Senior Director, Brand Storytelling and Creative at Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University

Senior Director, Brand Storytelling and Creative

Nashville, TN (Hybrid)

Salary Not AvailableSenior Level8+ years expFull time

Posted 3 months ago

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Job Summary

Drive and govern Vanderbilt’s brand storytelling and creative execution at scale through a senior Creative/Brand leadership role.

Own brand storytelling across channels and campaigns
Must-have: 8+ years in creative direction/brand storytelling with leadership experience
Standout: Leadership of a multidisciplinary Brand Storytelling and Creative team across campus

Job Description

Responsibilities

Oversee the development, creative direction, and execution of Vanderbilt’s brand storytelling strategy across internal and external touchpoints.
Serve as the creative authority responsible for how the university’s brand looks, feels, and sounds across channels.
Bring to life the university’s brand identity and positioning through powerful, distinctive, and relevant creative executions across mediums and for various audiences, including prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other key stakeholders.
Guide the development of integrated campaigns and supporting assets that expand brand visibility and deepen engagement with institutional priorities.
Oversee editorial planning and content strategy to ensure storytelling is audience-centered, strategically aligned, and reflective of Vanderbilt’s mission and values.
Review, critique, and guide creative work generated by internal teams and external agency partners to ensure excellence, consistency, and strategic alignment.
Drive innovation across storytelling formats and platforms, identifying new and more effective ways to advance institutional goals through creative expression.
Lead, inspire, enable, and develop the Brand Storytelling and Creative team, including writers, editors, designers, videographers, photographers, and social media specialists.
Facilitate a results-driven culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Recruit and retain top creative talent.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience is required.
A degree in communications, marketing, art, design, media, or a related field is strongly preferred.
At least 8 years of experience in creative direction, brand storytelling, communications, or related roles.
At least 3 years of experience leading a multidisciplinary creative or content team.
Experience across the full range of brand expression—including print, digital, social media, video, and experiential platforms.
Demonstrated ability to lead and manage cross-disciplinary teams within a complex, matrixed organization.
Demonstrated experience influencing and coordinating work across integrated teams, including both direct and indirect collaboration models.
Proven ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, high-visibility environments characterized by shifting priorities, evolving expectations, and ambiguity.
Demonstrated resilience and sound judgment in navigating complexity, managing competing demands, and delivering high-quality outcomes under pressure.
Experience motivating and aligning creative professionals around shared goals, fostering clarity and forward momentum even when direction is evolving.

Preferred

Degree in communications, marketing, art, design, media, or a related field is strongly preferred.

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a top-ranked teaching and research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Powered by collaboration.Follow Vanderbilt on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram @VanderbiltU. See more Vanderbilt social media at https://social.vanderbilt.edu/Located in Nashville, Tenn., and operating at a global crossroads of teaching and discovery, Vanderbilt University is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your diversity — of culture, thinking, learning and leading — is sought and celebrated. It is a place where students and employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday.We hire hundreds of employees each year and have a wealth of opportunities ranging from information technology to development and dining to athletics.We are Vanderbilt. Join Us.Our comment policy: https://news.vanderbilt.edu/resources/about/comment-policy

Founded in 1908

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

13K employees (560 in marketing)

vanderbilt.edu