Director, Creative - 10004-Charlotte- NC - Hawkins (Charlotte, NC)

Since its founding in 1937, Krispy Kreme's focus has remained the same - making fresh doughnuts using our founder's original recipe. The brand's iconic Hot Light lets consumers know when doughnuts are being made in the shop so they can stop in and enjoy them hot, right off the line.

Krispy Kreme's is seeking a dynamic and experienced Creative Director to lead our team of designers and oversee all aspects of creative operations. This role is a unique blend of strategic vision, operational leadership, and hands-on design expertise. The ideal candidate will inspire creativity, streamline workflows, and produce exceptional creative deliverables that align with our brand identity and guidelines. By partnering with cross-functional teams, this leader will ensure consistent creative across all channels and best-in-class go-to-market process and execution

A TASTE OF WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

Creative Leadership & Design Execution:

• Lead the creative vision for brand and product campaigns, projects, and guiding design principles
• Ensure all creative outputs are consistently on-brand and align with established guidelines. Push creative boundaries while maintaining brand integrity
• Ability to lead concepts, pitch, and execution of strategic brand and LTO creative campaigns
• Maintain high creative standards, consistently helping the team to deliver quality solutions
• Develop and maintain a consistent brand identity across all design materials, ensuring that our brand message is effectively communicated to our target audience
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Brand, DFD, and Digital to understand project requirements and develop design solutions that align with the company's brand guidelines and objectives
• Provide strong problem-solving and design expertise across diverse media: print, video, digital, social media, and packaging
• Leads creative meetings and effectively presents materials to internal and external stakeholders
• Lead and plan photo shoots to achieve brand and business objectives. Comfortable directing the team to bring the creative vision to life during the shoot, overseeing all aspects from lighting to talent direction. Ability to edit and manage the post-shoot creative process - reviewing footage, select best shots and ensuring final product aligns with objectives and briefs
• Closely monitor agency output and provide creative feedback and direction

Creative Process & Workflow Management:

• Lead the creative team's workflow by managing resources, timelines, and budgets to ensure smooth operations
• Drive efficient project delivery across diverse channels and formats, meeting deadlines and quality standards
• Continuously develop and refine processes to enhance team productivity and elevate creative output
• Strategically prioritize projects, ensuring the team focuses on high-impact initiatives that align with business goals
• Maintain a business-oriented mindset, making decisions that optimize budget efficiency and deliver measurable results

Team Leadership & Development:

• Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing creative team
• Communicate clear objectives and priorities within the team, assigning projects and tasks to direct reports and balancing team's workload to maximize effectiveness
• Provide constructive feedback, coaching, and guidance to develop team members' skills
• Manage and optimize workflows, and processes to ensure on-time, on-budget execution
• Foster a collaborative and innovative team culture
• Collaborate with peers across functions to optimize ways of working and maximize business results

YOUR RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:

• Bachelor's degree in graphic/digital design or related field preferred
• 8+ years of graphic/digital design experience in a fast-paced environment, 3+ years leadership experience
• Experience with print (signage, POP, packaging) and digital formats (web, email, app, social, display)
• Highly creative with an extremely sharp eye for detail
• Proficient in Adobe Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and presentation tools
• Skilled in conceptual and visual storytelling
• Strong time management, self-direction, and ability to handle multiple projects
• Open to feedback with a balance of defending ideas and implementing solutions
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire others
• Thrives under tight deadlines in high-pressure environments
• Highly organized, proactive, and results driven
• Agency management experience
• Strong communicator and stakeholder management experience
• Ability to communicate with multiple business teams

*The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work performed by the employees assigned to this job and are not the official job description for the position. The official job description will be provided during the application/interview process.

BENEFITS:

• Comprehensive benefits (medical, vision, and dental insurance)
• Employee discount program
• 401K plan
• Generous PTO Plan
• Company events
• Education Reimbursement
• Adoption Assistance
• Life Insurance
• FSA/HSA Plans
• Pet Insurance

Learn more at

WHY KRISPY KREME?

At Krispy Kreme, we focus on:

• Loving People:
• Our global culture is best captured by our Leadership Mix, a dozen behaviors that define how we work with one another across the world and give back to our communities. Check out our leadership mix here .
• Belonging happens once each Krispy Kremer knows their bold authentic self is welcomed, dignified, and loved, where their wonderfully original identities flourish and thrive.
• Loving Communities:
• At Krispy Kreme, sharing joy is at the center of everything we do, and we strive to inspire this in our communities. Our brand purpose truly shines through our Acts of Joy and community fundraising initiatives.
• In the U.S., we have been donating unsold doughnuts to local food banks, with a goal of bringing a smile to our consumers as they enjoy a small, sweet treat. We partner with Feeding America and Convoy of Hope, who in turn partner with organizations nationwide to distribute donations to people in need through diverse types of programs and services.
• In 2022, we helped community groups raise $40 million globally. Last year in the U.S., we supported more than 83,000 fundraising events, raising nearly $37 million.
• Loving Planet:
• We have been conducting a multi-year global GHG emissions assessment to establish an emissions baseline, using this foundation to soon set goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions.
• We are working on reducing food waste through donation efforts, animal feed, and composting programs.

Krispy Kreme is an Equal Opportunity Employer:

At Krispy Kreme, we believe that your originality sweetens our recipe. We value the diverse ingredients of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, gender, intersex, or veteran status of every individual. We strive for an inclusive culture that allows each of our peeps to bring their bold authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

About Krispy Kreme

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Krispy Kreme is one of the most beloved and well-known sweet treat brands in the world. Our iconic Original Glazed doughnut is universally recognized for its hot-off-the-line, melt-in-your-mouth experience. Krispy Kreme operates in more than 35 countries through its unique network of fresh doughnut shops, partnerships with leading retailers, and a rapidly growing Ecommerce and delivery business with more than 14,000 fresh points of access. Our purpose of touching and enhancing lives through the joy that is Krispy Kreme guides how we operate every day and is reflected in the love we have for our people, our communities and the planet. Connect with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at , or on one of its many social media channels, including and .