Managing Director, Creative Center

Your Opportunity

Managing Director, Creative Center

Your Opportunity:

Schwab remains committed to providing increased visibility to career growth opportunities and job requirements. This posting announcement is part of increased transparency and while all qualified applicants will be reviewed and considered, a preferred candidate for this role has been identified.

 At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together.

We believe in the importance of in-office collaboration and fully intend for the selected candidate for this role to work on site in Austin, TX.

We are Creative Center (C2), Schwab’s award-winning in-house agency that creates and produces a wide range of external and internal communications for Schwab. We are uniquely positioned to grow client relationships, attract new clients, and bring innovative products to market effectively and efficiently. Our passion to bring our best thinking forward every day drives our success. We are currently seeking a Managing Director to join our team in Austin, TX. 

Job Summary:

The Managing Director oversees a creative team of 136 people who provide client management, brand strategy, creative design, technology, operations, program management, QA/copy editorial, and copy writing in support of marketing and creative initiatives ensuring we meet and exceed client expectations. This role is responsible for managing partner relationships, employee engagement, the execution of strategic marketing initiatives, prioritization, skills development and operations including staffing and budgets. The Managing Director leads the Creative Center team, Schwab’s in-house agency, and is expected to manage the growth of the agency and lead the agency in meeting their vision and mission.  This position reports directly to the Managing Director, Retail Acquisition and Corporate Marketing (RACM).

Key Outcomes:

• Manage a creative and digital agency of 136 people across a diverse spectrum of skills.
• Lead, mentor, and supervise the agency leadership team of 6 critical departments to provide unified directions to employees and business partners 
• Support and encourage innovation across the team  
• Oversee brand strategy and expression systems
• Oversee creative development for marketing communication initiatives
• Build strong client partnerships up to the Sr. Managing Director level 
• Create a culture of collaboration, engagement, and strategic thinking 
• Direct daily agency operations, setting long-term growth goals, and implementing policies.
• Manage budgets, optimize expenses, and ensure agency billability.
• Keep current on emerging technology and find opportunities to apply the technology to meet client goals.
• Maintain a “One Schwab” approach to work across teams towards the best outcomes for clients and partners
• Manage a continuous improvement loop for processes and workflow

What you have

Required Experience:

To ensure we have fulfilled our promise of "challenging the status quo," this role has specific qualifications successful candidates should have. 

Qualified candidates have a minimum of 15 years as a senior level people manager, operations management, strategy development, and creative agency experience. A strong working knowledge of all functions of a creative and digital agency is required as well as workflows and process management. A strong solutions-oriented approach, user-experience focus, and understanding of agency processes required. 

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or a related field
• 15+ years of experience in creative digital or marketing roles
• Proven experience managing a team of 50 or more employees.
• Extensive experience in the financial services industry
• Excellent leadership and team management abilities
• Strong client-facing and communication skills
• Ability to think strategically and creatively
• Proficiency in marketing and creatives tools and software
• Experience with digital and traditional creative platforms
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• 10+ years’ experience in budget management and resource allocation