Photography - Creative Director, Photography

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PHOTOGRAPHY JOB DESCRIPTION

Make sure to apply with all the requested information, as laid out in the job overview below.

SUMMARY

At Magnolia, the Creative Director of Photography oversees and leads the entire Photography team at Magnolia. Their focus is to create intentional and visually impactful photography assets for retail marketing campaigns and promotions that inspire guests to shop at Magnolia.

com and brick and mortar locations. This role is responsible for ensuring all photography assets are of the highest quality, supporting buying strategies, and representing the brand’s design aesthetic and styling point-of-view.

This position works from the photography studio and Magnolia Headquarters in Waco, Texas. It reports to the Vice President of Creative and has supervisory responsibilities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure creative supports the brand’s values, purpose, voice, and visual aesthetic
• Mentor a team, fostering collaboration, creativity, and professional growth, while establishing regular 1 : 1s with direct reports for ongoing mentorship and feedback
• Lead and manage a team to create visually impactful and inspiring marketing photography assets for omni-channel retail marketing campaigns across paid and owned channels, including : Magnolia.

com, digital landing pages, look books, emails, paid media, print ads, and in-store signage

• Supervise and guide Art Directors, encouraging a holistic approach that incorporates styling and photography best practices
• Ensure photography assets are of the highest quality, support buying strategies, as well as the brand’s thematic story, aesthetic, and styling point-of-view
• Collaborate with the Interiors and Styling Senior Specialist to determine optimal shoot locations, curate furniture selections, and develop an approach for creating layered product scenes, aligned with both brand aesthetics and business priorities
• Ensure presence on set for all retail marketing photoshoots; final approver of styling, lighting, and framing
• Evolve best practices for pre-production and photoshoots that increase output and efficiency
• Determine the cadence of meetings, workshops, and leadership review sessions needed for pre-production
• Collaborate with Vice President of Creative, creative leaders, and cross-functional partners to ideate and plan seasonal retail marketing photography needs
• Collaborate with the Ecommerce cross-functional partners to ensure product photography (PDP) is up-to-date and accurately represents details and craftsmanship; scale, color, texture
• Review all retail marketing and PDP photography proofs with the Vice President of Creative to capture and align on feedback for lighting, camera angles, and photo finishing next steps
• Serve as final approver of all photography before assets are passed off for delivery
• Maintain the PDP style guide, collaborating with cross-functional partners to ensure best practices are serving business needs, while also adhering to the brand’s aesthetic and styling point-of-view
• Perform and establish a cadence of competitive landscape audits for retail marketing photography and video, focused on the home and lifestyle genre
• Utilize project management software and digital tools to streamline operations, track projects, and facilitate seamless communication and collaboration among team members
• Manage and ensure adherence to the photo team budget and calendar
• Collaborate with Creative leaders and Managers to establish and maintain best practices for file organization and naming conventions
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Metrics evaluated on Performance Review

COMPETENCIES

Teamwork : Foster a team environment supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Build a team that exemplifies Magnolia cultural and operating values.

Lead department to ensure members are engaged and actively contribute. Mentor and develop managers to build a strong team environment.

Teach and lead your team in identifying areas of strength and development to maximize team effectiveness. Ensure necessary training and tools are available for the professional development of the team.

Critical Thinking : Build and adhere to annual financial plans, metrics, budgets, and resource allocations to meet annual fiscal expectations.

Utilize critical thinking and analytical skills to maintain the bottom line.

• Expertise : Maintain a thorough understanding of your area and communicate the importance of accurate and timely work. Foster managers' abilities to lead and connect their employees with the resources and training needed. Lead by example.
• Communication : Create a team environment of open communication. Encourage team members to share ideas, thoughts, and concerns.

Utilize strong written and verbal communication skills to communicate with other leaders and employees across the organization.

Discuss business strategy and provide clear direction.

Guest Focus : In all strategic and operating plans ensure a personalized and guest-centric experience is a top priority.

Set the standard for this through exemplary leadership.

Strategy and Goal Setting : Approach change with positivity and curiosity, leading through ambiguity. Create quarterly and annual goals and establish metrics and actions needed to achieve success.

Evaluate objectives and assess potential risks and make well-informed decisions that lead to growth and align with organizational goals and values.

Hard skills : Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite required. Proficiency in Google Drive preferred.

ELIGIBILITY QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree from a 4-year college or university preferred
• 5+ years of related work experience OR an equivalent combination of education and experience preferred
• 5+ years of managerial experience preferred
• Experience photographing interiors on-location and in-studio required; experience leading a team of stylists and photographers required
• Portfolio required

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands and arms to reach, handle, feel;

utilize fine motor dexterity of fingers; talk or hear and taste or smell. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk.

The employee is frequently required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and / or move up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift and / or move up to 25 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Magnolia is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this classification.

It is not to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of employees assigned to this job.

Management has the right to add to, revise, or delete information in this description at any time.

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