VP Creative | JobSetuu

Description

Job Overview

• Source: RemoteOK

Job Description

Role Description

The Vice President, Creative is the senior creative leader at Kanahoma, responsible for defining the agency's creative vision while leading a multidisciplinary organization of copywriters, designers, and videographers. Reporting directly to the CEO, this individual will oversee the agency's entire Creative Services product, balancing long-term innovation with exceptional day-to-day execution across every partner engagement.

This is a leadership role for someone who is equally energized by big ideas and operational excellence. You'll shape integrated brand campaigns, performance marketing creative, website experiences, commercial productions, and emerging creative capabilities while building and developing a high-performing creative organization. You'll partner directly with college and university presidents, CMOs, executive leadership teams, and boards while helping define where creative and the agency is headed next.

Role Responsibilities

Own Creative Services as a Product

• Serve as the executive owner of Kanahoma's Creative Services product, defining its long-term vision, strategy, and continued evolution
• Champion the intersection of creativity, brand strategy, performance marketing, AI, and emerging technology to ensure Kanahoma remains ahead of where the market is going
• Develop new creative capabilities, services, frameworks, and best practices that strengthen the agency's competitive advantage
• Partner closely with executive leadership on agency strategy, product development, and long-term growth
• Collaborate with Sales on scopes of work and growth opportunities while supporting strategic partner presentations and new business development
• Partner with account services and executive leadership on project scoping, budget estimation, and resource planning to ensure creative engagements are staffed appropriately and delivered profitably

Build & Lead a Best-in-Class Creative Organization

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary Creative organization of 10+ professionals across Copy, Design, and Video through a leadership structure of Associate Creative Directors
• Recruit, mentor, and retain exceptional creative talent while fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Develop leaders who can scale their respective disciplines while maintaining consistently exceptional creative quality
• Build systems, workflows, and operational processes that allow creative excellence to scale without sacrificing speed or craftsmanship
• Serve as the executive leader responsible for the overall performance, health, and continued development of the Creative organization

Lead Creative Strategy Across Every Channel

• Provide executive creative leadership across integrated marketing campaigns spanning awareness through enrollment
• Lead creative strategy across brand campaigns, paid social, paid search, websites, landing pages, digital experiences, video, photography, email, and organic content
• Partner closely with Strategy, Paid Media, SEO, Web, and Account Services teams to deliver integrated marketing solutions that drive enrollment growth
• Help partners uncover and communicate what makes their institution uniquely competitive in an increasingly crowded higher education landscape

Elevate Creative Performance

• Apply a deep understanding of performance marketing to improve conversion across every stage of the enrollment funnel, from inquiry through enrollment
• Ensure creative decisions are informed by strategy, audience insights, testing, and performance data, not simply subjective opinion
• Continually evolve creative best practices based on campaign performance, market trends, and emerging consumer behavior

Lead Kanahoma Productions

• Provide executive creative leadership for Kanahoma Productions, the agency's in-house production company
• Lead six-figure productions with meaningful on-set creative direction and collaboration alongside producers, directors, production crews, photographers, and editors
• Ensure every production reflects exceptional creative quality while supporting strategic marketing objectives and partner goals

Own Kanahoma Casting Deliverables

• Play a consultative role in pitching new Casting projects
• Develop bespoke Casting approaches for existing partner upsells
• Lead all partner-facing Casting presentations
• Work closely with the partner to determine audience pool
• Develop email and survey content
• With needed assistance from Agency Producer, coordinate interviews and follow-ups with respondents
• Build out final casting book and, if a production is involved, consult with the wider team on best-fit cast members

Shape the Future of Creative

• Maintain a strong point of view on emerging trends across AI, organic content, digital platforms, search behavior, creative technology, and the future of marketing
• Explore and implement thoughtful applications of AI that elevate creative thinking, improve workflows, and strengthen outcomes without replacing creativity
• Encourage experimentation, learning, and innovation throughout the Creative organization

Serve as a Strategic Agency Leader

• Represent Kanahoma's Creative organization with confidence and credibility in executive presentations, partner meetings, pitches, and strategic consulting engagements
• Present creative strategy to CMOs, university presidents, executive leadership teams, and boards of trustees
• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to partners, helping connect institutional objectives with creative solutions that drive measurable growth

Role Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive creative leadership experience, including meaningful time within an agency environment
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary creative organizations spanning copy, design, video, web, and digital experiences
• Proven experience managing and developing creative leaders while building high-performing teams and strong creative cultures
• Significant experience concepting and leading integrated marketing campaigns that successfully combine brand storytelling with measurable performance marketing
• Deep understanding of paid media creative, paid search, paid social, websites, landing pages, conversion optimization, and full-funnel customer journeys
• Meaningful experience developing creative strategies that support complex, multi-step consideration cycles rather than simple awareness campaigns
• Demonstrated experience leading website redesigns, digital experience initiatives, and cross-channel creative strategy
• Significant experience leading six-figure commercial productions, including meaningful on-set creative leadership
• Confidence presenting creative strategy and campaign recommendations to executive leadership, clients, university presidents, and boards
• A passion for emerging technology, AI, and the future of marketing, with demonstrated experience leveraging AI to elevate creative thinking, workflows, and outcomes, not replace them
• Meaningful higher education marketing experience is strongly preferred; experience in other highly competitive industries is equally valuable, and candidates who bring both perspectives are especially encouraged to apply
• A creative portfolio demonstrating candidate experience is required

Kanahoma's Mission

Our mission is to build a better agency for organizations building a better world. Whether we're building a brand or driving the bottom line, we pride ourselves on being progressive performance marketers called to serve and support mission-driven organizations across the education and nonprofit industries.

By joining Kanahoma, you are committing to core values that define our (and your) success, and shape how we approach everything we do, every day:

We Find A Better Way

At Kanahoma, we are relentless in our pursuit of building a better agency. So when a solution isn't satisfactory we make our own.

Results Aren't Our Goal, They're Our Engine

At Kanahoma, winning is a prerequisite. We are constantly pushing to evolve and iterate our work to exceed expectations and ensure our partners get the results they deserve.

Just A-Players

We play and win as a team. We don't believe that confident, superior work should come at the expense of company culture.

We Seek to Serve

We embrace our role as a service business and seek opportunities to go above and beyond for our partners.

We execute on the above core values by balancing the four pillars of advocacy:

Self Advocacy: Asserting and clearly communicating your needs and interests while taking responsibility for personal well-being and decisions

Team Advocacy: Championing your team's needs, addressing their challenges and highlighting their achievements to ensure they have the resources and recognition to succeed

Business Advocacy: Supporting and promoting Kanahoma's goals, securing and/or requesting the necessary resources to make strategic decisions to drive growth and exceed goals

Partner Advocacy: Representing the partner's needs, goals, and best interests by ensuring their concerns are heard, providing solutions that align with their objectives, and delivering value to build trust and satisfaction

Expert Career Tips for VP Creative Roles

To succeed in a competitive market as a VP Creative , you need more than just technical skills. Here are some expert strategies to elevate your profile:

• Build a Strong Portfolio: For technical roles, a clean GitHub or a personal project site is essential. For non-technical roles, a case study portfolio demonstrating problem-solving and impact is equally valuable. Show, don't just tell, what you have achieved in your previous positions.
• Master the Narrative: When interviewing, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. Quantify your results wherever possible—mentioning "increased efficiency by 20%" is much more impactful than saying "improved efficiency."
• Continuous Learning: The industry moves fast. Whether it's staying updated with the latest AI tools or mastering a new management methodology, continuous professional development is key. Consider obtaining industry-recognized certifications that align with VP Creative requirements.
• Networking: Connect with other professionals in similar roles. Join online communities, attend webinars, and engage in meaningful discussions on professional social networks. Often, the best opportunities come through referrals and community engagement.
• Soft Skills Matter: Communication, empathy, and leadership are often the deciding factors between two equally qualified technical candidates. Cultivate these skills as they are universally valued across all industries and seniority levels.

Additionally, research the specific company's culture and values. Tailoring your application to show how you align with their mission can significantly increase your chances of moving forward in the process.

Salary & Compensation

Salary not disclosed; typically competitive for the role.

Work Arrangement

Type: On-Site

Standard business hours at the office.

Comprehensive Application Strategy & Hiring Process

Applying for a new role is a marathon, not a sprint. Follow this strategic approach to maximize your success rate:

1. Initial Research & Tailoring

Don't send the same resume to every employer. Spend at least 30 minutes researching the company. Look for recent news, their product roadmap, and their team structure. Modify your summary and core competencies to reflect the specific keywords found in the job description.

2. The Perfect Cover Letter

If the application allows for a cover letter, use it to tell a story that your resume cannot. Explain why you are passionate about this specific company and how your unique background makes you the perfect fit for the challenges they are currently facing.

3. Navigating the Multi-Stage Interview

Most modern hiring processes involve 3-5 stages. This typically includes a recruiter screen, a technical or skill-based assessment, a peer interview, and a final leadership round. Prepare for each stage differently: focus on enthusiasm and fit for the recruiter, technical depth for the assessment, and strategic vision for the leadership round.

4. Post-Interview Follow-Up

Always send a personalized thank-you note within 24 hours of each interview. Reference a specific topic discussed during the call to demonstrate your active listening and genuine interest in the role.

By following these steps, you demonstrate a high level of professionalism and attention to detail that sets you apart from the average applicant.

Typical Interview Process

1. Resume screening
2. HR call
3. Skill interview
4. Final manager interview
5. Offer

Tip: Research the company's products and culture.

Global Market Intelligence & Relocation Insights

At JobSetuu, we specialize in helping talent navigate the global job market. Here is what you need to know about the current landscape in Global and beyond:

The demand for skilled professionals is increasingly borderless. For roles based in Global, understanding the local cost of living, visa requirements (if applicable), and cultural nuances is vital. If this is a remote role, consider the time zone alignment and the asynchronous communication culture of the hiring organization.

Relocation Support: Many forward-thinking companies offer relocation packages that include moving stipends, temporary housing, and legal assistance with work permits. When evaluating an offer, look beyond the base salary—consider the total compensation package, including equity, bonuses, and healthcare benefits.

Work-Life Balance Trends: Hybrid and remote work have become standard in many regions. Research the local labor laws and common practices regarding work hours and vacation time to ensure the role aligns with your lifestyle goals.

Leveraging JobSetuu's tools can help you compare salaries across different cities and understand the "purchasing power" of your potential offer, ensuring you make an informed decision for your long-term career path.

Skills & Competency Roadmap for Professional Development

To remain competitive in Professional Development, we recommend focusing on the following core competencies over the next 12-18 months:

• Technical Mastery: Deepen your expertise in the core tools and languages relevant to your field. For developers, this might be cloud architecture; for marketers, it might be data-driven attribution modeling.
• AI Augmentation: Learn how to leverage generative AI and automation tools to increase your productivity. Understanding how to integrate these technologies into your workflow is becoming a non-negotiable skill.
• Leadership & Strategy: Even in individual contributor roles, the ability to think strategically and lead projects from inception to completion is highly valued. Focus on stakeholder management and high-level project planning.
• Data Literacy: The ability to interpret data and use it to drive decisions is essential across all business functions. Familiarize yourself with data visualization and basic analytical concepts.

By investing in these areas, you not only prepare yourself for the role you are applying for today but also build a resilient foundation for the opportunities of tomorrow.

Apply via JobSetuu

Discover your next career milestone on JobSetuu. This VP Creative position is part of our commitment to bringing you the most relevant and high-impact job openings globally. At JobSetuu, we simplify your job search by aggregating premier listings and providing the tools you need to stand out. Don't miss the chance to elevate your professional journey—explore more opportunities and career insights on our platform today.