Associate Creative Director

JOLYN; Huntington Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

JOLYN, Huntington Beach, CA, is seeking an Associate Creative Director to drive the brand's visual identity across channels. The role focuses on graphic direction, photography/video style, and partnerships with marketing to create cohesive experiences.

The ideal candidate has 6+ years in fashion/athletic branding, strong Illustrator/Photoshop skills, and leadership experience guiding a creative team in a hybrid office environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in graphic design or graphic communications.
• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in apparel, athletic or lifestyle brands.
• Strong skills in Illustrator and Photoshop; experience with planning apps like Asana.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Brand Director to evolve and uphold JOLYN's brand identity across customer touchpoints.
• Define creative direction for graphic design, photography, video, styling and art direction across channels.
• Lead the creative development of campaigns, product launches, and marketing initiatives from concept to delivery.
• Oversee photo and video productions, briefs, casting, shot lists, and final asset approvals.
• Maintain brand standards and style guides across internal and partner teams.

Skills

Leadership

Brand identity

Multi-channel campaigns

Education

BFA or BA in Graphic Design or Graphic Communications

Tools

Illustrator

Photoshop

Asana

Job description

Over a decade ago, we reinvented women’s competitive swimwear, making it better fitting, more durable and as unique as the women who inspired us. With our heritage of designing high-performance swimwear for world class athletes, we now make a range of sustainable swimwear that fits comfortably, stays put, and will last for years to come.

As we move into new product categories and sales channels, we seek an innovative, experienced and hands‑on Associate Creative Director to drive the brand’s visual identity including graphic direction and photography/video style for multi-channel campaigns that touch all areas of the customer experience. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader with experience working for multi‑channel fashion/athletic brands. This role will report to the Brand Director.

Location: Huntington Beach, CA 92649

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Details: This is a hybrid role. Must be available to work in our Huntington Beach, CA office at least 2 days per week.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Partner with the Brand Director to evolve and uphold JOLYN's brand identity, ensuring visual expression, brand voice, and creative execution are consistently aligned with the company's strategic vision across every customer touchpoint.
• Drive and evolve JOLYN's visual identity by defining the creative direction for graphic design, photography, video, styling, and art direction across e-commerce, retail, email, paid media, social, wholesale, and other brand experiences.
• Lead the creative development and art direction of seasonal campaigns, product launches, brand partnerships, and key marketing initiatives from concept through final execution.
• Oversee all photo and video productions, including creative briefs, casting, styling, shot lists, on-set art direction, and final asset approvals.
• Establish and maintain brand standards, creative systems, and style guides that ensure consistency across internal teams, retail partners, external vendors, and all customer‑facing channels.
• Inspire, mentor, and manage the creative team, fostering a collaborative, high‑performing environment while providing clear creative direction, thoughtful feedback, and opportunities for professional growth.
• Lead the creative team's workflow and production pipeline by managing project intake, prioritization, resource allocation, and timelines through Asana. Balance workloads across the Senior Graphic Designer and Graphic Designers to ensure efficient execution and on‑time delivery.
• Manage creative production budgets, project timelines, and resource allocation for photoshoots, campaigns, and creative initiatives, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to JOLYN's quality standards.
• Review and approve creative work across all channels, ensuring every asset meets JOLYN's brand standards while supporting business and performance marketing objectives.
• Support the Creative Producer in managing relationships with photographers, videographers, stylists, agencies, freelancers, and production partners to ensure seamless creative execution.
• Collaborate with the Brand Director and Marketing team to concept, develop, and optimize high‑performing creative that communicates product benefits, reinforces JOLYN's unique brand DNA, resonates with new and existing customers, and drives customer acquisition and revenue growth.
• Champion innovation by staying ahead of trends in design, fashion, sport, photography, and digital content, bringing fresh creative ideas that keep JOLYN distinctive and culturally relevant.
• Maintain a positive work climate and an environment based on trust, diversity, and inclusion within the team.
• Foster and communicate the values that support the mission and objectives of JOLYN.
• Ad hoc projects and other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

• BFA or BA Degree in Graphic Design or Graphic Communications.
• Minimum 6 years’ relevant experience, preferably with apparel, athletic or lifestyle brands.
• Excellent Illustrator and Photoshop skills as well as planning applications such as Asana.
• Innovative, highly creative, self‑motivated, organized and detail‑oriented with experience in developing creative for multi‑channel brands.
• Experience in integrated marketing and ability to flex between creative strategy, design, concepting, and production.
• Experienced in developing campaign themes and supporting with photography and video assets both lifestyle and in studio.

Job Details: This is a hybrid role. Must be available to work in our Huntington Beach, CA office at least 2 days per week and be available to travel to offsite photoshoots.

Salary Range: The anticipated base salary range for this role is $120,000-$135,000 depending on factors such as a candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, and competencies.

JOLYN is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity on our team. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.