Creative Brand Director

Happy Camper; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Paid Time Off

Dining Discounts

Job summary

Happy Hospitality in Chicago is seeking a Creative Brand Director to own the visual identity, storytelling, and brand voice across our multi-concept restaurant group. This role sits at the intersection of design, marketing, and hospitality, shaping how each concept looks, sounds, and feels at every guest touchpoint, from menus to social media.

The position is hands-on, DIY: you’ll personally execute in-restaurant design work, mentor a small in-house team, and oversee freelancers.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of creative leadership experience in hospitality, restaurants, retail, or related consumer-facing industry.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating brand identity work, art direction, and multi-channel campaign execution.
• Hands-on proficiency in design tools (Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent); comfort directing photo/video shoots.
• Experience managing multiple brands or concepts simultaneously, with judgment on consistency vs differentiation.
• Strong project management skills—able to juggle locations, deadlines, and stakeholders.
• Budget management experience and familiarity with vendor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the brand identity (visual, verbal, and experiential) for each concept in the portfolio, ensuring consistency while preserving what makes each one distinct.
• Lead creative direction for menus, signage, packaging, merchandise, print collateral, and in-restaurant environmental design.
• Take a hands-on approach at the restaurant level—personally executing in-restaurant design work rather than delegating entirely to outside vendors.
• Direct social media and digital content strategy—photography, video, and copy—in partnership with the marketing team.
• Manage and mentor a small in-house creative team and oversee freelance photographers, videographers, and agencies as needed.
• Partner with operations and culinary leadership on creative for new location launches, seasonal menu rollouts, and events.
• Maintain brand guidelines and train location-level teams on applying them consistently.
• Manage the creative budget and vendor relationships (printers, sign shops, photographers, agencies).
• Track engagement and adjust direction based on performance data and guest feedback.
• Stay current on design, hospitality, and social trends to keep brands fresh.

Skills

Creative leadership

Brand identity

Adobe Creative Suite

Photo/Video direction

Project management

Budget management

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Photography direction

Job description

About Us

We are the marinara-muddled minds behind Happy Camper, Homeslice, and Paradise Park. Our restaurants are wall to wall with lights, murals, and vignettes for the perfect gram. We are known for our art inspired spaces, delicious food and great vibes. Our brand is glued together by our company culture. Currently, we are looking for other folks who are enthusiastic about being part of our team and growing our ever-evolving brand. Many of our employees have been with the company from the first installment of the brand. Our careers feel like a life purpose for many of us and a common thread is that we pay a distinct amount of attention to detail in creating this atmosphere. The ideal candidate wants to really enjoy their work environment and the people they work with. With a restaurant group expanding as rapidly as we have, we need someone who is self-motivated, and willing to take initiative.

We are the marinara-muddled minds behind Happy Camper, Homeslice, and Paradise Park. Our restaurants are wall to wall with lights, murals, and vignettes for the perfect gram. We are known for our art inspired spaces, delicious food and great vibes. Our brand is glued together by our company culture. Currently, we are looking for other folks who are enthusiastic about being part of our team and growing our ever-evolving brand. Many of our employees have been with the company from the first installment of the brand. Our careers feel like a life purpose for many of us and a common thread is that we pay a distinct amount of attention to detail in creating this atmosphere. The ideal candidate wants to really enjoy their work environment and the people they work with. With a restaurant group expanding as rapidly as we have, we need someone who is self-motivated, and willing to take initiative.

Happy Hospitality

1919 West North Ave

Chicago, IL 60622

Position Opening: Creative Brand Director

Job Summary

We're looking for a Creative Brand Director to own the visual identity, storytelling, and brand voice across our multi-concept restaurant group. This role sits at the intersection of design, marketing, and hospitality — shaping how each concept looks, sounds, and feels across every guest touchpoint, from menus and signage to social media and new restaurant openings. You'll work closely with ownership, operations, and marketing team to keep each brand distinct while ensuring a consistent standard of creative quality across the group. This is a hands-on, DIY role: you'll take ownership at the restaurant level and personally execute in-restaurant design work rather than only directing it from a distance.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the brand identity (visual, verbal, and experiential) for each concept in the portfolio, ensuring consistency while preserving what makes each one distinct.
• Lead creative direction for menus, signage, packaging, merchandise, print collateral, and in-restaurant environmental design.
• Take a hands-on approach at the restaurant level — personally owning and physically executing in-restaurant design work (installations, signage, styling, and environmental touch-ups) rather than delegating implementation entirely to outside vendors.
• Direct social media and digital content strategy — photography, video, and copy — in partnership with the marketing team.
• Manage and mentor a small in-house creative team (designer, content coordinator) and oversee freelance photographers, videographers, and outside agencies as needed.
• Partner with operations and culinary leadership on creative for new location launches, seasonal menu rollouts, and special events.
• Maintain brand guidelines and style standards, and train location-level teams on how to apply them consistently.
• Manage the creative budget and vendor relationships (printers, sign shops, photographers, agencies).
• Track what's working — monitor engagement and guest response to creative campaigns and adjust direction accordingly.
• Stay current on design, hospitality, and social trends, bringing fresh ideas to keep each brand feeling relevant.

Physical Functions

• Verbal/written communication with ownership, vendors, and location teams, individually and in groups
• Regular computer, phone, email use
• Mobility (standing, walking, bending, kneeling, ladder climbing) for on-site installs
• Lifting/carrying up to 30–40 lbs (art, signage, décor, tools)
• Visual acuity for color/detail/finish work
• Local + periodic Denver travel
• Must be able to exert well-paced and frequent mobility for periods of up to 10 hours or as needed.
• High levels of noise from music, customer and employee traffic.
• Must be able to tolerate potential allergens: peanut products, egg, dairy, gluten, soy, seafood and shellfish.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of creative leadership experience, ideally in hospitality, restaurants, retail, or a related consumer-facing industry.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating brand identity work, art direction, and multi-channel campaign execution.
• Hands‑on proficiency in design tools (Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent); comfort directing photo/video shoots.
• Experience managing multiple brands or concepts simultaneously, with the judgment to know when consistency matters and when differentiation does.
• Strong project management skills — able to juggle multiple locations, deadlines, and stakeholders without dropping details.
• A collaborative, low‑ego approach; comfortable working closely with operators and ownership, not just other creatives.
• Experience managing a budget and outside vendor relationships.
• Familiarity with the Chicago restaurant/hospitality market is a plus.

Compensation Details

Compensation: $70,000 - $85,000 Annual Salary

Eligible for Bonus based on Performance

Benefits

Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Paid Time Off, Dining Discounts

Employment Requirements

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Additional pre-employment requirements may apply based on the position.

Schedule

Monday – Friday, Nights/Weekends as needed

Department

Corporate/Marketing: Reports to: COO: Status: Salary: FLSA Code: Exempt: Location: Chicago

Equal Employment Opportunity

Happy Hospitality is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity in gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, age, veteran status, life experiences and ideas. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities and strive to provide an inclusive culture that embraces diversity

Must be eligible to legally work in the United States.