Our client is Africa’s premier communications agency. Operating in 27 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, they are the largest network agency on the continent.

JOB PROFILE

A Creative Director is responsible for a Creative team ensuring that the Agency develops the creative product for our clients. Creative Director’s develop every aspect of an advertising campaign based on the client's marketing plan, conceptualize those ideas for clients.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Knowledge Areas:

• Ensures the production of high quality creative work that enhances the reputation of the agency and wins awards.
• Knowledge of each step of an advertising campaign's process to give the creative team direction.
• Good knowledge and application of multiple channel executions.
• Embed innovative thinking into core business activity.
• To remain up-to-date with new ideas, techniques and styles (ie art, films, TV programmes, music, fashion, trends etc).
• To actively seek inspiration from the external environment to influence creativity. 
• Understands and appreciates the nature and value their client’s brand.
• To familiarising themselves with the product and competitor activities in the market.
• Proficient in discussing the client's core message and target audience.
• Ability to generate lots of fresh, original ideas from a brief.

Task Areas:

• Develop creative programs and design concepts that meet the business objectives of the organisation and that advance our brand strategy.
• Work with internal teams to generate ideas for pitching and proposals.
• Interpret and translate new business marketing briefs and commercial objectives into original, clever (but viable) creative and communication ideas, visions, strategies.
• Demonstrate and lead effective creative brainstorming sessions - with clients and internal teams where appropriate.
• Guide and develop single-minded propositions and high-calibre creative concepts.
• (Alongside the client team and copywriters) in business development pitches and proposals - new and existing clients where relevant.
• Spearhead the development of the company’s digital, social and mobile creative services, skill-set and experience.
• Provide direction to creative team to visualise and produce design interfaces for all marketing programme executions.
• Manage, mentor and guide the team in developing their creative thinking, strategies, processes and execution.
• Maintain and share a knowledge of 'latest’ creative and digital trends and techniques to keep our work cutting edge.
• Manage overall approval and sign-off of creative elements to client projects to maintain quality standards and evoke best practice.

Talent Management & internal Relationships:

• To lead and inspire a creative team to develop powerful and highly commercial design solutions for a portfolio of clients.
• To manage the creative team from concept to completion of the projects and present to management.
• Builds key relationships with key individuals within the Agency.
• Meets regularly with key individuals to discuss the client's requirements and core messages.
• Fosters team spirit within department by sharing professional experience to improve overall department effectiveness.
• Makes department aware of any new technologies that could improve overall agency quality.
• Helps new team members understand agency process.
• Able to quickly build constructive but uncompromising relationships within the business.
• Manage and develop the team within agency values.
• Gives effective feedback and coaches individuals to develop their own knowledge, skills and behaviour.
• Conduct PMP's (appraisal) interviews and follow-up PMP objectives with all reports in the team.
• Provide regular feedback to Creative teams. Act as coach and mentor and support their career development.
• Ability to give constructive feedback to individuals on their Creative work.
• Provides a clear direction for the team in support of business objectives.
• Gives effective feedback and coaches individuals to develop their own knowledge, skills and behaviour.
• Effectively manages poor performers and difficult discussions.
• Recognises and values work done well.

Client Management:

• Responsible for the development of strong client relationships, alongside seeking new and different ways to improve our service to them.
• Responsible for the on-going direction and development of the clients, helping to win new business and delivering brand building campaigns.
• Work closely with the senior management team to become a trusted design partner within the clients businesses.

Commercial Management:

• Understands the client’s financial budgets and ensures work is completed within these budgets.
• Develops an expert understanding of the Agency’s financial systems
• Ensures work is produced on time and within budget
• Strong analytic skills and ability to relate results to client business objectives
• Knows of, and understands, relevant contractual agreements and their impact on agency procedures.
• Manages budget development and monitors financial performance.
• Contributes to development of company revenue projections.
• Shares responsibility for building and managing accounts for growth/profitability.
• Helps to prepare, and attends, regular account “check-ups” with clients; presents accomplishments and plans for next period.
• Ensures that staff complete and submit their timesheets on time.

Creative Management:

• Establish creative direction for the entire line of offline services and programs.
• To push boundaries of original thinking to explore new creative solutions.
• Challenge the team to go beyond the brief.
• Provide quality control over concepts put forward by the creative team.
• Lead creative sessions for project kick-offs.
• Coach and drive the other team members to grow the creative relationships.
• To deliver work to brief on time and on budget, to the quality expected, surpassing the client's advertising expectations.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Minimum of 7 years broad experience from either or all of Digital Marketing, Media Communication, Advertisement & PR
• Agency background is a must.
• Courage: Shows bravery in making decisions, and stands by values and beliefs. 
• Idealism: Strives for achievements; dares to raise our sights and blaze new trails.
• Curiosity: Has a desire to know more, and is open to all possibilities.
• Playfulness: Has fun and knows when not to take him or herself too seriously.
• Candour: Encourages openness and honesty with colleagues and with clients.
• Intuition: Trusting and listening to our unconscious or “inner guru”, to find unique solutions.
• Free-spiritedness: Permission to practice magic, encourage and promote flexibility.
• Persistence: Shows determination to achieve the right results

This role is new to Nigeria and as such, remuneration will be negotiable based on quality.

TO APPLY: Mail a detailed CV exhaustive of experience and accomplishment to charles.azode@erecnigeria.com