8116 - Midtown Office - 2220 W. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23220
CarMax, the way your career should be! About this job
As the Senior Manager of Creative, you will step into the role of Associate Creative Director for Brand, guiding and shaping our brand and strategy initiatives from a creative perspective. We are seeking an ideal candidate with deep expertise in branding and visual design, who can serve as a valuable thought partner for our cross-functional team, which includes strategy, product design, production, and external partners.
This position requires a strategic mindset and a profound understanding of design thinking principles. Proficiency in various visual language systems is crucial, and you should have a strong grasp of branding from both strategic and executional perspectives across a wide range of mediums.
Your close collaboration with the Creative Director for Brand and other creative leaders within the organization will be integral to your role. You'll oversee creative aspects that touch all customer-facing mediums, and a key aspect of your success will be developing the leadership skills of your team members. Investing in their career paths and providing coaching and mentorship are essential components of this role.
Furthermore, as Associate Creative Director, you will be responsible for upholding CarMax's Brand Standards. Ensuring that assets developed align with these standards and consistently maintain our brand's high quality is a critical aspect of your role.
What you will do – Essential Responsibilities
Strategically lead CarMax Creative team to innovate our creative
- Develop creative solutions - in line with internal and external partners - that build awareness of CarMax brand, deepen customer affinity for CarMax, and extend customer loyalty to CarMax.
- Leverage a Creative visual skill set to translate complex technical and business concepts into easy-to-understand communication piece.
- Be a strategic creative partner for our business and brand partnership.
- Take work from concept to design to final execution on time, and on budget.
- Partner with other Creative teams and marketing, product, external partners to execute high-quality creative across channels.
- Present creative work to team members/internal and external stakeholders.
Develop Associates
- Lead, inspire, support, and encourage the Creative team through constructive feedback and frequent planned communications.
- Set high standards for teams’ output and invest in developing in others.
- Help to manage and mentor other creative associates and play a major role in business development.
- Stay current with recent design methodologies, trends, and techniques. Proactively search for and recommend new best practices.
- Share knowledge, experience, and skill with other design staff; works with design counterparts to ensure continuity across digital touchpoints.
Build Relationships
- Build and sustain effective working relationships internally and externally.
- Collaborate with other creative leadership to ensure visual experience outputs’ quality and on brand.
- Foster an environment of delivering high-quality creative across channels via collaboration.
- Manage multiple relationships across multiple projects with a clear design voice and an unbending creative
Optimize Resources
- Develop plan and execute approved budget with fiscal responsibility.
- Evaluate all resources and assign Areas of Responsibility accordingly.
Qualifications and Requirements
- A Bachelor’s Degree in a creative field preferred or related equivalent required.
- A minimum of 7 years of experience in Branding and marketing, with a preference for retail or agency experience.
- Demonstrated leadership and management experience with teams of 4 or more individuals.
- Proficiency in essential software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Figma, and Miro.
- The capacity to establish and adhere to brand standards, using the guidelines to convey core brand values across all channels.
- A digital native with skills in visual design, photography, video production, and animation.
- A strong comprehension of how design systems function is a definite advantage.
- Oversight of design concepts from inception to completion.
- The ability to incorporate feedback effectively and provide and receive clear direction.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
- Impeccable organizational abilities, with the capacity to work autonomously, manage multiple workstreams, and meet tight deadlines independently.
- An unwavering commitment to keeping current with industry trends and upholding best practices.
- Proven success in collaborating with marketing, product, operations, and other creative teams.
- The capability to forge and maintain robust business partnerships, maintaining connections with various areas of the business.
About CarMax
CarMax disrupted the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity experience customers want and deserve. This innovative thinking around the way cars are bought and sold has helped us become the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, with over 200 locations nationwide.
Our amazing team of more than 25,000 associates work together to deliver iconic customer experiences. Along the way, we help every associate grow their career and achieve their best, at work and in their community. We are recognized for our commitment to training and diversity and are one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®.
CarMax is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Upon an applicant's request, CarMax will consider reasonable accommodation to complete the CarMax Job Application.
