Senior Manager, Creative (Vans APAC) (亚太区品牌创意高级经理)
Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire beautiful rebellion – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. We are constantly inspired by the next generation of creative catalysts within our community.
So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “OFF THE WALL” Vans just might be the ideal place for you.
What will you do?
You are an expert in crafting compelling brand and product narratives through visual storytelling. Your outstanding creative communication skills span digital and physical consumer journeys. You will help build and maintain our creative lifestyle expression of the brand through music, design, art, and style, forging meaningful connections with the next generation of consumers. You are passionate about shaping stories and creative concepts that stand out from the crowd and deliver brand distinction.
A day in the life of a Senior Manager, Creative at Vans (APAC) looks a little like this:
As a trusted member of the Global Brand Creative team reporting to the Vice President, Global Brand Creative, you will work closely with APAC Marketing leads, Product teams, and Functional leads regionally and globally.
- Your primary role is to develop seasonal concepts that enhance both brand and product expression, contributing significantly to driving brand heat via cutting-edge creative to support successful campaigns landing in markets.
- You will work closely with APAC Marketing leads and talented Brand Creative teammates to deliver best-in-class storytelling across all levels of the marketing funnel.
- Most importantly, you will help Vans deliver powerful, culturally relevant, and meaningful “OFF THE WALL” stories to acquire new, youthful consumers.
Your responsibilities will include:
Being a strategic partner of APAC Marketing teams, you will work with APAC Marketing leads to lead APAC creative asset creation and implementation, aligning global brand positioning with consideration of regional nuances and business needs. Oversee all the brand, marketing, seasonal and campaign planning, production and implementation, covering but not limited to advertising, digital, retail marketing, and store design.
- Brief and guide creative partners to develop concepts and produce seasonal/campaign creative assets for implementation in above-the-line, below-the-line and digital channels across APAC region.
- Work with Global Marketing and Global Creative Services teams to provide regionally appropriate feedback to inform global brand/marketing asset creation.
- Guide markets on all local asset creation projects and ensure alignment on global and regional brand directions.
- Lead and guide in-house designers and external agencies to create seasonal campaign toolkits and distribute to all markets.
- Cascade and oversee the implementation of visual marketing campaigns in store.
- Lead venue design and set-up of regional Go-To-Market meetings, trade shows, and retail partner meetings to ensure high quality executions.
What do you need to succeed?
We all have unique abilities that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are clear skills you’ll need to succeed. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 10+ years of experience and professional achievements. The foundational skills you will need in this position are:
- Passion for creativity and visual storytelling
- Incredible taste for what is right and what is next
- Proficiency in graphic design applications (print and digital)
- Ability to visualize concepts for internal and external stakeholders
- Strong connection to youth culture - intuitive understanding of cultural trends and shifts
- Healthy understanding of APAC region and key markets (China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Australia)
- Dependable, accountable, and proactive - ability to work under tight deadlines/budgets
- Curiosity and eagerness to learn, experiment, and take creative risks
- Fluency in storytelling platforms and modern consumer touchpoints
- Mindset, communication skills, and experience working with cross-functional and cross-cultural teams, while leading and managing APAC creative team
There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred:
- Authentic connection to street culture and fashion lifestyle brands
- In-house Creative and/or Marketing experience at a major global brand
- Connection to creative agencies/vendors/freelancers across key APAC markets
- Familiarity with other creative disciplines such as Fashion/Footwear Design, Experiential/Environmental Design, Motion/Video Design, Digital Design, AI tools, etc.
Principal Accountabilities:
* Manage a team of multi-disciplinary creative professionals (copy, graphics, photo and/or video) to develop content to be used in promoting products and brands across all media channels* Establish the creative framework for tone, style and image to best meet the needs of business owners* Coordinate resources to ensure timely completion of all creative efforts* Provide guidance, advice, and training for direct reports
Knowledge & Skill Requirements:
* Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related field *Equivalent years of experience in a substantially similar industry may be considered in lieu of a degree to be determined by the nature of the specific job and the hiring manager’s criteria* Generally ten years of progressive experience with three years of managerial experience* Strong organization and communication skills * Proficient PC skills
Knowledge & Application:
* Manager with expert knowledge in a specialized field and broad knowledge of several related disciplines within a function* Requires broad theoretical knowledge or advanced knowledge of a highly specialized field and their interrelationships* Directs the application of existing principles and guides development of new policies and ideas
Problem Solving:
* Understands complex issues and their application* Problems are unclearly defined and sufficient information may not be available* Requires conceptual thinking to understand complex issues and their implications* Solutions may need to be devised based on limited information* Implementation of solutions often requires a longer term view and take into consideration multiple perspectives and future implications
Interaction:
* Adapts style and uses persuasion in delivering messages* Issues may be complex and audience perspectives will be divergent* Information is nonroutine in nature* Develops recommendations to sell ideas or services* Frequently advises others on complex matters
Impact:
* Impact is generally limited to the achievement of medium-term goals; may be required to translate strategic plans into operational plans and guide their execution* Develops and manages operational initiatives to deliver tactical results* Focuses team on achieving medium-term goals
Accountability:
* Accountable for meeting short- to medium-term targets which impact the department/discipline* Provides input into the budgeting process and may be a sub-departmental budget holder* People management responsibility for pay reviews, performance management, and resource planning* Accountable for resourcing decisions Will typically have no exit decision responsibility for professional employees