Universal Music Group · 4 hours ago
Director, Creative
Santa Monica, California
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$97K/yr - $204K/yr
7+ years expUniversal Music Group is the world’s leading music company, committed to artistry, innovation, and entrepreneurship. They are seeking a Creative Director to oversee and elevate design and creative strategy for top-tier artists, blending hands-on artistry with creative vision while collaborating with various teams to execute campaigns and products.
Audio Recording and ProductionMedia and EntertainmentMusicPublishing
Responsibilities
Lead Creative Direction – Own the creative vision for UMG’s top-tier artists from concept through execution, ensuring alignment across branding, graphics, and product design
Build Cohesive Narratives – Develop unified brand storytelling and visual identities that reflect each artist’s voice
Inspire Cultural Relevance – Bring deep knowledge of pop culture, fashion, and design trends to inform strategy and keep teams connected to the cultural landscape
Facilitate Collaboration – Lead brainstorming and ideation sessions that push creative boundaries and foster innovation across teams
Oversee Design Development – Direct, design, delegate, and manage presentations, graphics, apparel and product designs, collections, and branding materials
Product Innovation – Partner with Product Development to interpret artists’ creative vision into innovative, authentic, and trend-informed physical products
Provide Constructive Feedback – Review creative concepts, proposals, and deliverables, offering guidance that sharpens execution and strengthens overall creative output
Develop Creative Briefs – Translate brand and management direction into actionable briefs with clear objectives, timelines, and deliverables
Collaborate & Partner – Team up with label creative partners to execute strategic and cohesive creative aligned with UMG’s highest-tier artists and rollout plans
Artist Facing – Collaborate directly with artists and management to bring the artist’s creative vision to life while balancing internal strategy and planning
Represent Creative Excellence – Attend label and artist meetings as a key creative partner, presenting ideas and ensuring alignment across all creative touchpoints
Mentor and Delegate – Assign projects to in-house and freelance designers, providing clarity, feedback, and collaboration. Curate designer groupings based on skill, aesthetics, and availability
Coach and Lead – Offer strategic direction, constructive feedback, and career development support to direct reports
Manage Timelines – Oversee project schedules to ensure on-time delivery
Qualification
Required
7+ years' experience managing projects and creatives from ideation to execution, preferably in music or fashion/retail
Established track record of selling through creative concepts and strategies to clients
Natural collaborator. Must be willing to set ego aside to deliver for our customers (both fans and artists)
Exceptional verbal and written abilities
Deep understanding of what goes into our work and this role, including: Music fandom and the fan to artist connection
Brand differentiation across artists and music genres
eCommerce, specifically trends and best practices as they apply to the fan to artist relationship
Creative approach to problem solving
Comfortable juggling multiple high priority projects simultaneously with strong attention to detail
Ability to stay flexible, calm and collected under pressure, and to be accountable for meeting deadlines amidst changing client needs
Self-starter attitude, capable of owning important responsibilities from inception to completion
Strong critical thinking skills and an ability to make decisions informed by data
Highly skilled in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
Proficiency in Microsoft Office
Bachelor's degree in graphic design, illustration, fashion design, marketing, or a related field
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
Including 100% coverage for out-patient in-network mental health services
Fertility coverage for eligible medical plan participants
Wellbeing reimbursements for fitness classes, spa treatments, meal services, travel, and so much more (up to $720/year)
Student Loan Repayment Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement
401(k) with 100% immediate vesting on the first 5% of your contributions, plus an additional UMG contribution
Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) for exempt employees
3-weeks PTO for non-exempt employees
2-weeks paid Winter Break
10 Company Holidays (including Juneteenth and Wellbeing Day)
Summer Fridays (between Memorial Day and Labor Day)
Generous paid parental leave for every type of parent
Company
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is a music-based entertainment company that offers music recording, publishing, and merchandising services worldwide. It is a sub-organization of Leviy Publishing.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$8.65BKey Investors
William AckmanTencent
2023-06-06Post Ipo Debt· $802.31M
2021-09-21IPO
2021-06-21Secondary Market· $4.17B
Leadership Team
Devraj Sanyal
Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group, India & South Asia; SVP Strategy "AMEA"
Timothy Xu
Chairman and CEO
Recent News
Digital Music News
2026-01-24
Digital Music News
2026-01-23
Company data provided by crunchbase