What are the responsibilities and job description for the VP, Brand Creative and Innovation position at Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.?
The Vice President of Brand Creative & Innovation will lead innovation in content creation, storytelling, and brand experiences, ensuring Build-A-Bear remains an emotionally resonant, culturally relevant, and commercially impactful brand. This role has a profound strategic impact, shaping audience connection, fosters engagement, and business growth while driving brand differentiation and long-term success.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute bold and innovative creative vision
- Lead a multidisciplinary team in design, copywriting, content, visual merchandising, and digital
- Creative brand leadership
- Apply a deep understanding of guest insights, market trends, and cultural moments
- Storytelling and content development
- Partner with internal teams and external agencies to produce breakthrough campaigns
- Collaborate with internal teams to ensure a unified and strategic brand expression
- Evolve our digital and omnichannel approach
- Explore and leverage new technologies and engagement strategies
- Brand governance
- Optimize workflows
Required Qualifications:
- 10 years of experience in creative leadership with a strong background in brand strategy, content creation, and storytelling across multiple channels
- Able to develop, present, and execute a strategic long-term vision
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects)
- Typography & Layout Design
- UI/UX Design (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD)
- Motion Graphics & Animation (After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender)
- Photography & Videography (Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Final Cut)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Retail or customer-facing industries
- Bachelor's degree
Behavioral Traits for Success:
- Leads with a confident style that can enliven, engage, and positively impact individuals and groups
- Driven to achieve outstanding results
- Enjoys meeting and interacting with new people
- Displays strong initiative and self-direction
- Comfortable making rapid decisions in ambiguous situations
- Motivated to build high-performing people and teams
- Maintains a positive outlook when encountering challenging circumstances
- Thrives in creating a fun and interactive experiences
- Able to remain calm under pressure
- Enjoys mentoring and developing others
Working Environment:
- Typical office environment with climate control and sufficient lighting, ergonomic desk/chairs
- Hybrid work schedule
- Corporate Office located St. Louis, MO
- Limited Domestic Travel
Your Performance Will Be Measured On:
Your performance will be measured by your ability to achieve annual department objectives and corporate goals which include but are not limited to the following.
- Overall creativity and innovation
- Decision-making, judgment, and execution
- Ability to foster team collaboration, communication, and performance
- Adherence to brand guidelines by all
- Efficiency
- Lead digital initiatives (interactive storytelling, social media, emerging technologies, and e-Commerce
- Quality 3rd party partners
- Use of technology
- A unified and strategic brand expression among cross functional teams
- Able to communicate complex issues in a clear and concise manner
- Quality presentations that are engaging and offer actionable insight
- Stakeholder Feedback
