Vans: Senior Social Art Director

Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire and empower everyone to live “Off The Wall” – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. Yesterday’s “Off The Wall” moment is today’s new normal, and at Vans, we believe in constantly outdoing ourselves. Together with our communities across the globe, our vision is to push culture forward because we believe that the pursuit of progression never ends. We are constantly inspired by the future generation of positive catalysts within our community.

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “Off the Wall,” Vans just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Vans Careers or www.vans.com.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

You don't just create content—you create moments that move culture. As the Senior Social Art Director, you'll be a platform-native visual storyteller living at the intersection of creativity, community, and self-expression. We're looking for someone who can turn products, athletes, artists, and cultural moments into compelling stories that inspire audiences across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Equal parts creative strategist and hands-on maker, you're as comfortable shaping a big idea as you are shooting, editing, and bringing it to life yourself. You have a sharp instinct for what resonates and can spot the next trend before it takes off. As a key member of the Global Social team, you'll report to the Senior Manager of Brand Social and partner closely with Brand Creative, Brand Management, athletes, artists, and cultural collaborators to build an organic social ecosystem that feels unmistakably Vans.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• End-to-End Production: You will concept, shoot, edit, animate, and publish platform-native stories from idea to final delivery, reducing reliance on multi-specialist handoffs.

• Franchise Development: You will build and scale repeatable social-first series and editorial formats that engage the 14–25-year-old target audience.

• Campaign & Energy Support: You will capture and create compelling native content to support tier-one brand priorities, including product launches, cultural moments, and key energy collaborations.

• Agile Field Capture: You will independently capture high-quality product, lifestyle, event, and documentary-style content on set or on the fly at key cultural moments.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You will collaborate directly with external creators, athletes, internal designers, and regional teams to ensure storytelling feels authentic and platform-optimized.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 7-9 years of experience and professional achievements.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• 7+ years of professional experience in art direction, creative content development or social-first creative roles, with at least 4 years in an agency or in-house social creative team.

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, Advertising, Visual Communication, Marketing, Film, Digital Media, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and a portfolio demonstrating exceptional creative and social storytelling capabilities.

• The Hybrid Toolkit: Deep mastery of end-to-end multi-media production, including filming, video editing (Adobe Premiere), motion design/typography (After Effects), and audio layout.

• Platform-Native Intuition: An intuitive understanding of the distinct visual languages, pacing, trends, and subcultures driving Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

• Autonomy & Speed: Proven ability to own the entire creative workflow and deliver high-taste, finished assets under tight deadlines with minimal supervision.

• Connection to Youth Culture: A strong connection to street culture, skateboarding, music, art, and the global creator community.

• Dependable and Proactive: A self-starter mentality who thrives in ambiguity and is comfortable working on fast-moving, non-traditional production sets.

• AI & Tool Curiosity: Eagerness to experiment with and prototype AI-assisted creative workflows to optimize speed and production value.

Preferred Skills:

• In-house social creative or digital agency experience managing content execution for a global consumer or lifestyle brand.

• Experience interfacing directly with high-profile athletes, musical talent, and cultural creators.

Location requirement: Hybrid schedule, 3 days a week (more as needed) out of our HQ in Costa Mesa, CA.

Hiring Range:

Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation: You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at peopleservices@vfc.com. VF will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals to the extent required by applicable law.

Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.