Director/Senior Strategist of Creative Process

Director/Senior Strategist of Creative Process

Full Time Professional

A career that makes a difference!

With offices located across the USA, RKD Group has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise billions of dollars to fulfill their missions.

RKD Group, one of the nation’s largest direct-response fundraising agencies, is growing rapidly and looking for an experienced, dynamic Director/Senior Strategist of Creative Process . Our company has grown organically as well as through multiple acquisitions and is now undergoing a significant transformation effort—across people, process and technology. We have recently implemented a new organization design and we now need the right working leader to design improved and consistent business processes to unlock efficient cross-team collaboration, as well as identify opportunities to implement new technology to allow the business to scale more quickly.

The Director/Senior Strategist of Creative Process will be responsible for mapping current processes in our Creative group, which supports the entire agency across direct mail, email, websites, lightboxes, donation forms, and all types of media – social, programmatic display, TV, and radio. They will identify areas where the process can be improved with standardization, clearer roles/responsibilities, and/or technology tools. This leader will be empowered to implement improvements, working in partnership with our Executive Leadership for sponsorship, our Business Applications and IT team for solution implementation, and our Learning & Change Director for training/adoption.

This role requires a strategic and operational mind, with strong leadership and communication skills. The ideal candidate will be an inquisitive problem solver and “fixer”, someone who can connect dots quickly and identify multiple ways to meet an objective—then can articulate and gather excitement toward a vision for change. This role is an amazing opportunity for an individual to make a significant impact on an organization and have visibility and access to senior leaders for rapid career progression.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Business Process Analysis and Redesign:

• Conduct thorough analysis and mapping of existing business processes within the Creative team to identify areas for improvement.
• Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, within Creative as well as across different departments, to gather requirements and understand process pain points.
• Utilize data-driven insights to make informed recommendations for process redesign, with a focus on efficiency and scalability.
• Dive into the current business use of outsourced vs insourced Creative talent to develop clear recommendations around the level of emphasis/resource investment in each.
• Create clear and comprehensive process documentation of the “current” and “to be” processes, including workflows, standard operating procedures, and guidelines, and then become an “evangelist” for adoption.
• Define and establish key performance indicators (KPI’s) to measure the success of process improvements in achieving efficiencies and increasing quality delivery of agency work.
• Collaborate with our Learning and Change Director to develop training on new processes and assist in change management efforts to ensure successful adoption of redesigned processes.

Technology Support Strategy:

• Understand emerging technology tools that support Creative teams and determine high potential applications for RKD.
• Research and recommend MarTech (Marketing Technology) platforms for consideration at RKD to save labor and increase personalized messaging to donors, e.g., Dynamic Creative Optimization, Creative Management Platforms.
• Identify opportunities for technology adoption to enhance operational efficiency, speed time to delivery of Creative, and reduce manual work.
• Collaborate with IT on adoption of technologies, tools, and platforms to support redesigned processes.

Stakeholder Management and Communication:

• Be a natural influencer and collaborate closely with key stakeholders, including department heads, project managers, and executives, to understand their needs and align process improvement initiatives with their priorities.
• Effectively communicate the benefits and impact of technology to gain buy-in and support from stakeholders, including developing business cases for investment and presenting those to senior leadership to gain sponsorship and excitement for investments.
• Provide regular progress updates and reports on projects to senior management, highlighting achievements, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.

EDUCATION, SKILLS QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business or related field. MBA preferred but not required.
• 10+ years’ experience in business operations, process improvement required. Prior experience in process-improvement consulting or as an internal consultant within a company is a plus.
• Deep knowledge of the Adobe Suite, including InCopy and InDesign, as well as Workfront/Proof HQ, and how to leverage these tools for high level of efficiency and streamlined work.
• Experience in either a marketing agency or company with a large in-house Creative team that worked across multiple channels (e.g., direct mail, digital media) is a plus.
• Strong understanding of process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma) and experience in applying them to real-world business challenges.
• Experience implementing new technologies and tools to support business processes.
• Strong project management, with the ability to lead and manage cross-functional teams effectively.

The successful candidate will have the ability to self-manage, learn quickly, and make progress with limited oversight. They will have exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization. They will have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and propose innovative solutions. The successful candidate will be comfortable interacting with C-level and other senior leaders providing information and counsel on improvements to their teams. They will have the ability to synthesize disparate information and points of view to define a single best practice, and then communicate a vision both written (power point, Word) and verbal (in person, and virtual on Teams).

Qualified candidates, please apply to this position using the link below.

https://rkdgroup.com/about-us/... is remote-based. Core working hours are generally central time zone but flexibility to adjust to accommodate Eastern or Pacific is needed on occasion. Some travel to in-person workshops (typically in Dallas, TX area) will be required.

The position level and compensation for this role will be determined based on the experience and qualifications of the candidates.

RKD Group offers highly competitive compensation commensurate with experience, and a full range of benefits.

RKD Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

No sponsorships available for this position.