Creative Manager jobs in Kansas City, MO

This Opportunity

WSP USA Inc. has a unique opportunity for a West Region Creative Services Manager to be part of our Strategic Growth Team. The position will ideally be located in any of our West Region primary offices including: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Other locations within the United States may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Reporting to the Senior Marketing Manager, the Creative Services Manager will oversee several graphic designers throughout the region, responsible for the growth and development of individual team members, as well as ensuring brand standards are met and working proactively to make sure designers have the tools and resources they need to deliver industry-leading proposals and presentations.

The graphic design manager will also lead overall graphic design and production layout for a variety of short and long format documents such as proposals, presentations and other marketing and communications collateral. In collaboration with proposal and technical staff, the candidate will create overall visual concepts for marketing and technical deliverables to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate our clients. This role is an integral member of our marketing team and will be heavily involved in proposal layout and overall document management. 

The position will integrate with a high performing, supportive team of marketing managers and coordinators, graphic designers, and strategy development staff responsible for securing some of the largest infrastructure projects in the Western U.S.  The candidate will be responsible for consultation, art direction and production, and proposal support with strong attention to detail, a focus on efficiency and quality, and high level of collaboration in a fast-paced team environment.

Typical management responsibilities include: 

• Trains and coaches employees.
• Resolves operational challenges and proactively identifies efficiencies, both technical and for better interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Coordinates with other regions and departments to source support when local resources are insufficient to meet workload demands.
• QA/QC and design review; creating punch lists of needed revisions and confirming completion. 

Typical design responsibilities include: 

• Work independently and with proposal and presentation teams on storyboarding and graphics development, translating complex business information and reports into charts and graphics in a compelling and easy to understand manner.
• Contribute to implementing workflow enhancements for the graphic design team.
• Accountable and responsible for meeting deadlines and following through on commitments with attention to detail.
• Use graphic design principals such as color, form, and balance to create original design concepts that inform and engage technical and non-technical audiences across a variety of digital and print platforms; design interactive experiences across multiple digital platforms. 
• Maintain knowledge of and proficiency with the latest technologies and trends in the graphic design environment. May require researching and employing new software technology and design/development techniques. 

To get specific, we're looking for a creative services manager who: 

...Leads with a Development Mindset — for the Team and the Individual
What the team needs to thrive as a whole and what each unique team member needs to thrive can be very different things. We’re looking for someone who can take a look at the big picture to influence collaboration and inspiration, as well as someone who has a mind to helping each graphic designer on the team maximize their potential —all through strategic professional development opportunities that may come in the form of group trainings, mentorships, and individualized plans.

...Thrives Working as Part of a Collaborative Team
From engineers and project managers to marketers and graphic designers, WSP is successful because of the diverse personalities who come together to produce strategic proposal and presentation packages, and the graphic design manager is an integral part of that process. Communicating with empathy and bringing a collaborative mindset are essential.

...Has a Strategic Eye for Design
The right creative services manager will partner closely with other graphics, marketing, and technical folks to not just make our proposals and presentations look pretty, but to convey complex messages to broad audiences. This means getting in the thick of the proposal strategy and understanding what we need to communicate to show our clients why we're the right team. We encourage innovation and outside the box thinking. 

...Brings Expert Level Adobe InDesign Knowledge
Understanding InDesign and creating/updating templates that facilitate efficient layout while maintaining WSP branding is key in this fast-paced environment.

...Is a Lifelong Learner with an Appetite for Professional Development
We like people with lofty aspirations, a thirst for knowledge, and the gleam of friendly ambition in their eye. The best candidate will not only proactively seek professional development opportunities to up their own game, but will be excited to share their knowledge, expertise, and perspective to help their team grow.
 

Why you should apply: 
WSP's Strategic Growth Team is a national group of collaborative and innovative problem solvers who frequently work across districts and regions to secure the win, leveraging the expertise of the broader organization.

A continually expanding firm, WSP offers ambitious, self-starters an incredible opportunity for career development and growth. Training is an essential component of our culture, making it an excellent environment for the lifelong learner.

The graphic design team, in particular, is a collaborative, fun, and strategy-focused group. That's not to say the pursuits aren't challenging, because they are — in all the best and most rewarding ways!

Further, WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. WSP operates a hybrid work environment where employees are encouraged to find work-life balance in many ways, including working in the office 2-3 days per week to build connections, with the option of working remotely the other days.

Minimum Qualifications (a.k.a. what you need from day one): 

• 10 years of experience in graphic design for long-form documents (preferably proposals in the AEC industry).
• Bachelor’s Degree in Art, Design, Graphic Design, or related field
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe InDesign (as well as Illustrator and Photoshop) and demonstrated experience working with proposal layout.  
• Advanced proficiency of Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.
• Strong design sense and creativity with integration of color, typography, photography and illustrative graphic elements 
   

#LI-AB3

WSP Benefits: 

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings. 

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $83,100 - $169,500

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $83,100 - $139,000

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.