Associate Creative Director

About the Role
The Associate Creative Director (art) is pivotal in developing creative concepts within the agency, collaborating with copywriters and designers to construct cohesive and effective campaigns. Focusing on visual design and art direction, this role ensures that all visual elements align with the overarching creative strategy and effectively convey the intended message to the target audience. Serving closely alongside the Creative Director, the Associate Creative Director also assumes a managerial role, mentoring art directors and designers and overseeing the production of visual campaign elements to maintain high standards of execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative work by assigning teams and inspiring them to produce exceptional concepts and final work.
• Collaborate with account management to ensure client satisfaction with the quality of creative work.
• Address performance, workflow, and quality issues alongside the Creative Director and develop long-range plans for the team.
• Develop and review creative briefs that provide strategic insights and creative inspiration.
• Cultivate a culture of creative quality and accountability, ensuring deliverables meet clients’ expectations and internal standards of excellence.
• Train new employees on responsibilities and agency procedures to support their professional growth.
• Manage a book of business, maximizing productivity and quality from the creative staff.
• Ensure creative presentations to clients uphold the highest professional standards.
• Conceptualize and create experience design solutions that align with client objectives.
• Lead the creative efforts on new business assignments as needed.
• Ideate, write, and execute original creative concepts in response to client briefs and objectives.
• Manage multiple projects from concept through completion, collaborating with in-house resources and third-party vendors.
• Provide leadership and professional development for department staff, mentoring and training team members, writing performance reviews, and setting KPIs.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of agency experience with a strong background in Art.
• Proven track record of conceptual creative ability and sound judgment.
• Successful client contact experience with an ability to organically grow business.
• Excellent collaborative skills with account management teams.
• Exceptional presentation skills.
• Experience managing creative teams effectively.
• Commitment to work extra hours when necessary to ensure client satisfaction.
• Demonstrated experience in events (client/brand).
• Strong understanding of consumer behaviors and industry trends.

People & Leadership

• Seek feedback to develop self-awareness and address development areas.
• Communicate confidently in a clear and articulate manner.
• Collaborate with stakeholders in an inclusive manner and engage personally with peers and clients.
• Proactively tackle problems and develop contingency plans for resolution.
• Build trust with peers, clients, and stakeholders, fostering effective collaboration.

Innovative & Analytical Mindset

• Develop, evaluate, and direct creative concepts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Effectively communicate creative strategies to clients and internal teams.
• Set high creative standards, consistently contributing to work recognized for its strategic value and uniqueness.
• Showcase expertise in the outdoor industry to enhance team capabilities.
• Extend client relationships while exploring new ways to deliver value.

Self

• Own actions and face consequences maturely.
• Showcase resilience and maintain a positive outlook in challenging situations.
• Approach ideas with curiosity, demonstrating flexibility and an openness to new methods.
• Strive to exceed performance objectives while taking ownership of personal growth and development.