Executive Creative Director - Chicago, IL, United States - WNDR Museum

Description

As Executive Creative Director for WNDR Global, you will be the visionary force behind the creation and execution of immersive, interactive experiences that inspire and enchant.

This role demands not just a passion for innovative design and storytelling but also a keen sense of business and management acumen (including P&L responsibility) to ensure our global portfolio of entertainment and hospitality venues thrive both creatively and financially.

Your leadership will extend beyond the realms of creativity, diving into the operational and strategic management of WNDR's business and portfolio of experiences. You will play a crucial role in shaping the future direction of WNDR Company/Companies; pushing the boundaries of what is considered.

This role will collaborate across departments and divisions within the Company, and will be responsible for the following major areas of focus:

• Ideation, story development, planning, design, and execution of permanent WNDR exhibits (and "Journey," as currently articulated), temporary, permanent, and traveling exhibits – and the guest experiences that result
• Leadership as WNDR's in-house 'experience design and execution lead'; responsible for maintaining high experiential and aesthetic standards throughout the Company
• Conceptual storytelling and content master planning for the Company's future-forward and provocative point of view
• Leader of all exhibit-related work, art, and the conceptual narrative and creative premise

Responsibilities:

• Visionary Leadership: Drive the conceptual and artistic direction of WNDR Company and experiences worldwide, ensuring that each WNDR location delivers an unparalleled, multi-sensory experience that resonates with our diverse audience
• Business and Financial Oversight: Take on P&L responsibility, ensuring the financial health of the creative department by managing budgets, forecasting, and aligning creative goals with financial objectives
• Project Development and Execution: Oversee the entire exhibit lifecycle, from ideation and design to fabrication and installation, and ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and exceed our experiential standards
  • Adopt & live the ideology that budget does not always translate to superior creative product
• Collaboration and Influence: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, and finance, to align on strategic goals and leverage insights to drive visitor engagement and satisfaction
• Team Leadership and Development :
  • Work with the C-team to curate, identify recruit, and hire team members who will contribute productively and positively on the way to producing precedent-setting immersive experiences
  • Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of designers, technologists, and content creators
  • Manage and cultivate the career development of staff members, including visual experience designers, physical designers, creative technologists, and content developers
  • Delegate assignments, as well as devise how to ensure each assignment is completed with appropriate oversight, supervision, and planning
• External Partnerships: Work with marketing and C-Team to cultivate relationships with artists, designers, and technology partners nationally to fortify the Company's offering, relevance, and value proposition; ensure our creative "product" leads the industry
• Contribute to Culture: Foster an atmosphere of smart risk-taking that places a high value on creativity, the need to experiment, room for trial and error at the early stages of the development process; the capacity to explore new and compelling methods of building experiences; and the essential and critical role of good storytelling – all while being ever-mindful of the most efficient and strategically effective means to create/deliver/operate and maintain creative projects
• Manage outside design resources and partnerships, ensuring design progress reviews occur on a regular cadence; that creative meets the highest professional standards; that interests and creative needs of WNDR are fully addressed; and that outside design resources receive consistent and detailed feedback on their work and expenses/budgets
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the Design and Exhibit Development Department, including budgets, expenses, P&L, staff development & assignments, employee evaluations, work schedules/priorities, and labor/non-wage budgets
• Work closely with the CEO/President, CXO, Marketing Leader, and CFO to ensure every exhibit project delivers on the WNDR way – it is successful, inspires awe & enchantment, has been meticulously vetted to achieve the most efficient use of funds, is delivered on schedule and most importantly– achieves pride across WNDR

Qualifications:

• Proven Creative Leadership: 10-15 years of experience in a senior creative role, ideally within a museum, experience design, or an interactive art environment, with a track record of delivering groundbreaking creative projects
• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of business operations, including budget management, financial forecasting, and P&L responsibilities
• Storytelling and Design Excellence : Exceptional ability in storytelling, design thinking, and creating cohesive, immersive experiences that engage and inspire
• Strategic Thinker: Ability to think strategically and execute meticulously, with a passion for pushing the envelope in creating innovative, interactive experiences
• Collaborative Spirit: Strong leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to inspire a team and work across departments to realize the vision of WNDR venues
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas to a variety of audiences
• Bachelor's degree required in a design-related discipline with ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of progressive, hands-on design leadership experience in a world-class design organization
• Proven ability to conceptualize ideas verbally and artistically; articulate ideas clearly through compelling stories in a variety of visual formats, (formal and informal); and integrate ideas into a cohesive guest experience
• Self-starter with developed organizational skills to manage working in a fast-paced, multi-project environment
• Strong collaborator and motivator who is skilled at cultivating a diverse team's talents, ensuring that they're doing their very best work; and setting high and consistent standards for design, storytelling, quality, and creative process
• A skilled public speaker with strong oral and written skills
• Strong and consistent initiative
• Exceptional and agile problem-solving skills