Group Director, Communications Design

Business Overview

Initiative is different to other media agencies.

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Initiative builds Fame & Flow for brands like Nike, Amazon, Merck, LEGO, and T-Mobile.

Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability. Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

Position Overview

NIKE Inc. is the world's leading designer, marketer, and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories. Founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight in 1972, Nike has grown over the last 50 years into one of the most valuable, most loved and most emulated brands in the world, singular in its ability to create cultural conversation within the world of sports and fashion and far beyond. 

 

Nike's mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world; a mission expressed every day through product design, digital and physical retail consumer experiences, and brand communications. 

 

Initiative has recently been appointed Nike’s agency of record for Global Media, responsible for strategy, integrated media planning, and paid/organic social strategy and activation for Nike’s and Jordan Brand’s multi-region integrated brand and product campaigns.

 

Partnering with Nike and Jordan is an extraordinary opportunity requiring extraordinary talent. Our vision is to build the best integrated team connecting brand and performance to deliver best in class outcomes. The Initiative team will be highly diverse, attracting the sharpest emerging and established media experts across all disciplines in the industry. With the chance to grow and do great work people all over the region will see, admire, and respond to. 

*If you have a body, you are an athlete.

 

As Group Director, Communications Design you are at the forefront of bringing the next generation of planning to life. As the Design leader of your client group, you are responsible for ensuring the adoption and adherence of communications design principles across your client base, ensuring your team consistently delivers best in class idea led, culturally empowered communications ecosystems that drive effectiveness.

 

Client 

• Act as lead design counsel for clients at key periods (eg. annual planning) or across key projects (eg. New launches) 
• Responsible for communications design product excellence across major planning initiatives across designated client base 

Internal 

• Responsible for team’s adoption of best in class communications design approaches and innovation, and adherence to planning process 
• Oversee collaboration with external partners (creative agency), and internal strategy and partnerships teams through the planning process to ensure creative excellence, strategic fit and commercial feasibility of the Connections Design approach 
• Oversight of connections architecture development, analytics strategy and ecosystem delivery across owned, earned, shared & paid (OESP) 
• Responsible for best in class quality and consistency of every output from the communications design client team they oversee, in line with the communications design discipline vision 
• Responsible for ensuring team is effectively resourced, and talent has the right training and support to operate at the required level 

Commercial 

• Responsible for ensuring profitable integration of Specialty Business Unit (SBU) leadership within design team 
• Oversee opportunities to grow scope to appropriate communications design staffing levels and up-leveled talent on client assignments 

New Business 

• Manage the product outcomes for new business efforts across pitches for Communications Design resource, including casting talent, running brainstorms, integrating with partnerships & SBU’s on

 Required Skills and Experience

• 10+