Creative Design & Quality Approval Manager (Character-related project - Creative Agency)

Key Responsibilities

1. Brand Compliance Assurance & Licensing Management:

• Lead the overall Brand Assurance process from creative orientation, design consultation, internal review, submission, feedback management, negotiation, to final approval.
• Act as a key point of contact between licensors, licensees, Licensing, Creative, and other cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment on creative direction, brand guidelines, timelines, and business objectives.
• Provide strategic guidance to licensees on how to effectively leverage licensed character assets while maintaining brand integrity.
• Review and approve creative concepts and artworks before submission to licensors, ensuring quality, consistency, and compliance with character guidelines.
• Lead discussions and negotiations when creative directions conflict with brand guidelines, balancing licensor requirements, licensee objectives, consumer relevance, and Vietnam market context.
• Oversee multiple projects and licensees simultaneously, ensuring priorities, timelines, and approval milestones are effectively managed.

2. Creative Leadership:

• Lead the creative direction and development of licensed character artworks across multiple projects and product categories.
• Ensure creative outputs effectively balance brand compliance, commercial objectives, creativity, and market relevance.
• Review creative work critically and provide clear, constructive direction to designers and external partners.
• Partner closely with Licensing and Brand Assurance teams to translate business and licensing requirements into effective creative solutions.
• Stay updated on design, entertainment, consumer, and character licensing trends to identify relevant creative opportunities.

3. Team & Project Management:

• Manage, prioritize, and allocate creative workloads across multiple projects based on business priorities and timelines.
• Lead, mentor, and develop junior and mid-level designers, providing creative direction, feedback, and professional development support.
• Establish and improve creative review and artwork approval processes to increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary revisions.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks or bottlenecks, and proactively drive solutions to ensure timely delivery.
• Set quality standards and ensure consistency across creative outputs and projects.

4. Cross-functional & Stakeholder Management:

• Work closely with Licensing, Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and external licensees to align creative execution with commercial objectives.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with international licensors and external creative/manufacturing partners.
• Lead complex discussions involving creative, commercial, and licensing considerations, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned toward practical solutions.
• Represent the Creative/Brand Assurance function in relevant project discussions and stakeholder meetings.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or above in Graphic Design, Branding, Marketing, Communications, Business, or related fields.
• 7+ years of relevant experience across Graphic Design, Brand Assurance, Brand Management, Creative Operations, Licensing, or Product Development, with proven experience taking ownership of projects or teams.
• Proven experience in creative leadership, brand guideline management, artwork approval, and stakeholder management.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating both creative capability and the ability to maintain brand consistency across multiple executions.
• Solid understanding of design principles, typography, layout, color, visual storytelling, and commercial design.
• Good knowledge of character licensing, brand guideline management, and artwork approval processes.
• Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and other relevant creative tools.
• Strong project and people management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Fluent English (written and spoken), with confidence in communicating and negotiating with international licensors and partners.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, proactive, commercially aware, and capable of making independent decisions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in character licensing, character, mascot, entertainment, consumer products, toys, publishing, branded merchandise, or IP-related businesses.
• Experience working directly with international licensors or global IP owners.
• Understanding of manufacturing and production processes for licensed consumer products.
• Experience with AI-assisted design, 3D modeling, motion graphics, or video production.
• Proven experience leading, mentoring, and developing creative teams.
• Experience establishing or improving creative / artwork approval workflows and processes.

Benefit:

• Full Insurance
• 13th-month salary + bonus depend on company result
• Review once a year.
• Monthly lunch/dinner
• Birthday holiday & present
• Company Trip abroad every year (December)
• Working in a dynamic, friendly & supportive environment where discussions & ideas are highly appreciated, differences are respected.
• Once employed after probation period, employee is receiving other benefits following Vietnam labor law.

Working hours: 9:00 – 18:00, Monday to Friday with 1.5 hours for lunch break

Please attach your Portfolio with your CV to apply for this position!