Creative Director (Full-time w benefits)

Creative Director

Organization Description :

Since 1981 the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy) has served as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service collaborating with the Presidio Trust partners donors and the community to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The GGNRA stretches across three Bay Area counties north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge and includes iconic places such as Muir Woods National Monument Fort Point National Historic Site Alcatraz Island Crissy Field Mori Point Lands End and the Presidio of San Francisco.

The Parks Conservancy engages at the intersection of national park sites local communities social justice and climate resilience. Collaborating with partners our staff are dedicated to enhancing public awareness and providing volunteer and educational opportunities in the parks. We are park builders caretakers ambassadors and educators all working to connect people to parks in support of our vision Parks for All Forever . Join us.

Position Overview :

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy seeks a Creative Director to lead the organizations design direction during an exciting period of transformation. This individual will serve as both a strategic design leader and a hands-on creative director shaping the Conservancys overall look and feel and elevating the artistic expression of our work across all channelsincluding digital print marketing environmental and experiential platforms.

The Creative Director will bring expertise in guiding the brand journey through designensuring that every visual and creative expression is cohesive impactful and reflective of the Conservancys mission. This position reports to the Chief Communications Officer. As the Creative Director this person will be responsible for managing two staff designers and a pool of freelance designers overseeing a high volume of design projects and directing workflow across branches. This is a dynamic player-coach role : balancing vision-setting mentorship and creative leadership with hands-on design and execution. The Creative Director is expected to demonstrate proven leadership experiencementoring creative staff guiding cross-functional collaboration and growing design capacitywhile inspiring excellence across the organization. Working closely with all Parks Conservancy branches and specifically the Communications and Marketing team the Creative Director ensures that every creative touchpoint strengthens the Conservancys identity and deepens engagement with diverse audiences.

This full-time position is based in the Parks Conservancys headquarters at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Work is performed primarily in an office setting including a mix of telework and onsite. The Conservancy currently requires a minimum of four full days per month onsite; however in many instances it would require more onsite days either in the office or visiting park sites in order to meet the essential requirements of the position. This role is expected to work onsite at Fort Mason at least two days per week. Work may include weekends and evenings and may take place in locations other than Fort Mason.

Key Responsibilities and Duties :

Strategic and Creative Leadership

• Serve as the visual identity leader and chief steward of the Conservancys brand expression shaping the overall look and feel ensuring cohesion scalable and adaptable across all channels and leading the implementation of a refreshed design system across digital print and in-park experiences.
• Shape and evolve the Conservancys creative work to deliver compelling artistic expression that inspires and engages diverse audiences.
• Translate organizational goals into creative concepts and leading them through to full production design deliverables that the brand journey to life for diverse audiences.
• Maintain and refine brand guidelines that uphold design quality clarity and consistency across all materials and channels.
• Stay ahead of cultural design and technology trends including AI-assisted creative tools and apply them strategically to enhance visual impact.

Project Management & Workflow

Marketing & Campaign Development

Collaboration & Mentorship

Knowledge Skills and Abilities :

Education and Experience :

Health and Safety :

It is the goal of the Parks Conservancy to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace. We work to mitigate hazards and risks that may cause harm to employees consistent with state and federal laws. Employees play an active role in creating a safe and healthy workplace and are expected to comply with all applicable health and safety rules.

Physical Requirements and Work Environments : Work is performed in an office setting at a computer or design equipment 6 to 8 hours per day.

Compensation :

The annual salary for this position is $117500 (Pay Grade 25). As part of our equitable hiring practices the Parks Conservancy will hire at the salary posted for the position and will not make an offer above this level. Benefits include a competitive suite of medical dental and vision plans up to 3 weeks of paid vacation; holidays personal and sick days; a 403(b) retirement plan Employee Assistance Program employee discounts and more.

To Apply : As part of the application please submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter. The deadline date to submit applications is Friday November 14 2025.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities duties and skills required of personnel so classified. All employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time as needed.

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment placement and promotions are conducted without regard to an individuals race color religion sex national origin age physical handicap veteran status or sexual orientation or any other classification protected by Federal State and local laws & ordinances. We will consider qualified candidates with criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Required Experience :

Director

Key Skills

Abinitio,Administration And Accounting,Android,Bid Management,Inventory Management,Embedded C

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1