Associate Creative Director - Community Agency

Bilinguallink; Toronto; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rooftop deck. Fully furnished.

Job summary

Community is a Toronto-based creative lifestyle agency seeking an experienced Associate Creative Director to lead integrated campaigns, inspire teams, and shape the creative direction for client work across branding, digital, social, experiential, and content.

The role combines strategic thinking with hands-on creation, presenting to clients, refining work, and driving business results while fostering culture and collaboration. Office at 822 Richmond St. W., Toronto, full-time.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years in a creative, advertising or integrated marketing agency.
• Experience leading creative teams and mentoring multidisciplinary talent.
• Proven track record presenting and selling creative work to clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative development from brief through execution across multiple client accounts.
• Develop integrated campaigns across advertising, digital, social, experiential, and branding.
• Provide clear creative direction and elevate craft and processes agency-wide.
• Mentor designers and writers and collaborate with strategy and account teams.
• Participate in new business pitches and agency growth initiatives.

Skills

Creative leadership

Strategic thinking

Branding

Campaign development

Mentoring

Presentation skills

Team leadership

Collaboration

Cultural awareness

Job description

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Community is a creative lifestyle communications agency driven by bold ideas, strong strategy, and a deep connection to culture. We create work that stands out and shows up in the moments, spaces, and experiences that people care about.

Our team thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where creativity, curiosity, and energy come together to produce impactful results. We value people who think differently, move quickly, and bring a positive, fun approach to everything they do.

At Community, we believe great work happens when talented people push boundaries, support each other, and enjoy the ride.

Community is looking for an experienced Associate Creative Director to join our creative crew!

Position Overview

This is a hands-on creative leadership role for someone who has built their career within an agency environment and is ready to lead integrated campaigns, inspire teams, and shape the creative direction of client business.

As Associate Creative Director, you will lead creative development from brief through execution, partner closely with strategy and account teams, mentor designers and writers, and help elevate the creative output of the agency across branding, advertising, digital, social, experiential, and content.

The ideal candidate is both a strategic thinker and a creator at heart. They are comfortable leading teams, presenting to clients, refining creative work, and contributing directly to the development of ideas that drive business results and cultural relevance.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Leadership

• Lead creative development from brief through execution across multiple client accounts
• Develop integrated campaigns spanning advertising, digital, social, experiential, retail, and brand identity
• Champion creative excellence and maintain high standards of craft throughout the creative process
• Provide clear, constructive creative direction that elevates both the work and the people creating it
• Help shape creative processes, workflows, and agency-wide creative culture

Campaign Development & Execution

• Translate strategic insights into compelling creative concepts and campaigns
• Oversee creative execution across multiple channels and touchpoints
• Ensure concepts remain strong and cohesive throughout production and delivery
• Balance multiple projects and competing priorities while maintaining quality and deadlines
• Collaborate closely with production teams and external partners to bring ideas to life

Client & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships with strategy, account, experiential, production, and marketing teams
• Present creative concepts and recommendations to clients with confidence and clarity
• Communicate strategic thinking, creative rationale, and campaign objectives effectively
• Navigate client feedback while protecting the integrity of the creative work
• Foster alignment across teams to ensure successful project delivery

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor and support designers, writers, and emerging creative talent
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and opportunities for professional growth
• Create an environment where collaboration, creativity, and accountability can thrive
• Lead by example through active participation in creative development and execution
• Support talent development and help build high-performing creative teams

Agency Growth

• Participate in new business pitches and agency growth initiatives
• Contribute to thought leadership, innovation, and creative inspiration across the agency
• Stay current on design, culture, technology, consumer behaviour, and emerging trends
• Identify opportunities to enhance creative offerings and elevate agency capabilities

Qualifications

Experience:

• 7-10+ years of experience within a creative, advertising, integrated marketing, branding, or communications agency environment
• Proven experience developing integrated campaigns across multiple channels and platforms
• Experience leading creative teams and mentoring designers, writers, or multidisciplinary creative talent
• Demonstrated success presenting and selling creative work to clients and stakeholders
• Strong understanding of production across digital, social, print, content, and experiential channels
• Experience contributing to business development, pitches, or agency growth initiatives

Skills:

• Strong conceptual thinking and creative problem-solving abilities
• Expertise in either art direction/design or copywriting, with an appreciation for multidisciplinary collaboration
• Exceptional presentation, storytelling, and communication skills
• Ability to balance creative ambition with business objectives and client goals
• Skilled at leading creative teams through ambiguity, feedback, and revision
• Strong organizational and project management capabilities
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Passion for innovation, culture, design, and emerging creative trends

Nice to Have

• Experience developing brand platforms and visual identity systems
• Retail, hospitality, lifestyle, or real estate marketing experience
• Experience leading experiential campaigns and activations
• Familiarity with motion design, AI-assisted creative workflows, or emerging technologies
• Industry recognition through award-winning work or notable creative achievements

Who You Are

• A creative leader who knows how to turn insights into ideas and ideas into impactful campaigns.
• A strong collaborator who brings out the best in talented people and teams.
• Equally comfortable brainstorming on a whiteboard, refining creative work, and presenting in a boardroom.
• Curious, culturally connected, and always looking for opportunities to push ideas further.
• A mentor who believes great leadership is about developing people, not simply directing them.
• Calm under pressure and capable of maintaining creative excellence while balancing multiple priorities.
• Someone who thrives in an agency environment and enjoys the pace, energy, and unpredictability that comes with it.

Community thrives on real-time collaboration, shared energy, and the kind of spontaneous creativity that happens when people are together. As such, this role is based full-time in our office at 822 Richmond St. W, Toronto, Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.

Salary: The anticipated base compensation range for this role is $95,000 - $115,000.

Why Work at Community?

• A culture that’s creative, collaborative, and unapologetically bold
• The opportunity to shape national, culture-defining campaigns and experiences
• Autonomy, trust, and the ability to make a meaningful creative impact
• Work alongside a talented multidisciplinary team passionate about great ideas
• Learn from top talent while helping ambitious brands move at the speed of culture
• Rooftop deck. Fully furnished. Enough said.