Kickstarter is the leading crowdfunding platform for creative projects across film, games, music, art, design, and technology. Since our founding in 2009, our mission to help bring creative projects to life has been powered by the people behind the work.
Together, we’ve helped creators around the world launch creative projects that have generated billions of dollars in pledges. That same commitment extends inward. Rooted in shared values, Kickstarter invests in the growth and success of our team, treating employees as whole people and empowering them with the autonomy and space to participate in decisions that shape their work and our company.
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.
The salary for this role in the United States is $113,600.
Creator Engagement & Support- 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.
Event Strategy & Representation
- 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.
Strategic Outreach & Growth
- 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.
Product Adoption & Feedback Loop
- 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).
Our Fully Virtual Team
We’re currently able to support employees based in the following US locations: CA, CO, CT, GA, IL, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OR, SC, VA, VT, and WA. We're also able to support employees in the United Kingdom. If you live in—or are willing to move to—any of these locations, we look forward to your application! If there is a required or preferred location for an open role, it will be listed in the job description.
Kickstarter is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity, and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.
Reminder to applicants: Authentic communications from Kickstarter will always originate from official Kickstarter email domains (@kickstarter.com). Exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of anyone who claims to be representing Kickstarter on other platforms.
Please reach out to Kickstarter’s Help Center to report potentially fraudulent contact here: https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Skills Required
- At least 5 years of professional experience working in Design & Technology
- Network of connections within the Design & Technology community
- Strong knowledge of Design & Technology and ability to assess project fit for Kickstarter
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate and execute strategic, data-driven plans
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, including public speaking and media engagement
- Ability to evaluate quality, innovation, creativity, and clarity when reviewing campaigns
- Experience using a CRM to track interactions and adhere to SLAs
- Experience building partnerships, outreach strategies, and representing an organization at events
- Be a creator, entrepreneur, or Kickstarter creator (bonus)
- Professional experience and connections in a potential growth area for Kickstarter (bonus)
What We Do
Kickstarter’s mission is to help bring creative projects to life. We measure our success as a company by how well we achieve that mission, not by the size of our profits. That’s why we reincorporated Kickstarter as a Benefit Corporation in 2015. Benefit Corporations are for-profit companies that are obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders. Radically, positive impact on society becomes part of a Benefit Corporation’s legally defined goals. When a company becomes a Benefit Corporation, it can choose to make further commitments. In our charter, we spell out our mission, our values, and the commitments we have made to pursue them.
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