Creative Manager

Summary
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.

Work from Home (WFH)
Remote work must be performed while residing in California, New Mexico, Florida or Massachusetts

CIAT Campus Locations
San Diego, CA and Albuquerque, NM

Reports to
Director of Marketing

Status
Exempt

Employment Type
Full-time

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
These physical demands represent the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the job’s essential functions. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions described.

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 essential functions of this job. 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 policy and applicable laws.

This remote work policy is designed to comply with all relevant local, state, and federal laws.

When in the office
When in the office, employees are expected to follow all workplace safety rules, security protocols, and professional conduct guidelines. They should maintain a clean and organized work area, be punctual, and actively engage in in‑person meetings, collaboration, and training as scheduled. The in‑office environment may involve occasional noise, shared workspaces, and use of common areas, and employees are expected to be respectful of others working nearby.

AAP/EEO Statement
California Institute of Applied Technology provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, the California Institute of Applied Technology complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

California Institute of Applied Technology expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of California Institute of Applied Technology’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, and responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

Salary Range
The salary range for the Marketing Manager is $80,000 to $95,000 yearly/DOE. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, experience, equity and other business and organizational needs.

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