Assistant Vice President, Global Creative Director, Color Wow DMI

L'Oréal USA; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

L'Oréal USA - Professional Products Division in New York, NY, is seeking an AVP, Creative Director to lead the visual and conceptual identity of Color Wow. This is not an agency role; you will co-create with marketing and digital partners, sharing P&L and an equal seat at the table.

In this hybrid environment, you will guide the work of three, partner with Brand Presidents and senior stakeholders, and navigate high-pressure decisions while defending bold creative ideas.

Qualifications

• Matrixed leadership in a complex corporate structure.
• Business collaborator with growth/performance fluency.
• Battle-tested manager with people leadership experience.
• Multi-hyphenate thinker fluent in brand platforms and production at scale.
• Cultural scout with understanding of beauty, fashion, music and internet subcultures.

Responsibilities

• Navigating third-round concept revisions to sharpen the work.
• Defending a creative stance to a Brand President while integrating pushback.
• Providing direct, clear feedback and coaching to a report with accountability.

Skills

Matrixed leadership

Business collaboration

People leadership

Brand & production fluency

Cultural awareness

Job description

AVP, Creative Director - Color Wow

L'Oreal USA - Professional Products Division | New York, NY (Hybrid)

The Role

We are seeking an AVP, Creative Director to lead the visual and conceptual identity of Color Wow, a brand with immense cultural ambition and distinct architectural needs. This is not an agency role; you will not "pitch" to a client. Instead, you will co-create alongside marketing and digital partners, sharing a P&L and an equal seat at the table.

In our global organization, ideas navigate complex layers of executive review before reaching the market. Success here requires a rare hybrid of conceptual brilliance and "organizational fitness": the ability to build deep trust with non-creative peers while defending the integrity of an edgy idea.

The Operating Environment

You will lead a team of three as the senior creative voice across the brand.

You will partner directly with Brand Presidents and senior stakeholders. Decisions here are high-pressure, non-linear, and rarely made by a single person. If that complexity energizes you, you'll thrive.

Who This Role Is For

• A Matrixed Leader: You have led creative teams within a complex corporate structure. You understand that "The Process" is not an obstacle to the craft. It is the craft.
• A Business Collaborator: You treat marketing partners as co-conspirators, not clients. You speak the language of growth and performance, using that fluency to strengthen your creative positions.
• A Battle-Tested Manager: You have real "reps" in people leadership. You've mastered the art of the hard conversation, made exit calls, and coached high-potential talent through difficult seasons without becoming a bottleneck.
• A Multi-Hyphenate Thinker: You are equally fluent in 30,000-foot brand platforms and the granular realities of production at scale.
• A Cultural Scout: You have a working understanding of how beauty, music, fashion, and internet subcultures intersect. You know which trends are signals and which are just noise.

What the Work Actually Looks Like

In place of a generic list of duties, here are the situations you will navigate weekly. If these scenarios sound like a welcome challenge, you are the right candidate:

• Navigating Revisions: Guiding a partner through a third round of concept revisions so the work comes out sharper, not flatter.
• The "Presidential" Room: Defending a creative stance to a Brand President while genuinely integrating their pushback. You know when to pivot and when to hold the line.
• Direct Feedback: Giving in-the-moment, "kind-but-clear" feedback to a direct report whose work is missing the mark, and following through with accountability if it doesn't improve.