Creative Strategist
Creative Strategist
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Job Description
About the Role
The Cougars Athletics and Recreation (CAR) Creative Strategist is responsible for design photography and videography content which will support the departments strategic plan brand and key messages elevating our events programs and services to our internal and external communities. This position reports to the Associate Director of Marketing and Partnerships within CAR.
This is a highly skilled technical role requiring a deep understanding of sports brand management storytelling composition and cinematographic movement. The Creative Strategist is expected to design print and digital assets as well as capture video footage and images that showcase the stories of CAR. Through their work the Creative Strategist will strengthen the Cougars brand in our community and elevate our advertising campaigns. They will be expected to bring forward new creative solutions regularly.
The Creative Strategist will lead the technical tasks related to production of digital video. They will set up and operate various equipment and ensure consent forms are obtained and tracked. It is expected that the incumbent executes concepts through to completion ensuring they maintain a high production standard and that all work follows University copyright policy.
A high degree of collaboration with the CAR Marketing and Events team is required in this position specifically with the Marketing Strategist and Digital Media Coordinator. This role is also expected to collaborate with the creative team in the Universitys Community Engagement Department.
Responsibilities
Graphic Design Print and Digital
- Responsible for creating engaging graphics that support campaigns to increase customer engagement and revenue as directed by strategic plans.
- Implement projects from concept through completion ensuring campaign objectives are met.
- Develop design concept sketches mockups layouts and templates to share with project stakeholders for feedback.
- Adhere to institutional and department branding publication and logo guidelines.
- Create and maintain templates for easy use by colleagues.
- Design and develop digital graphic assets for social media digital advertising and email marketing.
- Collaborate with CAR internal stakeholders to ensure graphics are created in a timely manner and on brand for all department campaigns.
- Support the Marketing Strategist with website design and content maintenance as required specifically in the area of graphics layout.
- Manage personal workload to maintain high levels of efficiency productivity and output quality among multiple projects concurrently.
- Research and provide recommendations on best practices and trends in recreation and sports graphic design.
Videography and Photography
- Create videos which elevate the CAR brand and engage audiences in line with our strategic plans and campaigns.
- During the varsity sport season capture edit and produce promotional and highlight videos.
- Support recreation program and service campaigns with exciting and educational videos.
- Develop video concepts scripts and storyboards for production inhouse or through thirdparty suppliers depending on the project scope and budget as well as the intended channel and audience.
- Gather project requirements and develop workback schedules.
- Perform video capture editing and production tasks.
- Build and maintain a video archival system.
- Direct and edit video projects required marketing and communications.
- Schedule and setup shoots with video subjects including but not limited to: students athletes staff alumni sponsors and members of the general public.
- Maintain model release forms and accurate recordkeeping.
- Create digital video graphics effects and titles and animation.
- Record ambient and subject audio with a high technical standard.
- Lead the scheduling capture editing and production of all videos for Cougar Night the annual Athletics awards event.
- Research and provide recommendations on best practices and trends in recreation and sports videography and photography.
- In collaboration with the Marketing Strategist and Digital Media Coordinator provide art direction for photoshoots as required.
- Assist with capturing images for department use in print digital and social media as required.
- Assist with setup of photoshoots for still photography as required.
- Make recommendations to the Associate Director Marketing and Partnerships on equipment lifecycle and new purchases.
- Ensure that all work follows University copyright policy.
- Follow University and department brand guidelines.
Brand Management
- Assist the Associate Director Marketing and Partnerships with management of the MRU Cougars Brand Guidelines and Institutional brand standards.
Department divisional and institutional support
- Ensure the CAR graphic design and videography supports prioritized department strategies for increased customer engagement and revenue generation.
- Promote a shared vision that drives departmental divisional and institutional shortterm and longterm planning and the ongoing organizational work.
- Support the development of innovative collaborative partnerships to advance the departmental divisional and institutional reach.
- Advance and serve on department and institutional committees.
- Collaborate with department institutional and community partners to cultivate opportunities to enhance the CAR and Institutional brands.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Degree or Applied Degree in Fine Arts Information Design Visual Design or Communications.
- Minimum three years 3 full time professional experience in design communications and/or videography.
- Strong communication organizational and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated innovation creativity and informed risktaking.
- Knowledge of athletics and recreation industries and trends.
- Able to receive constructive feedback and make changes that accurately implements this feedback.
- Experience with working on multiple projects within tight timeframes.
- Experience working in complex workplaces with many diverse stakeholders.
- Understanding of the differences between print digital and video design principles.
- Experience in producing print materials and how to build clean files for seamless output.
- Ability to learn and manage various technologies to achieve superior creative results.
- Proven ability to take photographs.
- Proven ability to set up and video.
- Excellent technical skills and a command of all aspects of video postproduction including editing colour grading compositing retouching encoding sound recording.
- Experience working working with design programs such as Adobe Suite and Canva
- Experience creating engaging designs for athletic and recreational campaigns
- Demonstrated commitment to and appreciation of diversity and cultural competency
- Ability to establish effective working relationships and work as a member of the team
- Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends as needed
Closing Date: April 21 2025
Note: There is a strong internal candidate for this position.
A cover letter and resume should be submitted in one .pdf document. Please title your .pdf document as follows: Last Name Requisition Number Document (ex. Smith 999999 ).
Employment Type
Full-Time
