Group Head: Art (Cape Town) at 99C

Responsibilities

Leadership

• Oversee and mentor a team of art directors, providing guidance, support, and inspiration to foster their creative growth
• Drive the development of innovative and compelling creative concepts that align with client objectives and brand identity
• Ensure the highest standards of quality and execution in all creative deliverables
• Lead and inspire Art Direction best practice
• Ensure consistency and integration of art direction across all communication channels
• Responsible for seeing the idea through the creative process to final sign off
• Mentor junior and mid art directors
• Participate in new business initiatives, from identifying opportunities to pitch development
• Hands-on creative development from concept to implementation
• Provide quality assurance of all creative deliverables

Thinking

• Collaborate with copywriters and other team members to develop the overarching creative strategy and big ideas for campaigns
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of consumer insights and market trends to create relevant and engaging content
• Think critically and creatively to solve complex challenges and generate unique solutions
• Interact with other agency teams/divisions to develop creative concepts
• Work to brief and show understanding and relevance to the target market

Integration

• Research and implement AI-powered design tools and techniques to streamline workflows and enhance creative output
• Utilize AI algorithms for tasks such as generating design ideas, creating custom illustrations, and optimizing visual assets

Proficiency

• Stay up to date on the latest design software, hardware, and industry trends
• Leverage technical skills to create visually impactful and technically sound designs
• Create social, digital, print, TV, OOH and editorial layouts and oversee shoots

Excellence

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the art direction team, including workflow, deadlines, and – along with Traffic – optimal resource allocation to enable quality delivery
• Ensure efficient and effective execution of creative projects, from concept to completion
• Collaborate with production teams to ensure seamless transition of creative concepts into production
• Oversee creative consultations with strategy and account teams to assure appropriate creative strategies, adequacy/accuracy of input, production support, necessary reviews, and client presentations

Client Management

• Present creative concepts to clients and effectively communicate the creative rationale and solution, ensuring all concepts are well thought-out, strategic, highly creative, and effectively answer the brief requirements
• Build strong relationships with clients and foster trust and collaboration
• Address client feedback objectively and openly, and make necessary adjustments to creative deliverables

Retail Focus

• Demonstrate a deep understanding of retail marketing and consumer behaviour
• Develop creative concepts that are tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of the retail environment

Qualifications and Experience

• Tertiary degree or diploma in art direction and marketing and/or communications
• 8+ years of experience (preference will be given to candidates from agency environments)
• Strong conceptual ability demonstrated by an impressive portfolio of work
• Experience in omni-channel advertising is crucial
• Proven experience as a Creative Group Head or a similar leadership role in advertising or a related field
• Strong portfolio showcasing exceptional creative concepts and execution across various channels
• Ability to lead and inspire a team of creative professionals
• Deep understanding of design principles, typography, and color theory
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong attention to detail and organizational ability
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Passion for creativity and a commitment to delivering exceptional results
• Ability to balance working personally on projects, as well as overseeing campaign development within your teams
• Need to be able to work with Adobe Creative Suite software (Acrobat, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, etc.)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 Suite (MS Word, MS PowerPoint, etc.)
• Team player with the ability to work independently, as well as collaborate with broader teams
• Resilient, with ability to remain calm in a highly pressurized, fast-paced environment
• Creative, out-of-the-box thinker with both a strategic and creative mind-set
• People-focused, approachable, dependable, emotionally intelligent, empathetic and compassionate
• Proactive and resilient, assertive, accountable and proactive
• Problem-solver, deadline and solution driven
• Meticulous with excellent attention to detail
• May be required to work on alcohol brands and/or alcohol-related material