Freelance Creative Project Manager Jobs in Minnesota

Description

Mur-chol-uh-jee | The science of company merch; the skill of creating and delivering custom-branded apparel and corporate gifts around the world. 

Merchology is a leading eCommerce retailer in B2B sales of co-branded merchandise including apparel, headwear, drinkware, gifts, and accessories. We are family-owned, people-powered, and we are adding to our #MerchTeam at our facility in Plymouth. Come see why we are a three-time Star Tribune Top Workplaces award winner!  

Merchology is seeking a strategic and highly organized Creative Project Manager to join our Marketing team. This role leads the Graphic Design team while serving as the central point of coordination for creative work across the organization. The Creative Project Manager oversees project intake, prioritization, scheduling, and resource planning to ensure creative initiatives are delivered on time, on brand, and aligned with business priorities. While project management and creative team leadership are the primary focus, this role also provides creative direction, reviews design quality, and contributes hands-on design work as business needs require. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 

A successful Creative Project Manager will demonstrate strength in the following areas: 

Project Management  

• Own the creative project intake process for Marketing and internal business partners.  
• Prioritize creative requests based on company objectives, timelines, and available resources.  
• Develop project schedules, milestones, and timelines while proactively managing competing priorities.  
• Assign work across the Graphic Design team based on capacity, expertise, and project urgency.  
• Lead project kickoff meetings and ensure stakeholders have clear expectations regarding scope, deliverables, and timing.  
• Monitor project progress, communicate status updates, and remove obstacles to keep work moving efficiently.  
• Coordinate internal reviews, revisions, approvals, and final project delivery.  
• Continuously improve creative workflows, processes, and project management best practices.  
• Utilize project management tools to track and regularly report on workload, deadlines, and team capacity. 

Customer & Internal Strategy Sessions  

• Lead discovery meetings with internal teams and select customers to understand project objectives, audiences, timelines, and business goals.  
• Facilitate creative strategy sessions that translate business needs into actionable creative briefs.  
• Partner with Marketing, Product Strategy, Sales, and Operations to ensure creative solutions support company initiatives.  
• Present creative recommendations, project plans, and timelines to stakeholders.  
• Manage stakeholder expectations through proactive communication and prioritization.  
• Coordinate with external agencies, photographers, freelancers, and creative vendors when needed. 

Campaign Planning  

• Partner with Marketing leadership to develop integrated campaign plans across digital, print, web, social media, email, events, and promotional products.  
• Participate in quarterly Marketing planning sessions to understand upcoming priorities and proactively plan for creative resources. 
• Lead development of creative briefs and project plans supporting marketing campaigns.  
• Coordinate campaign timelines to ensure all creative assets are delivered on schedule.  
• Support planning and organization of photo shoots, video projects, and other campaign initiatives. 

Creative Direction & Team Leadership  

• Lead, coach, and develop the Graphic Design team through regular feedback, prioritization, and performance management.  
• Foster a collaborative, creative, and accountable team culture.  
• Review creative work before final approval to ensure quality, consistency, and brand alignment.  
• Maintain Merchology's visual identity across all customer-facing and internal communications.  
• Establish and reinforce creative standards, templates, and best practices. 

Design Execution  

• Support hands-on design work during periods of high workload or urgent business needs.  
• Design or oversee the design of custom websites, landing pages, presentations, and marketing collateral.  
• Create high-priority creative assets for executive initiatives or strategic projects.  
• Develop templates, presentation materials, and branded resources that improve team efficiency. 

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, Fine Arts, or a related field.  
• 3-5 years of experience in creative project management, creative operations, marketing, or design leadership, preferably in B2B or E-Commerce. 
• Previous experience managing designers or leading cross-functional creative projects.  
• Strong understanding of creative workflows from concept through final delivery. Strong portfolio showcasing a range of creative projects and styles. 
• Proficiency in graphic design software and other creative tools (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, etc.). 
• Experience with project management software and leading multiple projects at once. 
• Excellent leadership and communication skills. 
• Ability to balance creative quality with business priorities and deadlines.  
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop a creative team.  
• Ability to think strategically and translate ideas into visually compelling concepts. 
• A proactive and adaptable approach to problem-solving in a fast-paced environment. 
• Experience working in social media, email marketing, or digital media. 
• Exceptional consulting, copywriting, copy editing, and presentation skills. 
• Enthusiasm and flexibility for working in a high-growth, highly adaptive environment. 

PREFERRED SKILLS 

• Familiarity with project management systems; Jira preferred  
• Experience working in an email marketing automation tool (HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, etc.) 
• Analytics experience (Google Analytics, social media analytics tools, email analytics) 
• Experience with multi-platform digital marketing and advertising campaigns 
• Photography skills and knowledge of photography best practices; art direction 

WHAT WE OFFER 

In addition to an outstanding creative culture, authentically nice people, and interesting work, we have: 

• Generous PTO (18 days per year) 
• 8 company-paid holidays 
• Hybrid work schedule for select departments 
• 40 hours of paid volunteer time 
• 401(k) with match 
• Medical and dental insurance options, FSA, and HSA (with company HSA match), Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity, Short- and Long-Term disability insurance options 
• Company-paid life insurance  
• Company-sponsored social events  
• Premium brand partner discounts  
• Employee-led Committees  

LOCATION 

• 3000 Niagara Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55447 
• Remote hybrid role: Three days onsite and two days remote following training - there is no option for fully remote work 

INDUSTRY 

• Business to Business eCommerce and Apparel 

Merchology is an equal opportunity employer and certified Disability-owned Business Enterprise. We celebrate diversity and are committed to a workplace where personal and professional growth are achieved through inclusion. If you require disability resources to submit your application, please email jobs@merchology.com for assistance.