sierra Club’s national initiatives, campaigns, executive strategies, and chapter support.

• Strategic Design Leadership. Works with the Head of Creative Programming, Director of Brand and Strategic Communications, Campaigns and others to identify organizational design needs and strategic content opportunities; and works with the Creative team to develop print, illustration and digital design content strategies, assets, toolkits, etc. in support of organizational, departmental and programmatic goals. Sets the design vision for multi-channel marketing and communications: from print ads to web design and social media platforms. Collaborates with Deputy Chief of Communications and Head of Creative Programming to identify and manage moments of timely and strategic response as needed – rapid response, news cycle response, timely social media campaigns, etc. Works with the creative, social, strategic communications, media and digital strategies channel owners to develop implementation and dissemination strategies. Solicits, edits, and publishes photographs to accompany editorial content in collaboration with the Visual Asset Specialist and Creative Team in accordance with Sierra Club visual brand guidelines. Maintains expertise in the graphic design and visual communication  fields across channels, keeping tabs on external content/storytelling trends and opportunities.
• People Management. Includes the following supervisory responsibilities: assigns work and establishes standards and work priorities; ensures staff training and development of employee skills; provides ongoing performance feedback, prepares, and conducts formal performance planning and evaluation; recommends salary, hiring, and promotion decisions; manages requests and prioritization.
• Project Management. Coordinates and negotiates content produced by the design team, maintaining schedules for creative content. Ensures that design content aligns with brand standards; and that language and messaging in creative materials align with thematic guidelines and Sierra Club priorities. Gives creative and editorial feedback on all projects. Negotiates and acquires rights to third party materials as necessary and ensures the overall legality of such acquisition under existing Sierra Club policies and contracting procedures. Ensures all projects are vetted for compliance with Sierra Club Foundation requirements. Develops and maintains metrics-based analytical tools for each project. Supports the team by contributing to graphic design projects, toolkits, template development and delivery as needed.
• Coordination and Collaboration. Works with other Advancement, Communications, and Digital Strategies staff to tell stories through multi-platform design assets featuring the Sierra Club’s priority campaigns, staff, and volunteers, and broader public as needed. Works with interns, volunteers, field offices, and staff offices on various design content tasks. Supports Chapters with design tools, collateral and template needs, and content strategy advice. Works with the Visual Asset specialist in the curation and licensing of images. Leads on partnerships with contracted designers and artists as directed.
• Heavier seasonal workloads may occur as a result of project deadlines, staff absences and vacancies. Performs miscellaneous duties as directed.

• Design Skills: Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Lightroom, Flash, etc. Experience with Canva – an ability to use it yourself, create templates for others, and coach the onboarding of non-designers to the tool. Experience with print and digital design, production and execution. Adept at short-form copywriting. Experienced with rights research and clearance, sourcing and hiring of outside vendors. High level of expertise with content formats, aspect ratios and creating content packages for owned strategies, web assets, mobile applications, grassroots volunteer toolkits, print and production.
• Project & Team Management. You have proven experience taking creative teams and projects from beginning to end and maintaining communication throughout the process within a high-volume and responsive environment. Strong cross-functional communications skills; strong verbal and written communications skills as well as strong visual design ability. An ability to work independently and manage timelines to meet deadlines, while supporting others to do the same.
• A strategic mind and multidisciplinary approach. You are a creative and visual strategist throughout your work; with a proven track record of leveraging your technical expertise and integrated platform strategies as part of cross-functional teams in order to identify and proactively meet shifting environments, organizational needs and campaign opportunities. You have a breadth of visual communication, art, motion graphic, illustration and design experience ranging from print and collateral development to application across web, mobile, email, social media, and video.
• A track record of collaboration. You’ve navigated complex organizational structures to facilitate  collaborative partnerships between stakeholders to keep workflow consistent and shared goals attainable.  You’re able to interact effectively with volunteers and staff – effectively coordinating between different teams and functions as needed. You have the ability to receive feedback as well as articulate the context of your design content, strategies, and choices.
• Knows Our Work. You have experience in the environmental movement or social justice advocacy space: Your communication projects have included campaigning, creating public demand for a policy, training volunteers, holding the decision makers accountable, and/or taking delivery on campaign goals. You are in tune with the communities we work with; able to lead in the development of design strategies that leverage cultural trends while meeting concrete outcomes and content needs.
• Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.
• Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a constructive approach, can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go.

• Systems: Experience with content management systems, project management platforms (Monday.com), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accessibility standards, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), digital rights management. Experience in web design, user interface and front end design for web products and mobile devices. Knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Drupal and other web technologies.
• User-Generated Content: Successful recruitment, production, and distribution of user-generated content campaigns. Experience training and developing the integrated design and content creation skills of grassroots volunteers, including the use of easily accessible design and editing tools (cell phone apps, Canva, etc.).
• Partnerships. Partnerships with artists and cultural influencers have been a core part of your past design and creative strategies. You come to this work with existing movement, artist and/or influencer partnerships; are in tune with the communities we work with, and will be able to leverage these collaborations and cultural trends to generate content, growth, and real power.

To Apply

The Sierra Club provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, lived experience and skills. The Sierra Club does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Sierra Club values applicants who are people that identify as Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized groups; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.

Explore, enjoy and protect the planet.