Kickstarter is seeking a passionate and strategic Account Director, Design & Technology to join our Outreach team. This role sits at the heart of our efforts to connect with and support creators, playing a vital role in driving engagement and ensuring creators have the resources and guidance they need to succeed on our platform.
Reporting to the Head of Design & Technology, the Account Director, Design & Technology will work closely with cross-functional teams to develop and implement outreach strategies, cultivate relationships within creative communities, and advocate for creators' needs internally.
As the key contributor to the company's strategy in the Design & Technology categories, this role works across functions to develop and maintain key relationships and partnerships to strengthen Kickstarter's community of Design & Technology creators. You are responsible for maintaining and growing market share in the category through hitting key targets for acquisition of new business and retention of priority creators.
The ideal candidate is a proactive, relationship-driven professional with a deep understanding of Design & Technology; strong communication skills; and a passion for empowering creators to bring their projects to life.
- Build and strengthen relationships with creators in Kickstarter’s community, connecting with promising businesses and individuals who could use Kickstarter to bring impactful projects to life.
- Track creator interactions using Kickstarter’s CRM, ensuring adherence to service-level agreements (SLAs) for curation and outreach support.
- Own relationships with top-tier creators in the category of focus, assuring consistent communication to retain their business and collaborating with Kickstarter’s creator success team to support their launches.
- Develop and refine category-specific educational resources in collaboration with internal teams to better support creators.
- Identify opportunities to educate and empower creators by sharing best practices, industry insights, and platform resources.
- Serve as the face of Kickstarter within the category of focus, working with Kickstarter’s Communications and Marketing teams to pursue press appearances as well as in-person and virtual one-to-many community development opportunities.
- Establish and strengthen relationships with institutions and partners within the broader creative ecosystem to build Kickstarter’s referral pipeline.
- Collaborate with industry stakeholders to expand Kickstarter's reach and visibility within key creative communities.
- Contribute to Kickstarter’s strategy for industry events, attending as a representative to engage with creators and industry audiences through networking and public speaking opportunities.
- Leverage events to connect with new and returning creators, positioning Kickstarter as the go-to platform for their funding needs.
- Contribute to the strategy for category of focus, collaborating across the company to meet key targets for revenue, creator retention, and growth.
- Advocate for Kickstarter in a competitive funding landscape, identifying and pitching new prospective creators while working to re-engage and win back those exploring alternate funding paths.
- Gather market intelligence on industry trends and competing platforms to inform outreach strategies and positioning.
- Support the development and rollout of new product features and services by recruiting beta participants and driving adoption among priority creators.
- Serve as an internal champion for the needs of creators, surfacing feedback on product, policies, and user experience to internal stakeholders and collaborating across teams to enhance the creator experience.
- Utilize Kickstarter’s category-specific curation channels to showcase creators' work and collaborate with marketing teams to feature priority creators across brand channels.
- Develop strategies to highlight success stories and inspire new creators to engage with Kickstarter.
- You have at least 5 years of professional experience working in Design & Technology, including a network of connections with the community and industry knowledge.
- You have strong knowledge of Design & Technology and an understanding of what makes projects in these areas a good fit for Kickstarter.
- You have a demonstrated ability to collaborate and execute on strategic plans that get data-driven results.
- You have exceptional communication skills: adept at speaking and presenting to small and large groups, speaking to the press, and able to represent Kickstarter in a positive light at industry events.
- You have a strong sense of what makes projects within your categories of focus stand out — with the ability to assess quality, innovation, creativity, and clarity of presentation when reviewing a campaign independently.
- Bonus points if you are a creator within your categories of focus, an entrepreneur, and/or a Kickstarter creator.
- Bonus points if you have professional experience and connections within an area of potential for Kickstarter (i.e. a domain where we don't already have a strong audience).