Director, Creative Copywriting - HOKA

Deckers Brands; Goleta (CA); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay and Bonuses

Financial Planning and wellbeing

Time away from work

Extras, discounts and perks

Growth and Development

Health and Wellness

Job summary

Deckers Brands is seeking a Director, Creative Copywriting for HOKA to define and champion the brand voice, narrative approach, and product storytelling on a global scale. You will lead a team of writers, collaborate with senior leaders, and drive consistency across campaigns and regions.

The role emphasizes strategic, cultural, and creative excellence, with an focus on integrating AI thoughtfully into copy processes, while maintaining global standards and regional relevance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years in advertising, brand marketing, editorial, or similar roles.
• Experience leading Copy/Editorial/Content/Storytelling functions.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic insight and culturally relevant storytelling.
• Excellent command of English, writing, editing, and narrative structure.
• Strong strategic, conceptual, and commercial thinking.
• Proven people leadership and capacity planning.

Responsibilities

• Set global copy and lead campaigns across brand products and initiatives.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing writers team with clear goals and feedback.
• Translate brand and product plans into multi-year editorial strategy; partner with cross-functional leaders.
• Oversee integrated storytelling acrossFilm, digital, social, CRM, print, and emerging platforms; embed AI thinking in copy workflows.
• Own Copy department planning, staffing, resources, and external partner scopes.

Skills

Leadership

Copywriting

Brand storytelling

Verbal identity

Editorial strategy

People leadership

AI in copy

Education

Bachelor's degree in English/Creative Writing/Advertising/Journalism/Marketing/Communications, or equivalent

Tools

AI tools

Job description

At Deckers Brands, Together, Every Step is a promise kept that every employee can bring their authentic self, is valued and supported, as a whole person, at work and beyond. Together, Every Step is how we continue to deliver exceptional business results, experience an amazing place to work, and have a positive impact on the communities and world around us.

Job Title: Director, Creative Copywriting – HOKA

Reports to: Sr. Director, Creative - Global HOKA

Location: US (Remote), West Coast preferred

Interested applicants must reside in one of the following approved states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington

The Role

The Director, Creative - Copy is the functional and creative leader responsible for defining, evolving, and championing HOKA’s global brand voice, verbal identity, and narrative approach. This role translates brand and business strategy into distinctive campaign narratives, seasonal messaging, product storytelling, and scalable verbal systems across global consumer touchpoints. In close partnership with other Creative Directors, this leader helps shape integrated campaign ideas where narrative, visual expression, and brand experience work together as one cohesive creative vision.

Deeply connected to running culture and culture more broadly, they bring a modern, culturally relevant creative point of view that keeps HOKA’s storytelling fresh, distinctive, and connected to how people live and move today. As part of HOKA’s Global Brand Creative team, this role sets direction for the brand worldwide, creating work and messaging systems that guide global expression while enabling Regional teams to activate with consistency, relevance, and impact in their markets.

As a member of the Global Brand Creative leadership team, they influence senior cross-functional partners and are accountable for the quality, consistency, cultural relevance, and business effectiveness of HOKA’s copy and storytelling. They bring a strong understanding of AI and emerging creative technologies, with a clear point of view on how to integrate them thoughtfully into the copy discipline to strengthen ideation, workflows, experimentation, and creative quality.

The role leads and develops a high-performing team of writers while overseeing priorities, resources, and external creative partners.

We celebrate diversity--of your background, your experiences and your unique identity. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable workplace where all of our employees can Come as They Are. We believe that when we bring our different perspectives to work, we are truly Better Together.

Your Impact

Set Global Copy and Lead Campaign

Define and evolve HOKA’s global brand voice, verbal identity, product storytelling, editorial vision, and standards of creative excellence. Lead narrative for global brand campaigns, product campaigns, seasonal initiatives, and key brand experiences. Establish messaging architectures, naming strategies, and verbal systems that communicate product superiority and build brand equity.

Lead and Develop the Copy Discipline

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of writers through clear goals, regular feedback, performance management, and growth opportunities. Determine team structure and resourcing needs, balancing internal talent, freelance support, and agency partnerships. Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that values diverse perspectives, healthy creative debate, accountability, and editorial excellence.

Drive Editorial Strategy and Cross-Functional Influence

Translate global brand, business, product, and marketing plans into multi-year editorial strategy. Partner with senior leaders across Brand, Product, Marketing, Merchandising, Retail, Digital, Social, Communications, and Regions to integrate product messaging thinking early. Communicate creative strategy, recommendations, and business rationale clearly and persuasively to creative teams, cross-functional leaders, and executives.

Oversee Integrated Creative Development and Brand Stewardship

Guide integrated storytelling across film, photography, digital, social, retail, e-commerce, CRM, print, experiential, and emerging platforms, while beginning to embed AI-driven thinking and tools within the copy discipline. Provide clear, decisive creative direction from strategy and concept development through production and final toolkit delivery. Ensure all verbal expression meets the highest standards of strategic clarity, cultural relevance, accuracy, tone, craft, and global consistency.

Own Copy Department Planning

Lead Copy discipline priorities, staffing, resource allocation, external partner scopes. Identify capacity constraints, delivery risks, and competing priorities.

Who You Are

Bachelor’s degree in English, Creative Writing, Advertising, Journalism, Marketing, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

10+ years of experience, both agency and brand, in advertising, brand marketing, editorial, publishing, or an in-house creative organization, preferably within sport, lifestyle, footwear, or another culture-led industry.

Significant experience leading a Copy, Editorial, Content, Product storytelling, Campaign or Brand Storytelling function within a complex, global, or matrixed organization.

Demonstrated success managing senior creative talent, setting departmental priorities, overseeing resources and budgets, influencing senior cross-functional stakeholders, and delivering results through a team.

Portfolio demonstrating strategic insight, bold campaigns, distinctive creative thinking, world-class writing, verbal identity development, and culturally relevant storytelling across global consumer touchpoints.

Exceptional command of English, writing, editing, verbal identity, and narrative structure.

Strong strategic, conceptual, and commercial thinking, with the ability to connect creative decisions to consumer insight, product strategy, brand positioning, and business objectives.

Demonstrated people leadership, coaching, performance management, resource planning, and organizational design skills.

Excellent judgment, decisiveness, presentation, stakeholder influence, and communication across creative teams, regions, and executive audiences.

Ability to prioritize complex global initiatives, navigate ambiguity, manage change, and build trust in a matrixed organization.

Strong cultural curiosity and understanding of advertising, running, sport, fashion, entertainment, technology, and emerging creative tools.

Practical understanding of how to thoughtfully integrate AI into the copy team’s everyday workflows to strengthen ideation, efficiency, experimentation, and creative quality.

Demonstrate Authenticity, Champion Diverse, Effective Teams, Drive Strategy, Cultivate Innovation, Deliver Results, Build Connection.

What We’ll Give You

• Competitive Pay and Bonuses
• We’ve created a variety of competitive compensation programs to foster career development, reward success and to show our employees just how much they’re valued.
• Financial Planning and wellbeing - No matter what financial goals our employees have set, we want to help them get there. Our plans provide powerful ways to protect income, pay for expenses and invest in the future.
• Time away from work - Sometimes we need time away to be with family, focus on our health or just simply recharge. Our plans support our employees’ needs to get out, get healthy and come back stronger than ever.
• Extras, discounts and perks - Being a valued member of the Deckers Brands team means more than just a paycheck. From generous discounts to community-based programs, we offer a variety of cool extras
• Growth and Development - Deckers Brands was built on the idea of pursuing passion. That’s why we offer extensive opportunities and support for personal and professional development.
• Health and Wellness - There’s nothing basic about our comprehensive health and wellness programs and offerings. While at work and at play, we aim to support a healthy lifestyle.

#LI-AJ1 $154,700.00 - $208,800.00

The salary range posted reflects the estimated minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for this role in: Goleta, California (Remote)

Individual pay will be determined by location and additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Diversity and inclusion are key to our success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds who share a passion for our brands. We welcome qualified applicants regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, mental or physical disability, medical condition and all the other beautiful parts of your identity.

More than Just a Footwear Company

From our corporate offices to our global retail stores, there’s a curious, independent spirit that’s distinctively Deckers Brands. We’re about giving people the freedom to pursue their passions. And we’re committed to helping them succeed; to become their best selves. That’s why we’re about more work, the 9 to 5 or daily grind. We’re about opportunity - opportunity to create, to grow and to have an impact. As we work to become better at everything we do, how we better the world matters, too. Our products and brands are loved, no doubt about it. But the difference we make in people’s lives begins with our people, right here at Deckers Brands. We’re adventurous, spirited, unafraid of new challenges and willing to take chances. We are always ready to rally around a cause. Put simply, we want all of our people to thrive - to reach their full potential and have fun while doing it. Because in the end, Deckers thrives when our people thrive.