Junior Art Director

M&C Saatchi; Dubai; Hybrid; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A creative agency in the UAE is seeking a Junior Art Director with a strong visual eye and solid design fundamentals to join their Dubai office. The role involves collaborating with a Junior Copywriter and designing layouts across various channels. Candidates should have 0-2 years of experience, a strong portfolio, and skills in Adobe Photoshop. The agency offers a competitive salary, flexible working options, and a focus on professional development.

Benefits

23 days annual holiday

10 days of working from anywhere

Private healthcare plan

Mentoring programme

Generous training budgets

Qualifications

• 0–2 years’ experience in an agency or creative studio.
• A portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking and visual craft.
• Strong fundamentals in layout, typography, and composition.

Responsibilities

• Concept and develop ideas alongside a Junior Copywriter.
• Translate ideas into clear visual directions and executions.
• Design layouts and visuals across digital, social, print, film, and experiential channels.

Skills

Visual design fundamentals

Strong Photoshop skills

Conceptual thinking

Collaborative mindset

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

AI tools for ideation

Job description

Location: Dubai
Reporting to: Associate Creative Directors (ACDs) and Creative Directors (CDs)
Working model: Primarily in‑office, with some flexibility for remote work

The role

We’re looking for a Junior Art Director with a strong visual eye, solid design fundamentals, and an interest in culture, and ideas first—not just execution. You’ll work closely with a Junior Copywriter as part of a creative team, developing and bringing ideas to life across a wide range of brands, including lifestyle, sport, technology, finance, food, and real estate.

You’ll be based in our Dubai office, working mostly alongside the team, with some flexibility for remote work. You’ll receive hands‑on guidance from ACDs and CDs, with a focus on building your skills, confidence, and creative judgement.

What you’ll do

• Concept and develop ideas alongside a Junior Copywriter
• Translate ideas into clear visual directions and executions
• Design layouts and visuals across digital, social, print, film, and experiential channels
• Create, manipulate, and adapt imagery using Adobe Photoshop
• Build mood boards, visual references, and presentation materials
• Take feedback onboard and iterate efficiently

What we’re looking for

• 0–2 years’ experience in an agency or creative studio
• A portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking and visual craft
• Strong fundamentals in layout, typography, and composition
• Strong Photoshop skills as a core part of your workflow
• Experience using AI tools for ideation, visual exploration, or image creation
• A collaborative mindset and openness to learning

What We Offer

For the right team member, we will offer a competitive salary and benefits package which includes;

• Great holidays: 23 days annual holiday, plus birthday day off.
• Great flexibility: 4 days in office and Friday WFH, plus 10 days of working from anywhere in the world.
• Great benefits: private healthcare plan and perks.
• Great professional development: a mentoring programme at global level and generous training budgets to support your career pathway, and
• Great fun: a blended working culture and celebration days to socialise, bond and learn together.

About Us

We were born out of the need for strategic and brutally effective creativity in the region. With every successful campaign, we have grown, and cherry‑picked the best professionals to work with us from all over the region and the world. In 2012, we opened our Abu Dhabi office and expanded our team with our Dubai office in 2016 and then our Riyadh office in 2023. From these offices we manage a number of local and global brands across the Middle East and Europe. Brutal Simplicity of Thought is the creative philosophy of M+C Saatchi. It defines the way we work and the work we produce. We believe: "It’s easier to complicate than simplify. Simple ideas enter the brain quicker and stay there longer. Brutal Simplicity of Thought is therefore a painful necessity."

About M+C Saatchi Group

M+C Saatchi Group is a creative federation of companies who navigate, create, and lead meaningful change for clients across five specialist divisions connected through people, culture, data, technology and creativity, M+C Saatchi Group aims to unlock new value for clients and leave a positive impact on the world. M+C Saatchi Group’s work is informed by two core principles - Brutal Simplicity of Thought and Diversity of Thought. Together they guide how problems are solved and integrated specialist teams are built. Headquartered in London, M+C Saatchi Group have circa 2,500 employees globally. Our global operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia.