Associate Director - Creative

Rocket Lab; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Careem is seeking an Associate Director of Creative to shape the visual direction of its brand across all platforms. This pivotal role involves overseeing a creative team, leading innovative design strategies, and driving impactful branding. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in art direction and a passion for creativity, alongside a track record of delivering compelling visual narratives.

Benefits

Unlimited vacation days

Work 4 days a week in office & 1 day from home

Healthcare benefits

Fitness reimbursements

Qualifications

• 10+ years in design and art direction roles, with 3 years in a senior capacity.
• Strong portfolio with world-class design and storytelling.
• Experience leading creative teams, ideally in in-house or top-tier agency.

Responsibilities

• Define and elevate Careem’s visual identity and design systems.
• Guide the look and feel of campaigns and set executional excellence standards.
• Lead and mentor a high-performing creative team.

Skills

Art direction

Design

Visual storytelling

Creative leadership

Brand building

Conceptual thinking

Digital marketing

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Figma

After Effects

AI platforms (e.g., Midjourney, Runway, Adobe Firefly)

Job description

Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East, making it easier than ever to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Careem is led by a powerful purpose to simplify and improve the lives of people and build an awesome organisation that inspires. Since 2012, Careem has created earnings for over 2.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of over 70 million customers, and built a platform for the region’s best talent to thrive and for entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. Careem operates in over 70 cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.

About the Role

Careem is looking for a visionary Associate Director of Creative to lead the visual direction of our brand across all platforms and services. This role sits at the heart of Careem’s in-house Creative Studio, overseeing a multi-disciplinary team of 15 creatives across design, brand, film, and motion.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on creative leader with deep expertise in art direction and design, a sharp eye for visual storytelling, and a track record of building impactful brand expressions. You’ll be responsible for shaping the visual identity of Careem’s masterbrand, our individual services, and championing high-impact branding work such as the Careem Foundation, and Captain branding – ensuring coherence, originality, and emotional resonance across all touchpoints.
A seasoned creative with a love for bold ideas and fresh concepts that elevate our brand and a dedication to producing creative work that truly stands out.

This is a unique opportunity to drive creativity, design and innovation at one of the region’s most beloved tech brands, and to pioneer the use of AI tools for scalable, high-quality content generation across the team.

What you’ll do

• Creative Leadership: Define and elevate Careem’s visual identity and design systems across all brands and services.
  
  
• Conceptual Thinking: Develop insight- and data-driven creative campaigns that deliver strong business results and stand alongside the best work on a global stage.
  
  
• Team Management: Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of designers, art directors, motion artists, and content creators.
  
  
• Art Direction: Guide the look and feel of campaigns and content across all our platforms, online and offline. Set a high bar for executional excellence.
  
  
• Design Oversight: Ensure all visual content aligns with Careem’s brand principles, from campaign key visuals to UI design and motion graphics.
  
  
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, marketing, comms, and growth teams to bring strategic initiatives to life through standout creative.
  
  
• AI Innovation: Champion the use of generative AI tools (e.g., image generation, video scripting, layout automation) to boost productivity and creative experimentation.
  
  
• Quality Control: Be the final eye on all creative work going out the door—ensuring quality, consistency, and impact across all channels.
  
  
• Brand Stewardship: Maintain and evolve the Careem brand in a way that is both globally consistent and locally relevant.
  
  

What you’ll need

• 10+ years of experience in design and art direction roles, with at least 3 years in a senior creative leadership capacity.
  
  
• Strong portfolio showcasing world-class design, 360 campaigns and storytelling across brand, digital, and film.
  
  
• Experience leading and scaling creative teams, ideally within an in-house studio or top-tier agency.
  
  
• Deep understanding of visual systems, typography, color theory, layout, and motion principles.
  
  
• Skilled in tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, After Effects, and emerging AI platforms (e.g., Midjourney, Runway, Adobe Firefly).
  
  
• Impeccable taste, attention to detail, and the ability to balance craft with scalability.
  
  
• Confident communicator and creative strategist, comfortable presenting to senior stakeholders.
  
  
• Passion for building brands that matter, and a belief in the power of creativity to drive culture and business growth.
  
  

Why Join Us?

Creative Studio at Careem

You’ll be joining Careem Creative Studio – our full service in house agency - home to some of the strongest creative talent in the region. We combine the culture, ambition, and craft of a top agency with the inside-track access and business proximity of an in-house team.

This unique setup means we don’t just make work that looks good – we make work that gets made, moves fast, and makes an impact. From brand launches to campaigns, content to experiences, we’re trusted to shape the visual identity and storytelling of one of the region’s most iconic tech brands.

We’ve been recognised with top honours including:

• Dubai Lynx Grand Prix, Gold, Silver, Bronze 2025
• Dubai Lynx Silver 2024
• Transform Awards Grand Prix, Gold, Silver 2024

If you’re passionate about bold creativity, smart design, and real impact – this is the place to do the best work of your career.

What we’ll provide you

We offer colleagues the opportunity to drive impact in the region while they learn and grow. As a full time Careem colleague, you will be able to:

• Work and learn from great minds by joining a community of inspiring colleagues.
• Put your passion to work in a purposeful organisation dedicated to creating impact in a region with a lot of untapped potential.
• Explore new opportunities to learn and grow every day.
• Work 4 days a week in office & 1 day from home, and remotely from any country in the world for 30 days a year with unlimited vacation days per year. (If you are in an individual contributor role in tech, you will have 2 office days a week and 3 to work from home.)
• Access to healthcare benefits and fitness reimbursements for health activities including gym, health club, and training classes.