[Hiring] Creative Manager @California Institute of Applied Technology

Role Description

California Institute of Applied Technology (CIAT) is seeking a creative, versatile, and organized Creative Manager to support the development and execution of creative assets across the organization. This role is responsible for ensuring CIAT’s visual identity and ensuring creative output, including branding, web design, graphic design, and video, is consistent, high-quality, and aligned with marketing and institutional goals. This role requires both hands-on creative execution and strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail. The ideal candidate is a versatile creative manager, equally comfortable designing graphics, websites, editing video, and thinking through user experience, while also being highly organized and capable of managing day-to-day creative operations.

• Manage and support the creative direction and execution of CIAT brand assets across digital and print channels
• Ensure consistency and quality across all creative outputs, including website design, landing pages, advertising creatives, social media assets, email design, and video content
• Collaborate closely with other members of the marketing team to concept, develop, and execute integrated marketing campaigns that drive engagement and conversions
• Manage and prioritize all incoming creative requests, ensuring projects are delivered on time and aligned with business priorities
• Develop and maintain creative workflows, timelines, and project tracking systems to support efficient execution
• Provide ongoing coaching, mentorship, and professional development support to direct reports
• Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, performance check-ins, and career development planning with creative team members
• Delegate projects effectively while maintaining accountability for final deliverables and overall quality
• Execute hands-on creative work as needed, including graphic design, video editing, and light web design updates
• Manage the ongoing maintenance of CIAT’s brand identity, visual guidelines, and design systems
• Oversee the design and optimization of website pages and landing pages with a focus on user experience and conversion performance
• Support paid media, SEO, and email marketing initiatives with high-performing creative assets
• Contribute to conversion rate optimization (CRO) efforts by testing and improving creative elements such as layouts, messaging, and visual hierarchy
• Lead video content initiatives, including concepting, editing, and producing content for marketing campaigns and brand storytelling
• Manage relationships with external creative vendors or freelancers as needed
• Ensure all creative assets align with CIAT’s compliance requirements, including Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional policies
• Partner with HR to coach and counsel employees as needed
• Provide professional development and growth opportunities for employees
• Manage and enforce timekeeping policies to ensure accuracy and timely processing of employee timecards
• Conduct timely, accurate, and fair performance reviews, free from bias
• Ensure a safe, secure, and ethical work environment
• Adhere to CIAT’s compliance requirements to ensure all Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional policies and procedures are being met
• Follow communication guidelines to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and professionalism
• Embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose, and values

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, or a related field preferred
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in creative, design, or marketing roles, with at least 1-2 years of experience managing or mentoring others preferred
• Strong portfolio demonstrating experience across graphic design, web design, and video content
• Proficiency in design and video tools such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects) or equivalent
• Hands-on experience with video editing and a willingness to execute across multiple creative formats
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and marketing/project management tools
• Ability to balance hands-on creative work with team leadership and project delegation
• Strong understanding of branding, visual storytelling, and user experience principles
• Experience supporting performance marketing efforts, with an understanding of how creative impacts engagement and conversion
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Willingness to work outside of standard business hours when necessary to meet business needs and deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture
• Exhibits a high degree of flexibility in adapting to a rapidly changing environment
• This position requires occasional travel to support in-person events and organizational initiatives
• This position may involve event coordination responsibilities, including tasks that require physical activity such as setup, breakdown, and on-site support
• Able to handle sensitive information with a high degree of confidentiality
• Possess high ethical standards, being an example of professionalism to others
• Must be able to embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values

Requirements

• This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend and evening hours may be required.
• This position manages one functional role within the Marketing Department and is responsible for the performance, development, and day-to-day oversight of the creative team.
• This is a remote position. Work must be conducted in locations that have been approved by the company. Company authorization is necessary for relocation or work from other locations, even if temporarily.

Benefits

• The salary range for the Marketing Manager is $80,000 to $95,000 yearly/DOE. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, experience, equity and other business and organizational needs.