Overview
Who we are:
The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grasstop organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.
Vera has a staff of 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.
Who you are:
The Creative Director will be responsible for leading the creative team and developing creative strategies across all visual communication channels to raise awareness of and increase engagement with key audiences of Vera’s work and mission.
The Creative Director will initially manage a team of communicators, including a senior designer and graphic designer, and a senior multimedia producer. They will develop a plan to grow their team as needed to help meet the department’s goals and the Institute’s strategic priorities. The Digital Designer has a dotted line to the Creative Director.
The Creative Director joins a growing team with collaborative editorial, digital, external affairs, and media streams. The Communications & External Affairs department works closely with all programs and initiatives at Vera.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Creative Direction
- Develop and oversee creative and visual branding projects; Ensure Vera’s brand evolution across mediums, including web, print, digital, multimedia, events, and experiential projects.
Creative Production
- Develop and execute creative projects and campaigns in line with the Vera brand that engage and activate key audiences; Manage the creative development and execution for projects from ideation to pitch to final execution; Translate concepts and ideas in a compelling and simple way for key audiences that drives action
Creative Oversight of Communications Campaigns
- Identify opportunities for creative solutions for existing Vera initiatives as well as department-led projects; Collaborate with other communications leads to plan campaigns, navigate complex problem-solving, and build scopes of work and projects that set our team up for success
Production Management Oversight
- Lead internal stakeholders through the creative process; Present ideas to and engage with senior managers to build strategic narratives for each creative solution
Identify, Engage, and Manage External Creative Partners
Team Management
- Mentor and foster the professional development of the creative team; Foster a collaborative environment among the creative team, creatives with dotted lines to communications, and creative consultants to ensure brand consistency, creative innovation, and promote visual communication as a vital part of Vera’s narrative change strategy
What qualifications do you need?
Required:
- 8-10+ years of senior creative leadership experience within an agency and or non-profit creative environment; 3-5 years of experience managing a creative team
- An entrepreneurial spirit, and the initiative to proactively pitch new ideas and develop internal client relationships
- A track record of building strong lasting partnerships and fostering teamwork
- Strong storytelling, communication, and presentation skills
- Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro)
- Proficiency in project management software (Asana)
Preferred:
- A master’s degree in design, fine arts, a related field, or equivalent work experience
List of required software applications:
- Adobe Creative Suite, Asana, Zoom, PowerPoint, Microsoft Office Suite, Google, etc.
Compensation and Benefits:
The compensation range for this position is $133,900 – $140,100. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff—both personally and professionally—is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well-being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time. Please note this is a hybrid schedule where you will work in the office two days with a third alternating day. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.
Applications may also be faxed to:
ATTN: People Resources / Creative Director, Communications & External Affairs
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.
As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Vera Institute of Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.
Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.
Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.
For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org