Associate Creative Director

twentysix; Hilversum; On-site; EUR 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Monks is seeking an Associate Creative Director who blends strategic leadership with hands-on UI design to drive immersive campaigns and digital brand platforms for a global sports brand. You will guide cross-disciplinary teams, shape user journeys, and leverage AI tools to accelerate ideation and prototyping.

You will stay hands-on in Figma, mentoring designers, and aligning design decisions with business objectives while delivering high-impact experiences across content ecosystems and tools.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in digital design or creative leadership at an agency, studio, or in-house team
• Mastery of digital design fundamentals and fluency in Figma and modern tooling
• Experience designing marketing sites, brand platforms, content ecosystems, products, and tools with in-market performance
• Hands-on practice with AI tooling across image, video, copy, code, and prototyping with good judgment

Responsibilities

• Shape the creative vision for large-scale, long-term solutions across immersive campaigns and brand platforms
• Stay hands-on in Figma to shape screens, components, and systems
• Translate brand strategy into user journeys, flows and motion
• Lead cross-disciplinary teams while protecting the central idea from kickoff to launch
• Mentor designers and creatives with direction and feedback
• Build strong client relationships by listening to challenges and substantiating work with evidence

Skills

Creative leadership

UI design

AI fluency

Communication

Mentoring

Figma

Tools

Figma

HTML/CSS basic

Job description

About the Role

As an Associate Creative Director, you’ll serve as a hybrid creative leader for an iconic global sports brand, acting as both a sharp conceptual thinker and an exceptional UI designer in one. You will move comfortably across the spectrum from immersive, idea‑led campaigns to digital platforms and ecosystems where practical design thinking carries the weight. We are looking for someone who is passionate about seeking new opportunities to create impactful work.

Responsibilities

• Shape the creative vision for large‑scale, long‑term solutions, from immersive campaign sites to brand platforms, content ecosystems, products, and tools.
• Design at the highest level by staying hands‑on in Figma to shape screens, components, and systems.
• Translate brand strategy and business objectives into functional user journeys, flows, states, and motion.
• Use AI fluently across the creative process for ideation, image creation, motion, voice, code, and prototyping.
• Move from sketches to working prototypes quickly using Figma, code, AI tools, and rapid‑build environments.
• Look beyond the core product to fuse the full ecosystem of content, campaigns, and related technologies into a seamless brand experience.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams across art direction, copy, and design while protecting the central idea from kickoff to launch.
• Mentor designers and creatives by providing the direction, feedback, and room they need to grow.
• Build lasting relationships with the client, listening to their challenges and substantiating the work with both heart and proof.

About You

• Experience: Around 7+ years for ACD, or 9+ years for CD, in digital design or creative leadership at an agency, studio, or in‑house team. A portfolio showing both campaign‑led concept work and platform‑led web/product work.
• UI Craft: Mastery of digital design fundamentals (typography, grid, hierarchy, layout, color, motion) and fluency in Figma and modern design tooling.
• Platforms & Ecosystems: Proven experience designing marketing sites, brand platforms, content ecosystems, configurators, products, and tools that have performed in‑market.
• AI Fluency: Hands‑on practice with AI tooling across image, video, copy, code, and prototyping, with clear judgment on when to use it.
• Range & Curiosity: Ability to stretch from immersive campaigns to performance‑led ecosystems, backed by a broad interest in culture, art, and internet trends.
• Leadership & Confidence: Ability to lead with clarity and care, mentor without ego, align teams, and comfortably present a vision to clients.
• Communication: Sharp written and verbal communication skills with the ability to write clear design rationale and win the room.
• Inclusivity & Dedication: Respectful collaboration across disciplines, cultures, and time zones, with a balanced passion for the craft.
• Passion: A strong passion for sports and youth culture.

Not a must, but a plus

• Code literacy (HTML/CSS, or comfort with engineering handoff).
• Motion direction or 3D/WebGL exposure.
• Experience leading work that integrates AI as a user‑facing feature.

At Monks, we believe in fostering an environment where a diversity of perspectives can thrive. We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage qualified applicants, from all backgrounds, who are excited to contribute to our mission.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us.