Art Director, Design, BES

Job Title: Art Director

Location: Mumbai, India

Reporting Manager: Manager / Sr. Manager

Job Description:

The Art Director is responsible for leading the art vision, approach, organization and process to ensure the delivery of superior marketing and brand communications solutions. These are to exceed our clients' expectations, meet their budget requirements, and fulfil our client’s business goals. The Art Director has overall responsibility for the strategic direction and overall management of the art team. The Art Director is responsible for art’s contribution to new business development efforts in terms of concept and pitch development, packaging and communication. The Art Director has overall responsibility for the output, on billable project delivery as well as business development and internal projects. The Art Director will also be responsible for producing outputs and assisting the team by taking on production jobs to assist in creativity and outflow of work. The Art Director is responsible for presenting coherently and in a compelling manner the direction and business value of our capabilities to any client at any level up to the Board. The Art Director must motivate and manage art staff in order to facilitate the delivery of internal and external project work. The Art Director is responsible for the profitable utilization of the team, from the perspective of revenue earned as well as in terms of business and capability development. Work closely with all members of the art team, ensuring all communication, training and motivational needs of the team are met at all times by coaching and mentoring to engender a high caliber art, productive and strong team environment. Actively seek feedback from clients to quickly identify any training needs and concerns, acting promptly to rectify. The Art Director is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the client’s brand. This means reviewing any and all materials worked on through the Design Studio, as well as guaranteeing projects follow the best strategic direction for our clients. Provide excellent design management of multiple projects and reprioritize as needed, as well as ensuring accurate schedules and timelines, whilst providing continual monitoring of the project especially around budget, deadline and adherence to the brand guidelines

Key Responsibilities

Managing onsite art team and developing studio strategy Responsible for the recruitment of skilled staff for the design teamActively seek feedback from team heads and key clients to quickly identify any training needs within the team, so that there are no weak areasMotivate the teamCoach and mentor all members of the art teamCommunicate widely, so that all team members feel part of any decisions and changes that may be required and to ensure a consistent service-wide goal is being achievedEstablish and constantly review processes and procedures for the team to ensure work is always produced to impeccable standards and work comes in on budgetExperience of handling budgets and managing people in a pressured, time-bound and delivery-centric environment is essentialStrong influencing and negotiation skills will be required to discuss and agree Design Studio goals with senior management and to resolve any situations with clients that may ariseExperience in managing and resolving personnel issues of all kinds, ensuring you act in accordance with our company HR policiesExcellent team and personal time management skillsA team player, willing to ask for, and provide, help to any member of the team where necessary Client management Promote the studio across the global business, identifying business opportunities and areas where the Design Studio could add value to our clientsEnsure high levels of client service and the efficient running of the studio through adherence to all best practice processes and recommending improvementsMeet with clients on a regular basis to provide a progress health-check throughout the life of high-level projects. Identify and pro-actively plan for future projects that are known to the clientAbility to build relationships with clients at all levels Project leadership Take complex high-level design briefs, and communicate this information clearly to relevant members of the team/client in both written and verbal formHandle the project management of the larger high-level tasks, to ensure the art and professional solutions are in line with the campaign's strategic goals, the clients' preferred style and brand guidelinesExperience of managing a team of highly art designers, helping them to deliver compelling and professional solutions within strict corporate guidelines to tight deadlines and on budgetExemplary project and people management skills are essential to ensure the smooth running of the diverse and art teamThe Art Director will also be responsible for producing outputs and assisting the team by taking on production jobs to assist in creativity and outflow of work. Lead the art process, both pre and post-sale Foster a culture and environment that is conducive to art inspiration, thinking and expertiseManage team environment that motivates art development where all participants are heard and respected, leading teams to inspiring work, and making the process funUnderstand, utilize, teach and champion processes and tools that facilitate productive art sessionsWork in collaboration with the Senior Manager to develop realistic client proposals given the constraints of time and budget, to focus on the high impact areas of opportunity, and to create and deliver outstanding presentationsOversee and participate in production after the sale to insure art integrity, be a art resource to the team as client needs or budget changes, and further develop the relationship with the client Collaborate with Senior Account Manager and Senior Manager to generate business Participate in key capabilities presentationsClearly articulate our brand promise and provide anecdotal examples of how that promise can provide value to our clients. Preparing and presenting new business proposals and pitches to clientsIdentifying and planning campaigns targeting new and existing clients with a view to selling our art capabilitiesPromoting art capabilities within our company and to clientsDesign and facilitation of Art Propositions and work processes within the company Be the Audience Advocate Understand the clients' business objectives and how those objectives relate to the target audienceKnow your target audience, their culture, language, likes and dislikes developing art solutions that speak to them and follow their client principles. Develop and manage relationships with a broad range of art resources Continually seek out new art talent, and actively manage existing talent base Be aware of the world where our audiences live Stay tuned in to business issues, particularly in key account industries

Key Competencies

Leading the Team Will lead by example, and motivate through a professional yet approachable style, clearly setting out expectations and standards. Will inspire others to excel, and gain buy-in and support for any initiatives. Provide art direction and inspiration to team members in their day-to-day work Client Focus Must demonstrate a client-focused approach to providing a service, through personal commitment to the client and their business. Should build effective client relationships based on trust, flexibility and a professional approach, and be able to deal confidently with clients. Excellent people skills and be able to negotiate effectively and communicate at all levels. Must be able to manage client perceptions and expectations, and measure customer satisfaction through surveys and direct feedback, actively promoting a high standard of customer service. Should develop additional work from clients by cultivating existing relationships and developing new associations. Drive and Enthusiasm Must work with energy and enthusiasm, taking responsibility and ownership of projects. Should be determined to achieve results and be prepared to put in extra effort when required. Personal Development Will take responsibility for own development, seeking out and acting upon feedback concerning own performance. Should be willing to share knowledge and experience with others. Judgement Must be able to make logical decisions, considering all relevant information and alternative solutions. Should also consider the broader implications of proposed actions. Team Working Will work in partnership with colleagues to achieve common goals. Should be willing to offer help and assistance to others whilst understanding their needs, thus contributing to a positive team spirit, whilst being the visible leader within the art group. Able to give effective feedback to drive successful designs Creativity An expert command of typography, colour, composition, hierarchy, and an understanding of how these elements work together for a design solution, with little if any direction from manager needed. Should be able to confidently offer art advice/solutions to the client, and provide alternatives if they feel they will benefit the client. Must support the team in generating and consistently providing high-quality material within corporate guidelines. Technical Skills Should have a full understanding of services, processes, systems and procedures of design and print. Should be able to use appropriate best practice processes and systems to deliver high quality project management. Should demonstrate aptitude with regard to adoption of new technology and process. Recognized expertise developing strategic branding art solutions for Fortune 500 clients

Personal Competencies

Excellent client-facing and communication skills, with a confident personality Excellent verbal, written and listening communication skills, team-building skills, as well as art and artistic presentation skills In-depth knowledge of brand positioning, industry trends Art and artistic presentation skills Ability to convey ideas in an oral presentation in an exciting and engaging manner In-depth knowledge of brand positioning, industry trends Substantial experience within the design industry of which a considerable period of this experience would be as a senior art developing impactful marketing campaigns Superb written communication skills, can convey complex concepts clearly Prior experience in digital design, with digital media experience and information design Exceptional Adobe software skills High degree of competency in HTML coding, a 'digital native' with good experience as a web and digital designer Must be energetic with a proven strong track record. They will be responsible for helping the art team grow through acquisition of new business and by carving out art work on a range of existing and future technical led projects across the organization A major focus of this position is to win new business with existing clients This focus will also require the candidate to develop strong relationships with Art Account Directors and to promote the Hub art team's capabilities as well as the onsite teams and to sell art resource The Art Director will have the charisma and networking skills to successfully undertake this major element of the role The Art Director will also be able to advocate art design and the team's capabilities in a clear and inspirational manner. This will require them to have very strong communication skills and the ability to enthuse and motivate clients and colleagues alike The Art Director will work with a Senior Manager to ensure team utilization and resourcing targets are met The Art Director will also work with Art team members to ensure delivery of art work on projects. The Art Director will have day-to-day responsibility for project delivery and will be expected to run projects with a fair degree of autonomy. As part of this relationship the Art Director will support and mentor an established group of senior art talent

Years of work experience

An agency background, with experience of managing a studio At least 8 to 10 years within the relevant industry

Educational Qualifications/Requirements

Graduate / University Degree holder Exceptions can be made in case the candidate had gone through a full-time design/animation course post 12th grade/school and hence isn’t a graduate / university degree holder

Technical Qualifications/Requirements

An extremely high level of proficiency in all standard design and office software. Software skills, exceptional proficiency in: InDesignIllustratorPhotoshopAfter Effects, Dreamweaver, Other CC tools, PowerPoint

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