Senior Art Director (12 month contract)

VML South Africa; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

VML South Africa is seeking a Senior Art Director to lead creative solutions for the luxury automotive brand Lincoln. This role demands creativity, strategic thinking, and collaboration across teams to deliver high-quality work that influences consumer behavior. If you have a passion for design and want to grow in a dynamic agency, we encourage you to apply.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience as an Art Director.
• Exceptional skills in MAC operating software.
• Knowledge of the automotive industry.

Responsibilities

• Deliver well-designed, strategic creative solutions for various mediums.
• Collaborate closely with accounts, creative, studio, and media teams.
• Lead or contribute to creative ideation and monitor project progress.

Skills

Creativity

Problem Solving

Collaboration

Strategic Thinking

Education

College/university diploma in design

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

MS Office

Job description

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

WHO IS HUDSON ROUGE?

Hudson Rouge is a luxury boutique marketing and communications agency that works solely on luxury brands as the exclusive agency of record for the Lincoln Automotive business across all channels. We combine brand strategy, media strategy, activation, digital, social, earned media, production, and analytics to provide exquisitely crafted creativity. We are a small group of people, spread across several offices; New York, Detroit, Shanghai, Toronto, Mexico City and we care for each other as much as we care for our client. We are an agency that prides itself on doing the un-usual and we also look for the unusual talent: people who are excited about doing their best work and want to grow with us.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Senior Art Director (12 month contract)

Could this be you?

Here’s a chance to work on one of the most recognizable luxury automotive brands in the world – Lincoln. The Senior Art Director must be able to bring creativity and a proactive approach to problem solving to all responsibilities. They must be ready to tackle assignments with a wide variety of challenges, and support the organization in ways that are frequently changing. Someone who thinks in terms of big picture and tells a story in different pieces through different mediums. Our ideal candidate is someone who displays passion and curiousity about new opportunities and techniques, and has solid experience in both traditional and digital.

You will….

• Be responsible for delivering well designed, strategic creative solutions for mediums both above and below the line
• Ensure all work is of the highest possible quality
• Maintain our commitment to changing consumer behaviour through disruptive ideas at all contact points
• Collaborate and work closely with accounts, creative, studio and media team members to understand all client business requirements
• Lead and/or contribute to creative ideation
• Participate in agency-client and new business activity as required
• Monitor or lead progress of assignments through each phase of development
• A demonstrated ability to expand thinking to integrated channels
• Knowledge of the automotive industry
• A knack for taking complex information and creating a simplified communication
• An insatiable curiosity about the industry and consumer trends
• Exceptional skills in MAC operating software (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma) and MS Office
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience as an Art Director
• A College/university diploma in design
• Must be able to travel within Canada and the U.S.A. if required to do so

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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