Director, Creative Services

Navient

About The Position

As Director of Creative Services, you’ll set the creative direction for high‑impact brand and marketing work, guiding ideas from early concept through polished execution. You’ll lead and mentor a talented network of freelance designers and copywriters, build strong partnerships with agencies and vendors, and play a central role in shaping how the brand shows up across every touchpoint—from major campaigns to the smallest, pixel‑perfect details. This role is ideal for a creative leader who pairs exceptional design taste with strong business instincts. You have a deep understanding of design systems and know how to translate business goals into compelling visual stories that deliver real results. You thrive in highly collaborative environments, working closely with writers, producers, marketers, and researchers to bring ideas to life. Whether you’re presenting a creative vision to senior leaders or jumping into Figma to explore concepts, you’re equally comfortable thinking strategically and executing hands‑on. In this role, you’ll blend creative excellence with strategic insight to develop cohesive visual systems and campaigns that resonate across all marketing channels. You’ll lead the creation of innovative design and copy solutions that elevate consumer engagement, strengthen brand consistency, and reinforce a distinctive point of view—while pushing the work forward in fresh, meaningful ways.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree- Marketing, Communications or related field. Additional experience above the required minimum may substitute.
10 years experience with creative services, design and copy.
Minimum 3 years managing creative teams, either directly or indirectly.
Advanced proficiency in design tools (Figma, Adobe Creative suite).
Presentation skills.
Cross-functional collaboration and leadership.
Deep understanding of marketing channels and measurement.
Portfolio of work showcasing integrated brand campaigns and technical design execution.
Familiarity with all-in-one digital marketing and competitive intelligence platforms such as SEMRush, Ahrefs, Clearscope, or Moz Pro.
Experience using Play Play or like tools.
Additional experience above the required minimum may substitute for above level of experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in financial services or in other highly regulated industries.
Photography, animation and video skills are a plus.
Strong creativity and problem solving skills.

Responsibilities

Creative Strategy and Leadership Drive the evolution of our visual identity and systems, setting clear design principles and brand standards aligned with business goals.
Ensure rigorous quality control across all creative outputs—from campaigns to evergreen assets—maintaining both creative excellence and consistency.
Review work from internal teams and external partners, offering strategic, actionable feedback that pushes ideas forward and strengthens creative impact while meeting key timelines and delivery dates.
Present compelling concepts to leadership and cross-functional partners with strategic rationale.
Keep our product and brand creatively competitive by staying on top of design trends and identifying opportunities to innovate within our brand expression.
Ensure rigorous quality control across all creative outputs—from campaigns to evergreen assets—maintaining both creative excellence and consistency.
Review work from internal teams and external partners, offering strategic, actionable feedback that pushes ideas forward and strengthens creative impact while meeting key timelines and delivery dates.
Present compelling concepts to leadership and cross-functional partners with strategic rationale.
Keep our product and brand creatively competitive by staying on top of design trends and identifying opportunities to innovate within our brand expression.
Design, Write and Mentor Execute standout design and copy work on priority projects—this is a hands-on role, and will often need to step in to support smaller, quick-turn or less-visible initiatives to keep work moving and maintain quality across the board.
Provide constructive, developmental feedback that helps designers and copywriters grow and enhances the quality of team outputs.
Continuously assess and experiment with new tools, including AI and automation, to expand the capabilities, efficiency, and creative range—ensuring we scale smartly without compromising quality.
Champion creative rigor and foster a culture of continuous improvement and craft excellence within the team.
Cross-functional Partnership Partner with cross-functional teams—including Product, Sales, Research, and Marketing—to deliver creative solutions that align with technical requirements and business objectives.
Ensure design consistency and cohesion across campaigns, product surfaces, and user journeys by aligning closely with content and business strategy.
Agency and contractor management Review and provide directional feedback on agency deliverables.
Communicate performance data to optimize future assets – synthesize insights from campaign performance, testing and audience behavior to guide more effective creative decisions and stronger outcomes.
Own the intake, scoping and prioritization of agency work – ensure resources are deployed against the highest impact initiatives and expectations are aligned.
Manage day‑to‑day partner relationships with clarity and accountability- serve as the primary point of contact for creative partners—setting communication rhythms, resolving blockers, and ensuring smooth collaboration between internal teams and external contributors.
Maintain a vetted roster of creative partners - identify, evaluate, and onboard new agencies, freelancers, and specialists to expand creative capabilities and fill skill gaps as business needs evolve.
Ensure seamless integration between internal and external teams – facilitate knowledge sharing, brand onboarding, and workflow alignment so agencies and contractors can operate as an augmentation of in-house team.
Asset Management & Governance Oversee Marketing’s DAM system, ensuring all creative assets are properly tagged, organized, and updated.
Collaborate with Production Ops to establish and maintain best practices.
Implement and own regular audits, archiving outdated assets, and maintaining version control.