Associate Creative Director

GALLO; Modesto (CA); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Employee wine shop

Hybrid work options

Job summary

GALLO is expanding its in-house creative team in Modesto. As an Associate Creative Director, you will lead hands-on craft while mobilizing a team to deliver brand identity, advertising, and multi-channel campaigns from concept to shelf-ready work.

You will direct designers and content creators, translate shopper insights into compelling visuals, present to senior stakeholders, and grow into broader brand-building responsibilities while ensuring timelines and budgets are met.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in graphic design, copywriting, art direction, or campaign development with growing responsibility.
• Portfolio showing brand identity and multi-channel work across clients.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing agency-style projects.

Responsibilities

• Direct creative direction for brand identity and multi-channel campaigns.
• Lead designers, copywriters, and external partners to deliver work on time and budget.
• Translate shopper insights into engaging visuals and messaging.
• Present concepts and defend ideas to senior stakeholders.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align brand strategy and execution.
• Expand responsibilities into broader brand-building activities over time.

Skills

Creative direction

Team leadership

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Client partnership

Education

Bachelor's degree in graphic design, fine arts, advertising, communications, or related field

High school diploma with significant experience

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft 365

Keynote

Workfront/Basecamp

Job description

Job Req ID: 107597

Job Type: Full-time

Work Category: Hybrid Telecommute,

Application Close Date: 10/30/2026

Sponsorship: Not Available

Compensation: $ 124,800 - $ 187,200

We are GALLO

We're a family-owned company with a 90+ year legacy, that's consistently recognized as a Glassdoor 'Best Places to Work.' We have 130+ brands in our total alcohol beverage portfolio including wine, malt, spirits, and ready-to-drink beverages. We're home to the #1 wine and spirits brands in the U.S. - Barefoot Wine & High Noon and are the official sponsors of the NFL, NHL, UFC, and PGA of America.

View our Corporate Values and Mission Statement here.

Location: Must be willing and able to be based in Modesto, CA (Requires 3 days/week onsite)

Gallo Creative in Modesto is growing a best-in-class internal agency, and our team takes brands from blank page to shelf-stopping presence, developing and renovating brand identities, defining the visual and verbal language that makes them distinct, and extending that identity with consistency across commerce, experiential, digital, and print.

As an Associate Creative Director, you'll be a key creative leader on that team, someone who's just as comfortable rolling up your sleeves and doing the work as you are mobilizing a team to get it done. You'll bring your own hands-on craft to the mix while helping guide the broader creative effort.

A Taste of What You'll Do

• Get hands-on with creative direction and execution on brand identity, commerce, or multi-channel projects, depending on where your strengths and the business need align
• Mobilize and direct designers, copywriters, and content creators — and manage external partners — to deliver standout work on time and on budget
• Turn shopper and consumer insights into creative that drives engagement, conversion, and loyalty
• Lead creative briefings and presentations, using sharp strategic rationale to influence decisions
• Partner with creative leadership and cross-functional teams to keep the team's work strategically sound and beautifully made
• Grow alongside the team, expanding into new parts of the brand-building process as you go

What You Bring

• A strong portfolio spanning brand identity, retail, or multi-channel creative — with the range to both make and lead great work
• Deep understanding of the shopper journey and how design influences it at every stage
• Experience directing creative teams and/or external partners, as well as contributing hands-on when needed
• Confidence presenting and defending ideas to senior stakeholders
• A sharp eye for detail and an even sharper drive for breakthrough ideas

Why Gallo Creative

You’ll join a team building brands end-to-end — with the range of an agency and the depth of partnership only an internal team can offer.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, fine arts, advertising, communications, and/or journalism plus 6 years of experience in graphic design, copywriting, art direction and/or campaign development reflecting increasing levels or responsibility; OR High school diploma or State-issued equivalency certificate plus 11 years of experience in graphic design, copywriting, art direction and/or campaign development reflecting increasing levels of responsibility.
• Original portfolio that contains a collection of commercial work across a variety of industries/client organizations and demonstrates a range of output, skills, and creative experience.
• Emerging balance in strength between copy and design aesthetic with experience successfully leading multi-media creative projects.
• Ability to partner effectively with clients and Client Partnership colleagues to develop innovative approaches to advance business objectives.
• Expertise developing and defining creative strategies, refining concepts from ideation through final execution in support of consumer, shopper, commerce, and online and in-person retail.
• Understanding of marketing and brand strategy, messaging, design, and production principles across all forms of media; skilled in color theory, typography and creating content for digital and social platforms.
• Experience working as part of a multi-functional marketing communications team to develop industry-leading creative output.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to successfully interact with and influence clients and decision makers.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through.
• Ability to succeed under pressure, managing multiple concurrent projects while shifting priorities and responding to changing business conditions and corresponding needs.
• Strong interpersonal skills, conflict-resolution, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience with Microsoft 365 productivity apps including Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Expertise with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, etc.), Keynote, and cloud-based project management systems/platforms, e.g. Workfront, Basecamp, etc.
• Required to travel to company offices, sites, and/or meeting locations for onboarding, training, meetings, and events for development, department needs, and business delivery up to 5% of the time, with or without reasonable accommodation. This may be in addition to travel requirements, if applicable, as listed in this job description.
• Required to be 18 years or older. This may be in addition to other age requirements, if applicable, as listed in this job description.

How You'll Stand Out

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, fine arts, advertising, communications, and/or journalism along with an exceptional portfolio plus 8 years of experience in graphic design, copywriting, art direction and/or campaign development reflecting increasing levels or responsibility.
• External agency experience driving creative solutions on behalf of assorted clients and global brands.
• Design experience in spirits, beer or beverage industry OR consumer-packaged goods; shopper, omni-commerce creative design, and/or package design with equally strong copy and design aesthetic.
• Experience contributing to business development initiatives and positively influencing growth objectives.

Our Benefits & Perks

We are committed to providing competitive compensation, perks, and a culture that supports your well-being. Benefits depend on your work category and may include medical and dental coverage, 401k plans, profit sharing, pet insurance, company holidays, access to an employee wine shop, and more! Additional information will be provided before your first interview.

The Fine Print

• The Company does not sponsor for employment-based visas for this position now or in the future.
• We offer a broad salary range to allow for long-term growth. Actual compensation paid within the range will be determined by multiple factors, including, but not limited to, education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, internal equity, and alignment with market data. Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed between the entry point and middle of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors. In addition to the salary, this position may be eligible for bonuses, incentive plans, or participate in tasting room tip pools, as applicable.
• This position will be based in the location(s) specified in the job posting with an option for occasional telecommuting. You will be expected to live within a commutable distance.
• It is the Company’s policy for job postings to be open to internal candidates for a minimum of 5 days and to external candidates, if applicable, for a minimum of 3 days.

Gallo's policy is to afford equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and not to discriminate on the basis of race, traits associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles (such as braids, locks, and twists), color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law (including cancer and predisposing genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation (actual or perceived), transgender status, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, reproductive health decision making, age, military or veteran status, domestic violence or sexual assault victim status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. Nor will Gallo discriminate based on a perception that an individual has any of the foregoing characteristics or is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics.

Gallo will comply with state and local laws prohibiting discrimination for lawful out-of-work behavior, such as off-duty use of cannabis away from the workplace (subject to federal and state law exceptions), the existence of non-psychoactive cannabis metabolites in hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids as determined by a drug screening test (subject to federal and state law exceptions).

We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gallo is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at 209.341.7000.

Gallo is enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program and will use the program to verify the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees as required.

E-Verify Notice

Right to Work

Employee Polygraph Protection Act

Family Medical Leave Act

USERRA Notice