art manager

OUR BACKGROUND

Ruroc makes badass helmets. At Ruroc, we have one guiding mission. To re-engineer protection. Building the perfect balance between design and engineering, our innovative products save lives, look epic and set us apart from the competition.

Ruroc has grown from £1m rev to a £30m revenue Action / Motorsports helmet brand selling into over 90 countries globally and we are primed ready to dominate an industry that has been stagnant for too long!

All sales take place through our eCommerce store www.ruroc.com giving us a direct connection with our customers that legacy / competitor brands do not possess. This close connection to the end rider has given us the ability to reduce the feedback loop and rapidly innovate and enhance our gear at a rate never seen before in the global helmet industry.

We control our destiny; we manage everything end-to-end to deliver our promise to customers and fulfil the potential of the Ruroc brand. We are building world-class teams across the board and we have invested in our own Ruroc Factory to keep up with our ever-snowballing demand.

We are now looking for an Art Director to be the visual thinker behind the creative output of our team. Working with the copywriter, you will produce a volume of ideas that meet the brief, attract our audience and dazzle us with the new and unique!

You will be responsible for...

• Creating and developing great ideas with a focus on their visual appearance.
• Combining artistic sensibilities with a knowledge of design and production processes to create work that attracts and engages. Paired with copy, you'll strengthen the creative messaging through visual thought and ideation.
• Appreciating the context behind the business and how key propositions and creative briefs form the basis of communication behind your work.
• Knowing the target audience inside and out and the proposed media used in campaigns
• Devising and developing original advertising and communication ideas. These ideas must be relevant to engage the target audience and solve the client’s business problem.
• Establishing art direction, style and visual tone for brand campaigns across all channels.
• Presenting ideas to the Creative Director for approval and development and amending ideas through several stages of feedback and development.
• Generating and maintaining enthusiasm for ideas within the agency and with clients as they move from concept to execution.
• Producing sketches, using visual references, quick comps and storyboards to convey the concept to the agency team, and then on to clients, designers and producers. Then packaging up these ideas in clear, concise and buyable ways.
• Responding positively to client and research feedback and developing the work until the final approval stage.
• Staying up-to-date with available talent for commissioning among photographers, illustrators, typographers and film directors by regularly reviewing their books and showreels.
• Being aware of creative trends and best practices in advertising, culture, media and social.
• Bringing other interests and knowledge to the job (filmmakers, influencers, designers, etc...)
• Understanding digital and physical campaign delivery and think in platforms beyond traditional advertising solutions.
• Selecting photographers, illustrators, production companies, directors, animators, models and casts involved in the creative production.
• Contributing to all facets of production and overseeing creative executions by working with the team to deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Helping out with whatever is asked of them, with a good attitude and being an accountable partner and collaborator.

Some people you may work with...

Internal: copywriter, creative director, filmmakers, editors, producers, CGI artists, photographers, retouchers, graphic designers, creative art-worker and marketing stakeholders

External: providing creative briefs and art direction to producers, film directors, animators, illustrators, photographers, stylists, location finders etc.

Requirements

Those who succeed are...

• Imaginative and able to generate various ideas that creatively solve business problems.
• Able to distinguish between the core idea and executions and how to deliver it across channels and mediums.
• Able to defend changes to the executions which would affect the core idea, but also able to let go of details that don’t affect the core concept.
• Great at presenting and communicating; you can pitch ideas in an inspirational way, making people feel, not just understand.
• Team players who can operate effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Able to multi-task and manage simultaneous projects in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
• Efficient and effective in both personal time management and with the ability to extend such practices across a team.
• Tenacious and resilient throughout the frustrations of an iterative process. Basically, the ability to be pecked to near death by ducks and still come out smiling.
• Knowledgeable for historical changes in design, with an eye for the best in contemporary art and design. Aware of the latest production techniques, tools and materials.
• Fascinated by people, advertising and brands with a curious nature about culture as a whole.
• Aware of the basics of legal and regulatory background which must be adhered to.
• Creative sponges who love to learn from other creatives and legendary art directors by reviewing award-winning ads, for example - D&AD ‘pencils’ or reading books about art and design in advertising.
• Aware of the power of brands and very clear on a brand’s look, knowing that it must be solid and consistent to grab the customer's attention in seconds.

QUALIFICATIONS

• You will have a degree or postgraduate in a relevant subject such as creative advertising or design.
• Have significant experience in a Creative agency/studio background.
• Have a website, portfolio or work samples demonstrating smart, brand-building ideas and executions.
• Strong skills in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator as well as any other software.
• A genuine interest in snowsports and motorsport would be an advantage.

Benefits

• 26 days annual leave + Bank Holidays
• Flexible working hours around our core hours of 10:00-15:00
• Private Health Insurance with Vitality
• Wellbeing support with our Employee Assistance Programme - Health Assured
• Free in-house Personal Training Sessions in our in-house, purpose-built gym
• Free Ruroc products plus, 50% discount for your friends and family
• Contributions towards skiing / snowboarding lessons and your CBT / full motorcycle license

Ruroc is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organisation, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, benefits, training, and apprenticeships. Our full equal opportunities policy can be requested from the People Team on hr@ruroc.com.