Director, Graphic Design

Director, Graphic Design

The Seattle Mariners seek a seasoned five-tool designer to lead the development and execution of the club's visual identity and help bring the Mariners brand to life both inside the ballpark and out in the world. The ideal candidate is a creative switch hitter who can both lead a team and roll up their sleeves in design execution. You must stay up on the latest design and typography trends and draw inspiration from sources both inside and outside the world of sports. Your portfolio should demonstrate a passion for craft, a strong understanding of systems, a discerning eye for design and strong conceptual thinking. You thrive as a collaborator as well as an individual contributor and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. You're not afraid to get scrappy, innovate, and try new things.

In this role, you will collaborate with talented individuals on all aspects of brand design and visual communication for the Mariners—from style guide development and marketing campaigns, to input on digital, social, and game presentation content. You should have the proven ability (and desire) to manage, motivate and inspire. You're organized, detail-oriented and know how to prioritize.

All the work you do will help to create connections that build lifelong fans of Mariners Baseball and ignite their passion across the PNW.

Essential Functions

Strategic Responsibilities:

• This role will serve as the strategic leader and subject matter expert in all things graphic design. It is your responsibility to make sure the work aligns with the Mariners brand voice, mission, purpose, core values and business objectives.
• You will partner with the Mariners Marketing, Partnerships and Creative and Content Services teams to develop and deliver advertising campaigns and sponsor activations that raise the creative bar, strengthen our partner relationships and build an emotional connection between our team and our fans.

Functional Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the Graphic Design Department in developing looks, styles and assets to communicate and elevate the Mariners brand in collaboration with other contributing departments.
• Produce an annual brand style guide to be utilized throughout the organization as well by partners and affiliates.
• Partner with other members of the organization to develop creative concepts, visual strategies and the execution of design projects from inception to completion.
• Be a lead designer for various materials for print, publications, promotional items, websites and digital assets.
• Actively engage in the latest graphic design, photography and motion design techniques. Research trends, develop best practices and seek out resources to expand and evolve the abilities of the department.
• Collaborate with the leaders of the Marketing and Content and Creative Services teams, as well as other key stakeholders, to determine design direction and establish priorities.
• Assist the Photography Team on developing ideas for photoshoots when necessary.
• Prepare presentations for design projects and campaigns.
• Work closely with other organizational departments in achieving their goals through visual assets.
• Provide strong people leadership; implement strategies to effectively manage Graphic Design Team Members and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of department's staff.
• Train, evaluate performance and foster growth and development of Team Members, encouraging personal and professional development.
• Determine standards for the department with a focus on production, productivity, quality and processes.

• Perform retouching and manipulation of images. Work in conjunction with the club's Marketing team to establish creative direction for brand guidelines and style guide.
• Work with a wide range of media and graphic design software.
• Manage the department's projects and processes. Including, delegating projects amongst the design team. Ensure the department's projects are completed with high quality and on schedule.
• Facilitate production of graphic design projects with the Procurement Department.
• Evening, weekend and holiday work may be required.
• Will perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience: High school diploma or GED required; bachelor's degree in a relevant field preferred. Equivalent, relevant experience may be considered in lieu of formal education if approved by management. A minimum of five (5) years of previous graphic design and/or Art Director experience, plus three (3) years in management or high-level capacity required. Knowledge of photography, video production and motion graphic execution required.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's): Have a high understanding of typography, layout, logo and composition design. Well versed in graphic design and relevant software. Advanced level proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, with an emphasis on Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat. Skilled in photo finishing including retouching, color correcting and compositing. Proficient with Microsoft365 both as a tool and designing assets for applications such as PowerPoint and Word. Knowledge of Mac OS and ability to troubleshoot hardware and software. Photography, motion graphics and video production knowledge a plus. Knowledge of baseball.

The Mariners are committed to providing competitive pay, perks, and benefits packages for our valued Team Members. The anticipated starting salary range for this role is $100,000-$130,000 annually. All perks are subject to eligibility requirements and availability and may be modified or amended from time to time. This information is being provided in accordance with the Washington State Equal Pay and Opportunity Act.