Creative Manager

Creative Manager

California Institute of Applied Technology (CIAT) is seeking a creative, versatile, and organized Creative Manager to support the development and execution of creative assets across the organization. This role is responsible for ensuring CIAT's visual identity and ensuring creative output, including branding, web design, graphic design, and video, is consistent, high-quality, and aligned with marketing and institutional goals. This role requires both hands-on creative execution and strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail. The ideal candidate is a versatile creative manager, equally comfortable designing graphics, websites, editing video, and thinking through user experience, while also being highly organized and capable of managing day-to-day creative operations.
Essential Roles and Responsibilities:
Manage and support the creative direction and execution of CIAT brand assets across digital and print channels
Ensure consistency and quality across all creative outputs, including website design, landing pages, advertising creatives, social media assets, email design, and video content
Collaborate closely with other members of the marketing team to concept, develop, and execute integrated marketing campaigns that drive engagement and conversions
Manage and prioritize all incoming creative requests, ensuring projects are delivered on time and aligned with business priorities
Develop and maintain creative workflows, timelines, and project tracking systems to support efficient execution
Provide ongoing coaching, mentorship, and professional development support to direct reports
Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, performance check-ins, and career development planning with creative team members.
Delegate projects effectively while maintaining accountability for final deliverables and overall quality
Execute hands-on creative work as needed, including graphic design, video editing, and light web design updates
Manage the ongoing maintenance of CIAT's brand identity, visual guidelines, and design systems
Oversee the design and optimization of website pages and landing pages with a focus on user experience and conversion performance
Support paid media, SEO, and email marketing initiatives with high-performing creative assets
Contribute to conversion rate optimization (CRO) efforts by testing and improving creative elements such as layouts, messaging, and visual hierarchy
Lead video content initiatives, including concepting, editing, and producing content for marketing campaigns and brand storytelling
Manage relationships with external creative vendors or freelancers as needed
Ensure all creative assets align with CIAT's compliance requirements, including Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional policies
Partner with HR to coach and counsel employees as needed
Provide professional development and growth opportunities for employees
Manage and enforce timekeeping policies to ensure accuracy and timely processing of employee timecards
Conduct timely, accurate, and fair performance reviews, free from bias
Ensure a safe, secure, and ethical work environment
Adhere to CIAT's compliance requirements to ensure all Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional policies and procedures are being met
Follow communication guidelines to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and professionalism.
Embody CIAT's mission, vision, purpose, and values
Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, or a related field preferred
Minimum 5-7 years of experience in creative, design, or marketing roles, with at least 1-2 years of experience managing or mentoring others preferred
Strong portfolio demonstrating experience across graphic design, web design, and video content
Proficiency in design and video tools such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects) or equivalent
Hands-on experience with video editing and a willingness to execute across multiple creative formats
Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and marketing/project management tools
Ability to balance hands-on creative work with team leadership and project delegation
Strong understanding of branding, visual storytelling, and user experience principles
Experience supporting performance marketing efforts, with an understanding of how creative impacts engagement and conversion
Excellent communication and collaboration skills
High attention to detail and commitment to quality
Willingness to work outside of standard business hours when necessary to meet business needs and deadlines
Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture
Exhibits a high degree of flexibility in adapting to a rapidly changing environment
This position requires occasional travel to support in-person events and organizational initiatives
This position may involve event coordination responsibilities, including tasks that require physical activity such as setup, breakdown, and on-site support
Able to handle sensitive information with a high degree of confidentiality
Possess high ethical standards, being an example of professionalism to others
Must be able to embody CIAT's mission, vision, purpose and values
Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:
This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend and evening hours may be required.
Supervisory Responsibility:
This position manages one functional role within the Marketing Department and is responsible for the performance, development, and day-to-day oversight of the creative team.
Location:
This is a remote position. Work must be conducted in locations that have been approved by the company. Company authorization is necessary for relocation or work from other locations, even if temporarily.
Values:
We are passionate about education and student success.
We value integrity and excellence in our employees and students.
We treat ourselves and our students with dignity and respect.
We believe in and encourage innovation at our school to better help our students succeed.
We have a customer-centric focus, and we want people highly committed to achieving goals, where our success equals student success.
We are accountable for our actions, and if errors occur, we focus on preventing future errors and moving forward.
We have a growth mindset, always looking for ways to improve, with a sincere belief that every student can do better and achieve their goals.
We expect every employee to be an example of conduct and professionalism, being a role model to students and colleagues.
We commit to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment that respects the diversity of students' backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
We foster lifelong learning and professional development.
Physical Demands:
Essential functions of this role require sitting for extended periods of time.
Ability to type, use a computer to search for information and input information while speaking on the phone is required.
The employee will often be required to use the computer, mouse, and telephone to conduct this role's regular tasks.
The employee must compute simple mathematical calculations as a normal part of this role.
Requires daily use of a company computer and related software applications at a workstation.
Must be able to lift, carry, and transport items up to 20 pounds and handle setup for various events as required
Work Environment:
While performing the responsibilities of this remote position, the job holder will work in a home office environment. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the job's essential functions. This role routinely involves using standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and virtual communication tools. Employees are expected to ensure that their home office is a safe and ergonomic working environment.
Employees must maintain data security and confidentiality in accordance with company policies and use secure connections for all work-related activities. Expectations regarding work hours, availability, and time tracking will be clearly communicated and must be adhered to.
The company is not responsible for maintaining home office environments beyond the provision of reasonable accommodation and necessary work-related equipment. Workers' compensation and liability for injuries that occur in the home office will be covered as per company