VP Creative

Role DescriptionThe 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 ResponsibilitiesOwn Creative Services as a ProductServe as the executive owner of Kanahoma's Creative Services product, defining its long-term vision, strategy, and continued evolutionChampion the intersection of creativity, brand strategy, performance marketing, AI, and emerging technology to ensure Kanahoma remains ahead of where the market is goingDevelop new creative capabilities, services, frameworks, and best practices that strengthen the agency's competitive advantagePartner closely with executive leadership on agency strategy, product development, and long-term growthCollaborate with Sales on scopes of work and growth opportunities while supporting strategic partner presentations and new business developmentPartner with account services and executive leadership on project scoping, budget estimation, and resource planning to ensure creative engagements are staffed appropriately and delivered profitablyBuild & Lead a Best-in-Class Creative OrganizationLead and develop a multidisciplinary Creative organization of 10+ professionals across Copy, Design, and Video through a leadership structure of Associate Creative DirectorsRecruit, mentor, and retain exceptional creative talent while fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvementDevelop leaders who can scale their respective disciplines while maintaining consistently exceptional creative qualityBuild systems, workflows, and operational processes that allow creative excellence to scale without sacrificing speed or craftsmanshipServe as the executive leader responsible for the overall performance, health, and continued development of the Creative organizationLead Creative Strategy Across Every ChannelProvide executive creative leadership across integrated marketing campaigns spanning awareness through enrollmentLead creative strategy across brand campaigns, paid social, paid search, websites, landing pages, digital experiences, video, photography, email, and organic contentPartner closely with Strategy, Paid Media, SEO, Web, and Account Services teams to deliver integrated marketing solutions that drive enrollment growthHelp partners uncover and communicate what makes their institution uniquely competitive in an increasingly crowded higher education landscapeElevate Creative PerformanceApply a deep understanding of performance marketing to improve conversion across every stage of the enrollment funnel, from inquiry through enrollmentEnsure creative decisions are informed by strategy, audience insights, testing, and performance data, not simply subjective opinionContinually evolve creative best practices based on campaign performance, market trends, and emerging consumer behaviorLead Kanahoma ProductionsProvide executive creative leadership for Kanahoma Productions, the agency's in-house production companyLead six-figure productions with meaningful on-set creative direction and collaboration alongside producers, directors, production crews, photographers, and editorsEnsure every production reflects exceptional creative quality while supporting strategic marketing objectives and partner goalsOwn Kanahoma Casting DeliverablesPlay a consultative role in pitching new Casting projectsDevelop bespoke Casting approaches for existing partner upsellsLead all partner-facing Casting presentationsWork closely with the partner to determine audience poolDevelop email and survey contentWith needed assistance from Agency Producer, coordinate interviews and follow-ups with respondentsBuild out final casting book and, if a production is involved, consult with the wider team on best-fit cast membersShape the Future of CreativeMaintain a strong point of view on emerging trends across AI, organic content, digital platforms, search behavior, creative technology, and the future of marketingExplore and implement thoughtful applications of AI that elevate creative thinking, improve workflows, and strengthen outcomes without replacing creativityEncourage experimentation, learning, and innovation throughout the Creative organizationServe as a Strategic Agency LeaderRepresent Kanahoma's Creative organization with confidence and credibility in executive presentations, partner meetings, pitches, and strategic consulting engagementsPresent creative strategy to CMOs, university presidents, executive leadership teams, and boards of trusteesServe as a trusted strategic advisor to partners, helping connect institutional objectives with creative solutions that drive measurable growthRole Qualifications10+ years of progressive creative leadership experience, including meaningful time within an agency environmentDemonstrated success leading multidisciplinary creative organizations spanning copy, design, video, web, and digital experiencesProven experience managing and developing creative leaders while building high-performing teams and strong creative culturesSignificant experience concepting and leading integrated marketing campaigns that successfully combine brand storytelling with measurable performance marketingDeep understanding of paid media creative, paid search, paid social, websites, landing pages, conversion optimization, and full-funnel customer journeysMeaningful experience developing creative strategies that support complex, multi-step consideration cycles rather than simple awareness campaignsDemonstrated experience leading website redesigns, digital experience initiatives, and cross-channel creative strategySignificant experience leading six-figure commercial productions, including meaningful on-set creative leadershipConfidence presenting creative strategy and campaign recommendations to executive leadership, clients, university presidents, and boardsA passion for emerging technology, AI, and the future of marketing, with demonstrated experience leveraging AI to elevate creative thinking, workflows, and outcomes, not replace themMeaningful 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 applyA creative portfolio demonstrating candidate experience is requiredKanahoma's MissionOur 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 WayAt 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 EngineAt 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-PlayersWe 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 ServeWe 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 decisionsTeam Advocacy: Championing your team's needs, addressing their challenges and highlighting their achievements to ensure they have the resources and recognition to succeedBusiness Advocacy: Supporting and promoting Kanahoma's goals, securing and/or requesting the necessary resources to make strategic decisions to drive growth and exceed goalsPartner 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 satisfactionPlease mention the word **REVERENCE** and tag RMmEwMTo0Zjg6MWMxODo4ODc5Ojox when applying to show you read the job post completely (#RMmEwMTo0Zjg6MWMxODo4ODc5Ojox). 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