Director, Brand Creative

General Overview: The Director, Brand Creative provides creative leadership for Smoothie King’s brand: leading the in-house design and copywriting team, directing our creative agency partners, and owning the overall creative vision across every channel and touchpoint. We keep our team happy with our great benefits package, free smoothies, flexible work schedules, office lunches and parties, monthly fitness challenges, free gym access, and more fun activities to make Smoothie King a happy and healthy place to work.

Overview:

If you’re looking for a purpose and not just a job, join the Smoothie King team and turn your purpose into a fulfilling passion!

 

Whether it’s your first job or your next career move, this is a place where your voice matters, your growth is supported, and your work has real impact.

 

We are not just the original smoothie brand; we are on a mission to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle, because we are a brand that truly cares. We care about our team, creating a positive, supportive place to work. We care about our guests, helping them live healthier, more active lives. And we care about our communities, blending goodness into everything we do. With over 1,200 stores and counting, our success starts with our team! That’s why we focus on creating a workplace where people love to be; where teammates feel like family, and energy, fun, and positivity are part of the everyday culture.

 

Join us and become a part of our winning recipe: Hire the best people, use the best ingredients, and blend with a purpose.

General Overview:

The Director, Brand Creative provides creative leadership for Smoothie King’s brand: leading the in-house design and copywriting team, directing our creative agency partners, and owning the overall creative vision across every channel and touchpoint. This role moves beyond day-to-day production to make leadership decisions on brand direction, proactively drive new creative programs, and serve as the key stakeholder safeguarding brand integrity. The Director is also responsible for championing AI creative tools to expand what the team can produce and test, and acts as a strategic right hand to the VP, Brand, at the integration table.

 

Essential Functions:

• Own creative leadership decisions on brand direction, voice, and visual identity, moving beyond day-to-day production to lead the team’s vision and output.
• Serve as the key stakeholder safeguarding brand integrity and consistency across every channel and touchpoint.
• Proactively identify opportunities and drive new creative programs, rather than only responding to inbound briefs.
• Provide creative direction and leadership to our agency partners as a collaborative, strategic partner, especially on media, helping shape an integrated brand look and feel.
• Partner with our creative agency to shift its role from execution-based production toward concept, strategy, and integrated brand thinking, while building the in-house team’s capacity to execute against that vision.
• Own the development of PR visuals and POP visuals, and drive the broader vision of the brand forward.
• Champion the adoption of AI creative tools to expand in-house content output and enable more testing and creative versioning, leading the team through that adoption.
• Manage the creative department budget, optimizing resources, tools, and training to support the team’s evolving scope.
• Act as a strategic right hand to the VP, Brand, sitting at the integration table and helping the broader team think about how to do everything better.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, R&D, and other departments to translate business strategy and promotions into compelling visual communication, including menus, campaigns, and digital content.

Major Responsibilities / Specific Requirements:

• Genuine experience with, or strong curiosity for, AI creative tools and platforms, and how they can expand creative production, testing, and versioning.
• Proven creative leadership: comfortable making brand and creative decisions, not just executing direction from others.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and present to senior leadership.
• Strong understanding of design principles, typography, and color theory, with working proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Experience directing external creative agencies as a strategic, collaborative partner, not just managing deliverables.
• Ability to build and sustain team culture, morale, and pride in the work, while managing a fast-paced environment and competing priorities.
• Promote the culture, values, and mission of Smoothie King.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in art, graphic design, marketing, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
• 7+ years proven experience in graphic design or brand creative, with a strong portfolio showcasing your work.
• 5+ years experience in a creative leadership or managerial role, including experience directing outside creative agencies.
• Hands-on experience with AI creative tools/platforms strongly preferred, or a demonstrated track record of quickly learning and championing new creative technology.
• Experience with video and editing highly preferred.
• Personal passion for health and fitness is a plus.

What We Offer:

Join our team and enjoy an unusually fun work environment with an upbeat atmosphere and great team members. It is our purpose to maintain an environment our team members can brag about, where our focus and belief are built on our core values: We Are Better Together, We Keep Evolving, We Live Our Mission, We Do the Right Thing, and We Focus and Finish. With our core values at the forefront of every decision we make, it allows for collaboration, passion, and a no-limits mindset when it comes to your future! We keep our team happy with our great benefits package, free smoothies, flexible work schedules, office lunches and parties, monthly fitness challenges, free gym access, and more fun activities to make Smoothie King a happy and healthy place to work.

 

Our Mission

Inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

 

Our Vision

We make the world a better place by nourishing healthy habits.

 

 

At Smoothie King, when we say inspire people, we mean everyone. We champion a diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of the guests we serve. We blend the unique members of our organization, celebrating what is both common and different to grow better together and Rule the Day. The foundation of our diversity efforts is closely tied to our core values, which includes “We Are Better Together” and “We Do the Right Thing”. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, or medical condition or disability. If you are a person with a disability and you need assistance in applying for a position with Smoothie King, please call our People Services Department at 214-935-8900 and direct assistance will be provided.