Creative Director, Content

Our mission at the Minnesota Vikings is to Advance the Vikings legacy through the passionate pursuit of excellence.

We strive to achieve, we put the team first, we seek to learn, we exhibit high character, and we are committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment.

SUMMARY: The Minnesota Vikings are seeking a collaborative and visionary creative leader with a passion for storytelling and a track record of delivering impactful content experiences to oversee content creative across all Vikings media channels. With a full understanding of how to build content that connects with target audiences, the Creative Director – Content will serve as the Vikings’ creative expert on content channels, sharing triggers, and the power of connection through storytelling. This is a core leadership role within Vikings Entertainment Network (VEN), the internal team responsible for television, radio, social media, digital platforms, and in-stadium programming. While being able to energize a content vision across multiple organizational stakeholders, the Creative Director will also be expected to provide broad leadership across the marketing department. This includes collaborating with other creative directors or leads to provide thought-leadership in all facets of creative work within Marketing.

As the Creative Director – Content at the Minnesota Vikings, you are charged with not just maintaining the standard but continually raising it. Seeing every project through completion with an eye to detail, so that our brand shines through clearly and in an impactful way with our fans all around the world.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Serve as an inclusive, team-first leader within Vikings Entertainment Network (VEN) and across the organization, providing mentorship and identifying growth opportunities for talented staff.
• Lead by example supporting a collaborative culture that inspires teammates and fosters a synergy that raises the level of ideation and execution.
• Model an idea factory that’s excited to pitch and ideate creative ways for us to grow our brand.
• Write and present in an engaging, informed, and connecting way to help solve challenging problems through creative content.
• Review creative and provide creative direction to ensure brand standards are met, oftentimes in an environment with tight deadlines.
• Build and maintain a system that produces prolific video content that connects an online audience with our players, team, and brand.
• Nurture a specific focus around who players are as human beings off the football field; growing the Vikings brand through consumer connection to the team’s biggest influencers: the players.
• Inspire a team of video producers, managing creative workflows, supporting technical needs, and working hand in hand with content strategy team to drive the utilization of content calendars to create multiple social/digital videos for team accounts each week.
• Lead a team dedicated to growing and strengthening the Vikings brand through helmets off / lifestyle / culture focused content.
• Lead collaboration with content producers/creators across VEN to create content geared towards primary and stakeholder media channels.
• Provide thought-leadership across VEN, treating home games, special events, and tentpoles as the greatest opportunities for Minnesota Vikings brand evangelism. Drive and support the vision, structure, processes for all contributors to perform at their optimal output and at the pinnacle of sports entertainment.
• Partner with Digital Marketing & Content Strategy to connect content deliverables to broader marketing and organizational priorities.
• Partner with Broadcast & Original Content to ensure creative efficiencies.
• Partner with Game Presentation to nurture a “What Is Possible” creative environment.
• Collaborate with Brand & Design on creative standards and best practices to uphold brand identity across all creative endeavors within VEN.
• Collaborate with Communications to ensure team messaging and tone is consistent.
• Serve as a primary stakeholder and VEN representative in key Marketing campaigns.
• Partner with applicable stakeholders to develop an Influencer & Creator network.
• Build and maintain open and collaborative relationships with key stakeholders including, but not limited to:
  1. Social Impact to translate strategy into content that advances our platform for positive impact.
  2. Sales and Partnerships to create sellable assets that align with our marketing and content vision.
  3. Legal to ensure protection of the assets and interests of the company.
  4. Finance to develop the business plan and financial impact.
• Demonstrate strong capabilities and familiarity with production across all mediums/platforms.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• 8+ years’ experience leading brand-development, social/digital video, copywriting, and overall content creative.
• Proven experience as a people manager and leader.
• Proven ability to inspire creatives with your energy and a record of building/adapting creative processes to generate impactful results.
• Successful track record of supporting organizational culture to align with core values.
• To model our Vikings Values: put the team first, strive to achieve, commit to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, seek to learn, and exhibit high character.
• You believe that ego is a powerful roadblock to growth.
• Proven ability to negotiate and manage complex partnerships.
• Diverse cultural experiences and knowledge of diverse cultural backgrounds and non-mainstream trends are valued.

CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS: This position may require the individual to have access to confidential records and information. To successfully perform this position, confidentiality of the information with which the individual has contact must be maintained.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to perform physical tasks such as lifting and moving boxes, climbing a ladder, etc.
• Ability to sit at a desk for long periods of time.
• Ability to maneuver a LIVE event, oftentimes at attention or in motion for long periods of time.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Standard office environment for regular office hours.
• Willingness to travel on occasion.

The Minnesota Vikings are committed to creating and sustaining a culture for you. Whoever you are, we are an organization that embraces and empowers people of all backgrounds and experiences and incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into the foundation of everything we do. We are proud to have a culture that empowers our people to harness their uniqueness to develop their full potential as a contributor to the success of the organization and the communities we serve. The Minnesota Vikings are an equal opportunity employer, and we continue to commit to creating equitable opportunities by ensuring that our place can be anyone’s place.