At Cortland, we operate with a forward-thinking approach that challenges conventional norms and actively seeks insights beyond traditional industry boundaries. As a recognized leader in the multifamily sector, our focus on performance, innovation, and disciplined execution continues to drive strong growth and market leadership. We are committed to building a best-in-class organization by empowering top talent with the resources, autonomy, and support needed to deliver results and advance their careers in a high-performance environment.

Role Overview

As the Sr. Director of Creative Strategy & Services, you will lead and evolve Cortland’s brand expression across all touchpoints—shaping how residents and prospects experience our brand at every stage of their journey. This role blends creative vision, brand strategy, and operational excellence to deliver high-impact, scalable creative solutions that align with business priorities. Reporting to the CMO, you will own the brand creative strategy, direction and the in-house creative team — ensuring all expressions of Cortland are cohesive, emotionally resonant, and differentiated in the market.

Set Enterprise Brand Creative Strategy

• Define and execute a cohesive, enterprise-wide creative and brand strategy aligned with growth objectives
• Establish and evolve brand identity and visual systems across markets
• Translate business priorities into compelling creative solutions that drive demand
• Develop scalable brand standards and toolkits to ensure consistency

Lead Creative Execution

• Own creative direction across digital, social, print, video, and experiential channels
• Drive integrated storytelling across owned and paid media
• Guide content creation from concept through delivery with high standards
• Ensure strong and differentiated brand expression
• Direct the creative strategy across all owned and paid media as well as internal and external presentations.

Advance Technology, Analytics & Innovation

• Optimize creative operations, workflows, and production processes
• Lead the creative strategy and integration of AI and emerging tools to scale content and personalization
• Leverage performance data to refine creative effectiveness
• Partner with technology teams to align platforms and tools
• Foster innovation and leverage trends in creative technology, consumer experience design, and digital storytelling

Partner Across the Enterprise

• Collaborate with Community Marketing, Marketing Technology, Communications, Brand Strategy & Experience, HR, Investments and Operations leaders
• Partner with performance marketing to align brand and demand efforts
• Serve as a strategic advisor translating insights into creative direction

Deliver Experiential, Video & Content Excellence

• Oversee video production from concept through post-production
• Lead experiential and event creative for cohesive brand experiences
• Guide storytelling across formats to maximize engagement

Build & Lead High-Performing Teams

• Build and develop a high-performing in-house creative team
• Establish performance standards and operating rhythms
• Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, and innovation
• Manage agencies and external partners

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Marketing, Advertising, or related field
• 10+ years of creative, design or brand leadership experience
• Experience in consumer-facing industries (hospitality, retail, lifestyle preferred)
• Proven ability to build and scale creative teams
• Strong portfolio demonstrating brand systems and campaigns
• Experience with AI and emerging creative technologies
• Strong storytelling and communication skills
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders in a fast-paced environment

About Cortland

Founded in 2005, Cortland is an international, vertically integrated multifamily real estate investment, development, and management firm with a resident-centric approach to living experiences. Recognized as one of the top 10 multifamily owners and operators in the US, Cortland combines in-house design, construction, and operations to deliver value and innovation across its portfolio.

Join us as we reimagine apartment living and drive outsized returns through purpose, performance, and people.

Cortland is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud to support and celebrate diversity in the workplace. We are committed to equal consideration for all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you have a disability and need an accommodation or assistance with the application process and/or using our website, please email Careers@cortland.com

Cortland is a drug-free workplace.

Cortland participates in e-verify to verify the employment status of all persons hired to work in the United States.

California Applicant Privacy Notice

We collect personal information from all job applicants, including identifiers (e.g., name, contact details), professional or employment information (e.g., résumé, work history, qualifications), and education information. This information is used for recruiting, evaluating your candidacy, conducting interviews, and managing the application process.

California residents may request access to or deletion of their personal information by contacting us at careers@cortland.com

GDPR Statement

When you apply to a job on this site, the personal data contained in your application will be collected by Cortland (“Controller”), which is located at 3424 Peachtree RD NE Suite 300 Atlanta, GA and can be contacted by emailing careers@cortland.com because Controller wishes to evaluate your candidacy for employment at Controller. Your personal data was either obtained from publicly available sources (e.g. LinkedIn) or provided to Controller by someone who referred you for potential employment. Controller’s data protection officer is Greg Shultz, who can be contacted at Greg.Shultz@cortland.com. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing Controller’s recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes. Such processing is legally permissible under Art. 6(1)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) as necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Controller, which are the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of applicants for employment.

Your personal data has been shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by Controller to help manage its recruitment and hiring process on Controller’s behalf. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data has been transferred to the United States. Because the European Union Commission has determined that United States data privacy laws do not ensure an adequate level of protection for personal data collected from EU data subjects, the transfer was subject to appropriate additional safeguards under [either the standard contractual clauses or the Privacy Shield]. You can obtain a copy of the standard contractual clauses by contacting us at careers@cortland.com

Your personal data will be retained by Controller as long as Controller determines it is necessary to evaluate your application for employment. Under the GDPR, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have to right to data portability. In addition, you may lodge a complaint with an EU supervisory authority.