Head of Creative

Head Of Creative

Sporting Kansas City is seeking a visionary Head of Creative to lead and inspire our creative organization across all fan touchpoints driving creative excellence that connects purpose, performance, and soccer culture. This critical role is responsible for setting the creative direction, design and storytelling while driving innovation and emotional connection with our fans. The candidate we seek is a strategic and conceptual thinker with a deep understanding of brand storytelling. Thinking next level is a given, and this role works directly with national partners like adidas and the MLS office. Reporting directly to the Chief Marketing Officer, the Head of Creative is a key member of the marketing leadership team and oversees the internal creative & merchandise team, including art direction, copywriting, design, video, merchandise and stylingwhile partnering cross-functionally across internal teams and external agencies. This leader will champion emotionally resonant, strategically grounded creative that evolves how fans experience and engage with the Sporting Kansas City brand.

Essential Functions

• Creative Leadership & Vision
• Team Management & Collaboration
• Execution & Innovation
• Operational Excellence
• Cross-Functional Partnership

Skills & Experience

• Experience Creative Leadership: 10+ years of progressive creative direction experience within sports, apparel, lifestyle, or agency environments.
• Strategic Storytelling: Proven success driving brand evolution through emotionally resonant, purpose-driven creative work.
• Team Building: Experience developing and mentoring diverse, high-performing creative teams.
• Collaboration: Strong ability to build trust and alignment across internal partners and external agencies.
• Execution Excellence: Expertise in design, photography, and digital best practices with a strong understanding of omnichannel marketing.
• Analytical Mindset: Ability to assess and optimize creative performance against business goals.
• Inspirational Communicator: Exceptional storytelling, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Tools: Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Workfront, G-Suite, Keynote, and related tools.
• Flexibility: Willingness to travel as needed to support creative initiatives and cross-functional collaboration.
• Education Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Marketing, Communication, or a related field. Master's degree or additional certifications in Creative Direction or Brand Strategy is a plus.

Key Competencies

• Portfolio of work that reflects omnichannel creative leadership
• Strategic and conceptual thinker with a deep understanding of brand storytelling.
• Inspirational leader with excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Highly collaborative with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization.
• Passion for quality, craftsmanship, and the customer experience.
• Clear understanding of merchandise design.
• Understanding of soccer culture and/or professional sports

Our Mission

We elevate Kansas City, transform American soccer, and create memories through personalized experiences with our Club. Our promise is to continually delight our fans and set the benchmark for best practices across Major League Soccer.

Our Values

At Sporting Kansas City, we strive to win championships, deliver a world-class product on and off the field, create the finest fan experiences in sports, create meaningful connections with the community, and innovate in all that we do.

Our Passion for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Sporting Kansas City is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create an empowering environment for a diverse and inclusive team of associates who make a positive impact on our Club and our community. Individuals from all backgrounds are celebrated and encouraged to apply.

Our Championships

MLS Cup Championship: 2000, 2013

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup: 2004, 2012, 2015, 2017

Supporter's Shield: 2000

Our Ownership

Sporting Club is a high-performance entertainment business offering the highest quality experiences through its unique, superior products and world-class facilities. Sporting Club, a Kansas City based and operated company, was founded by five local entrepreneurs. The five principals of Sporting Club include the following leaders in the Kansas City business community: the Patterson Family; Cliff Illig, co-founder of Cerner Corporation; Greg Maday, chairman and CEO of SpecChem, LLC., and co-founder of Rock Island Capital, LLC.; Pat Curran, founder and principal of C3 Capital, LLC and Robb Heineman, principal and co-founder of Rock Island Capital, LLC. In 2006, Sporting Club purchased the Kansas City Wizards professional soccer team from Lamar Hunt and Hunt Sports Group as the first step in building its high-performance entertainment company. Sporting Club has committed more than $200 million to Kansas City soccer and brought the state-of-the-art Children's Mercy Park to Kansas City by way of their diligence. The ownership group is unique to Kansas City sports, as Sporting is the only professional sports organization with local ownership.