Location: This position can be located in the Washington, DC or Chicago, IL office

Position Summary:

The Art Director is a highly-creative, visual thinker whose skills and talents will help define and lead our in-house creative team. A strong design portfolio consistent with work in marketing and brand promotion is a must and experience with print, digital, video and display/experiential design. The Creative team is responsible for crafting channel-based creative that aligns with brand standards and organizational strategies, while ensuring each group has an impactful strategy that aligns with its messaging and the REALTOR® brand.

This is a hands-on role that requires expertise in the Adobe Creative Suite as well as experience in the creation, editing, and organization of illustrations and animations for print, online, and video deliverables. The Art Director will set the tone for the team in developing effective creative strategies and will serve as the lead creative in creating high-quality, member communications and promotional collateral for NAR’s many programs and events. This role may engage and manage freelance artists and designers on projects. This position reports to the Vice President, Creative and Content Strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute to creative projects, providing overall direction and advice
• Organize and facilitate creative sessions & workshops to enable the creative development for critical initiatives
• Oversee and guide the development of strong creative briefs
• Lead and mentor the in-house creative team
• Lead creative role in marquee projects
• Creative leadership for projects providing both a holistic overview as well as a detailed understanding on internal client projects
• Manage the creative team’s performance and conduct performance reviews, ensuring each team member produces the highest quality of work which leads to results and strong relationships

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing/advertising, graphic design, creative production or similar field
• At least 10-12 years working in design, as an agency designer, Art Director and/or Design Director for in-house or agency
• At least 5 years’ experience leading and mentoring teams
• Ability to communicate concepts and ideas to others through written, illustrated and verbal means, particularly design staff across disciplines and projects
• Must have industry-specific knowledge: familiarity with agency terminology, processes, and emerging/relevant technology and social/media channels
• Strong creative leader with proven ability to bring abstract thoughts/ideas to fruition
• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration and teamwork with the ability to juggle multiple projects and meet deadlines
• Strong Visual/Design Sensibility—Ability to storyboard and visualize possible future design states and articulate concepts for others. Able to do this for both internal audiences as well as external industry professionals.
• Enthusiasm and Energy—Ability to be an evangelist for the power of design and creative production (in an organization where this has not been obvious in the past). Educate others on basic design concepts. Strike the right balance between principle and pragmatism.
• Strong Persuasion Skills—Ability to convince people of a point of view, build coalitions, win friends and act diplomatically. Comfortable working with many different types of people across groups and offices. Sense of passion about the importance and potential of design to transform an audience experience.
• Ability to Operate in a Fast-Moving Team—Ability to toggle between tasks, work on several projects at once, prioritize and get results.
• Ability to travel up to 20%

Organizational Overview:

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is a team of professionals dedicated to providing world-class service to over 1.3 million REALTORS® working in the United States and around the world. The real estate industry is fast-paced and fast-changing--each year, our members participate in the sale, lease, and management of billions of dollars in real estate. As in every industry, our members’ value proposition is constantly being challenged by innovation.

It is our mission to help REALTORS® navigate that change and thrive in their careers. We cannot do that without the ideas, passion, and commitment from our talented employees. As our greatest assets, employees are offered their pick of competitive benefits/perks and flexible work options. Our most successful employees are committed to our Core Values, which are: