VP Creative

Sage; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision

401(k) with 4% match

32 days PTO

Parental leave 18 weeks

Volunteer time 5 days/yr

Tuition reimbursement $5,250/yr

Wellness rewards program

Career development resources

Job summary

Sage is building a global in-house Creative Studio in the United States with hybrid work in Atlanta and Austin. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team to shape brand, technology, and creative output that drives commercial outcomes.

We seek a leader with 15+ years of creative leadership, strong AI tools fluency, and a track record of scaling in-house studios. You’ll partner with marketing, product, and people functions to elevate Sage’s global brand.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in creative leadership, with B2B or technology in-house experience.
• Experience building or scaling an in-house Creative Studio.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the in-house Creative Studio across North America, UK and Ireland, scaling a multidisciplinary team.
• Transition from external agencies to internal capability with phased agency scope reduction.
• Own the creative quality bar for all externally facing brand output globally.
• Manage briefs from regional directors and cross-functional partners to ensure brand governance.
• Define a hub-and-spoke model with central standards and regional designers.
• Establish an AI-enabled production capability and measure impact.

Skills

Executive leadership

AI creative tools

Brand design leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Talent development

Job description

Most software brands look and sound the same. Sage has the opportunity to be different.

Sage is a global technology company trusted by millions of small and mid-sized businesses, accountants, and finance professionals every day. As AI transforms how businesses operate, customer expectations are changing rapidly. This moment demands more than great marketing. It demands bold creative leadership that can redefine how a category communicates, connects, and grows.

In this role, you'll have the rare opportunity to build something from the ground up.

You'll create and lead Sage's global in-house Creative Studio, shaping a function that sits at the intersection of brand, technology, creativity, and commercial impact. You'll define the creative vision for a global business, establish the standards that guide every expression of the brand, and help transform how millions of customers experience Sage.

This is a true builder role. In the early stages, you'll design the operating model, hire and develop a world-class creative team, and lead the transition from agency-led execution to a modern, in-house capability. You'll have the freedom to challenge conventional approaches, introduce new ways of working, and embed AI-enabled creative production to increase both quality and speed.

Over time, you'll shape far more than a studio. You'll influence how Sage shows up across every market, channel, and customer touchpoint globally. You'll partner with senior leaders across marketing, product, and commercial functions, bringing creativity into strategic business conversations and demonstrating how exceptional creative work can drive brand growth, customer engagement, and commercial outcomes.

You'll lead all aspects of creative output across the business, including brand design, campaigns, copy, content, and production. Most importantly, you'll set the bar for creative excellence across Sage, building a culture where creative ambition, innovation, and business impact go hand in hand.

For the right leader, this is a chance to leave a lasting mark on a global brand at a pivotal moment in its evolution.

What You'll Do

• Build and lead the in-house Creative Studio across North America and UKIA, scaling to approximately 10-15 people including brand designers, campaign designers, copywriters, and production specialists embedded in key regional markets.
• Manage the transition from external agency dependency to in-house capability, including phased reduction of agency scope.
• Own the creative quality bar for all externally facing brand output globally
• Execute creative briefs from regional directors of campaign strategy and other brand functions.
• Establish a hub-and-spoke creative model: central standards with regional designers embedded in key markets.
• Build an AI-enabled production capability.
• Work in close partnership with other brand, performance marketing, product marketing and people teams to ensure all creative output meets brand governance standards.
• Own the relationship with retained external agencies and specialist production partners.
• Define and implement the creative operating model: intake process, briefing standards, turnaround commitments, and quality review cadence across all teams that brief into the studio.
• Establish ways of working between the Creative Studio and its key partners (Brand Strategy, Performance Marketing, Events, Sponsorships) including service standards and escalation paths.

What You'll Bring

• 15+ years in creative leadership, with at least 5 years in B2B or technology in-house
• Experience building or scaling an in-house creative studio, ideally replacing external agency dependency
• Demonstrated fluency with AI creative tools and a clear point of view on where AI adds value and where it does not
• Strong portfolio across brand identity, campaign creative, and digital/social execution
• Commercially oriented: can speak to pipeline, conversion, and business outcomes, not just creative craft
• Experience managing a mixed team of brand designers, campaign designers, copywriters, and production specialists
• Ability to operate in a matrix: this role serves the whole organization, not one function
• Track record of earning credibility with commercial leadership and regional MDs, not just marketing peers
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders on creative direction, including non-marketing leaders who are not naturally fluent in creative evaluation
• Inspiring leader with a track record of building and developing high-performance creative teams, including hiring for roles that don't exist yet in the organization

What You’ll Own

• Creative turnaround time vs. current benchmark
• Cost per creative asset vs. current baseline
• Brand consistency score across regions (internal audit)
• Reduction in external agency spend as percentage of total creative cost
• Internal stakeholder satisfaction
• Creative effectiveness: campaign recall, brand perception shift, and creative-driven pipeline contribution measured through brand tracking and campaign post-analysis
• Studio build milestones: team hired, agency transition complete, regional spokes operational

Team composition:

• Campaign design
• Brand design team
• Copywriters
• Production

Perks? We have plenty.

• Competitive salaries that landed us top 5% of similar sized companies (according to Comparably)
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement match (100% matching up to 4%)
• 32 days paid time off (21 personal days, 10 national holidays, 1 floating holiday)
• 18 weeks paid parental leave for birth, adoption or surrogacy offered 1 year after start date
• 5 days paid yearly to volunteer (through Sage Foundation)
• $5,250 tuition reimbursement per calendar year starting 6 months after hire date
• Sage Wellness Rewards Program ($600 wellness credit and $360 fitness reimbursement annually)
• Library of on demand career development options and ongoing training offerings

Dig deeper about who we are:

• Who is Sage: https://www.sage.com/en-us/company/about-sage/
• Life at Sage: https://www.sage.com/en-us/company/careers/
• Our Values & Behaviors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vt5JXf-Gwno&feature=youtu.be
• How we make a difference: https://www.sage.com/en-us/company/sage-foundation/
• Sage Business Cloud - SaaS for Every Business: https://www.sage.com/en-us/products/

Brand

United States

Atlanta;Austin

Hybrid

Working at Sage means you’re supporting millions of small and medium sized businesses globally with technology to work faster and smarter. We leverage the future of AI, meaning business owners spend less time doing routine tasks, like entering invoices and generating reports, and more time pursuing their ambitions.

Our colleagues are the best of the best. Because to achieve extraordinary outcomes, we need extraordinary teams. This means infusing Sage with people who knock down barriers, continuously innovate, and want to experience their potential.

Learn more about working at Sage: sage.com/en-us/company/careers/working-at-sage/

Watch a video about our culture: youtube.com/watch?v=h1-vs3zIpnc

We celebrate individuality and welcome you to join us if you embrace all backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and ways of working.

Learn more about DEI at Sage: sage.com/en-us/company/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

VP Creative

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Sage is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities.

In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at Sage will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Sage does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.