Senior Creative Manager, Performance Design (Remote US)

About The Role: We're looking for a Senior Creative Manager to lead our Performance Design department - a team that sits at the intersection of creative craft and performance marketing. This is not a traditional creative manager role. You'll be equally responsible for the strategic direction of the department and the day-to-day development of the people and work within it. You'll inherit a team with strong momentum, an established methodology, and a clear positioning - and your job is to scale it. This role reports to senior leadership and manages the full Performance Design team, including designers, project management, and motion contractors.

What You'll Do

Creative Leadership & Output

• Own the creative vision and quality standard for the Performance Design department
• Ensure all work meets both craft and conversion benchmarks - great looking and built to perform
• Review and elevate creative across paid social, display, video, and landing page formats

People Management & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a multidisciplinary team of designers, project managers, and motion contractors
• Set clear expectations, foster accountability, and build a culture where creative people do their best work
• Identify growth opportunities for team members and actively invest in their development

Strategy & Client Partnership

• Partner closely with paid media and client success teams to ensure creative is data-informed from the start
• Represent the department in new business pitches and client conversations
• Articulate the value of Performance Design as a strategic capability, not just an execution function

Financial Ownership

• Own and manage the department P&L
• Monitor margins, manage resourcing decisions with financial impact in mind, and ensure the department operates as a profitable, scalable business unit
• Think and operate like an owner

AI & Technology Integration

• Lead adoption of AI creative tools across the team
• Identify where emerging technologies can sharpen output and improve efficiency
• Build AI into real production workflows - not just as a proof of concept

What You Bring Experience & Background

• 5+ years in creative roles within performance marketing, paid media, or growth-focused agency environments
• Proven track record managing creative teams and balancing creative quality with business outcomes
• Comfortable presenting department strategy to VPs and CMOs just as much as reviewing a creative brief

Business Acumen

• Strong understanding of how a creative department operates as a business
• Direct experience managing or having visibility into P&L, margin, and resourcing decisions
• You think like an owner and make decisions with financial impact in mind

AI & Tools

• Hands-on experience with AI creative tools - generative image, AI-powered video, design analytics, or similar
• Knows how to integrate AI into real production workflows, not just demo it
• Experience with platforms like EyeQuant, Creatify, or Superside is a plus

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Strong communicator who can translate creative thinking into business language
• Track record of building trust with both creative practitioners and senior leadership

What Success Looks Like In the first 90 days, you've built strong relationships across the team and key internal stakeholders, identified gaps in methodology and workflow, and begun making your mark on the department's output. Within six months, you're running the department with full confidence - driving creative quality, owning margin targets, making smart resourcing decisions, and positioning Performance Design as a competitive differentiator in new business conversations.

What We Offer

Compensation for this role includes a competitive base salary Medical, dental, vision plans, disability, and life insurance coverage for you and your family that fit your lifestyle Including a 100% employer-paid plan for you and a 50% employer contribution for your dependents Benefits to Support the Whole Person: Mental - Access to certified therapists through Spring Health, membership to Headspace Physical - Gympass Time Off - Unlimited PTO (2-week minimum), Paid Company Holidays, Your Birthday Off, End of Year Recharge (Closed December 24 - January 1), Paid Parental Leave Financial - Traditional and Roth 401(k) with a 3% company match Bonus - Annual bonus based on tenure, which scales in total amount over time Annual Anniversary Trip with peers and executive leadership for fun and entertainment!

Work Environment

Requirements As a remote-first company, you'll have the ability to work from anywhere in the US, with the option to enjoy our state-of-the-art offices in Irvine, California. For some positions, as posted, we will accommodate global opportunities where we have established businesses, including Canada, the UK, and Australia. For global locations, you must have established and current work authorization and permanently reside in that countr