Creative Director

JOB SUMMARY:

The Creative Director leads brand and design across Hawaiian Council’s portfolio of programs and brands, including but not limited to Hawaiian Council, Sea Life Park Hawaii, Kaula Lūʻau, Nā Lei Aloha, Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and the Hiʻiaka musical. This position owns how Hawaiian Council’s brands are positioned visually and how they appear in market: informing brand strategy and positioning, leading identity and logo development, building brand worlds and the design systems beneath them, and directing the designers and video team who produce against them. Reporting to the Senior Director of Marketing & Brand, the Creative Director works alongside contracted creative partners during their engagements and brings the strategic and identity work in house when they hand off.

This is a hands-on creative leadership role with a designer’s skill set. The Creative Director designs the flagship work personally and also directs: setting the standard, running the design process, developing two designers and a video team, and serving as the creative partner that the CEO, producers, brand general managers and agency partners rely on. The ideal candidate brings agency or studio training, a portfolio of brands positioned and built from strategy through to market, and a deep respect for Hawaiian culture and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, & EXPECTATIONS:

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Inform brand strategy and positioning for Hawaiian Council and each brand in the portfolio (for-profit or non-profit), working with the Senior Director, agency partners and the cultural stewards to translate positioning into a creative platform, voice and visual direction.
• Lead identity work across the portfolio: logo development and refinement, brand architecture, and the creation of brand worlds including typography, color, imagery direction, graphic language and key art, for new products and for brands that require a turnaround.
• Build and own the design systems, template libraries and brand guidelines the team executes from, ensuring consistent visual expression across programs, subsidiaries and external partnerships.
• Receive working files and guidelines from contracted creative partners, extend the approved systems across every channel in use, and carry the strategic and identity work forward in house after handoff.
• Design the flagship work personally: brand decks and pitch materials, campaign key art, priority print, out-of-home, digital, social, email, signage, sales and press materials.
• Set and hold the design quality bar. Review all design output before it is released to a client or channel and provide clear, constructive direction that raises the craft of the team.
• Direct and develop the team’s designers, and establish file organization, naming, versioning and handoff standards so the team moves quickly without losing quality.
• Art direct photography and video with the filmmaker and videographer, from concept and shot lists through selects and retouching, so still and motion assets work as one system.
• Partner with the cultural steward and cultural reviewers so moʻolelo, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, imagery and place are handled with accuracy and care, building cultural review into the process rather than applying it at the end.
• Present work to the CEO, producers, general managers and agency partners, and incorporate feedback while protecting the strength of the idea.
• Scope design work in hours, track it against the deliverables plan, and support the team’s operation as a billable creative studio.
• Support the brand and design needs of CNHA programs, events and convenings, including the Annual Native Hawaiian Convention.
• Stay current with design tools and methods, including responsible use of AI-assisted design and production tools where they speed execution without compromising quality or cultural integrity.
• Represent CNHA with professionalism in all external creative engagements.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS:

• Demonstrates high ethical standards, professionalism, and integrity in all work.
• Maintains excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Functions with a high level of initiative, accountability, and reliability.
• Adapts well in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and remains flexible in work assignments and schedules.
• Upholds CNHA’s cultural values and commitment to serving Native Hawaiian and local communities.
• Maintains regular and reliable attendance.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 8+ years of professional design experience, with at least 3 years leading brand identity work at a branding or design studio, an advertising agency or in a senior in-house brand role. Agency or studio experience strongly preferred.
• A portfolio of brands positioned and built, not only executed: identity systems, logos, brand worlds and campaign systems that went to market and held up.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to brand strategy and positioning and translating it into creative platforms.
• Experience directing and mentoring designers and running a design review process.
• Experience in hospitality, tourism, attractions, live entertainment or theatrical marketing preferred.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Exceptional typography, layout, color and image judgment, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to explain the strategic thinking behind creative work clearly to a CEO, producers and partners, and to work as an equal partner with strategy and media agencies.
• Expert command of Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop).
• Understanding of After Effects or Premiere, Canva template engineering, and print production and prepress.
• Ability to manage multiple brands, projects and deadlines at once while maintaining a collaborative work style.
• Knowledge of and respect for Native Hawaiian culture, history and language, and a commitment to working under cultural guidance. Correct use of ʻokina and kahakō in all work is a baseline expectation.
• ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi proficiency a plus.
• Demonstrated AI fluency and curiosity, including practical application of generative AI tools to design and production workflows where relevant.

Pay: $115,000.00 - $135,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person