Director, Art Direction West North America

Position Overview

The role of Director, Art Direction for North America Brand Creative is based in Los Angeles and reports to the Senior Creative Director at Nike's NA Brand Creative studio. This leadership role involves collaborating closely with teams focused on experience, narrative, and retail to fulfill diverse seasonal marketing briefs across multiple categories such as Lifestyle, Global Football, Basketball, and Running. The position demands a strong commitment to design excellence, innovation, and cultural relevance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire multidisciplinary creative teams through multiple projects aligned with Nike's brand strategy.
• Partner with senior leadership and creative heads to shape and drive North America's visual identity and art direction.
• Champion superior standards for creative work, ensuring consistency, innovation, and high-quality delivery from concept to final output across visual systems, campaigns, photography, film, digital, and experiential mediums.
• Develop and implement multiple visual direction systems in coordination with senior creative leaders.
• Manage and cultivate relationships with external creative collaborators including agencies, photographers, directors, 3D artists, animators, and writers.
• Oversee and elevate art direction specifically for video and photography, guaranteeing brand alignment, cultural resonance, diversity, and cost-effectiveness.
• Foster a culture dedicated to creative originality and breakthrough ideas while staying ahead of trends in sport, fashion, subculture, music, design, retail, film, technology, AI, and social media.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with teams such as Brand Voice, Photography, Styling, Marketing, Digital, Retail, Product Design, and Concepts throughout creative processes.
• Lead talent development initiatives through coaching, feedback, and performance management to support emerging designers.
• Ensure all projects are strategically planned, creatively exceptional, and delivered within set timelines.

Candidate Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in product, brand, or marketing roles within leading brands or agencies.
• Bachelor’s degree in design or a related field; combinations of education and experience also considered.
• Strong passion for and knowledge of North American sports, athletes, and cultural landscapes.
• Demonstrated ability to advance art direction focused on the North American and Los Angeles markets in collaboration with creative teams.
• Proven leadership skills in guiding and mentoring young designers and promoting creative excellence.
• Expertise in creating compelling visual environments for campaigns emphasizing sport, athlete storytelling, and product innovation.
• Fluency in design fundamentals including typography, image composition, and retouching utilizing Adobe Creative Suite and tools like Figma; knowledge of 3D or motion graphics is advantageous.
• Capacity to effectively communicate creative concepts with clarity and compelling storytelling in presentations to senior leadership.
• Strong network-building skills with external creative partners such as agencies and various artists across mediums.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual base salary for this role ranges from $160,300 to $338,200 depending on geographic location, individual skills, qualifications, and experience. Additional benefits information is available (details pending or provided upon inquiry).

Recruitment and Accessibility

Nike provides various accommodations for the interview process, including support for screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible in-person interview locations, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications. Candidates requiring assistance are encouraged to request accommodations early.