Associate Creative Director, Art

VML; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

401(k) matching

Medical, dental, vision

Generous paid time off

Job summary

VML in Chicago seeks an Associate Creative Director to lead and inspire a world-class creative team across digital and social platforms. You will own client projects, shape concepts, and mentor junior team members in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

We offer a hybrid work model and a comprehensive benefits package, with competitive compensation ranging from $75,000 to $180,000 USD annually, plus 401(k) matching and generous time off.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in a creative advertising agency.
• Portfolio featuring award-worthy work and mastery of craft.
• Strong working knowledge of visual design, art direction and creative process.
• Proven conceptual and campaign experience across broadcast, digital and social.
• Understanding of creative development from briefs to deliverables.
• Ability to prioritize work and manage timelines and budgets.
• Ability to direct and mentor junior team members.

Responsibilities

• Create and ideate innovative ideas across briefs, tactics, execution and conversations.
• Collaborate with ACD Copy and design team on campaigns and final deliverables.
• Set trends with strategic creative thinking across channels.
• Build and manage client relationships and present material in meetings.

Skills

Portfolio

Award-winning work

Visual design

Art direction

Campaign experience

Time management

Mentor juniors

Client relationships

Education

Experience in creative advertising agency

Job description

Who We Are

VML is a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. Guided by a Human First philosophy, VML is known for its innovative work for brands and consistently ranks among the world’s leading creative companies, including the WARC Creative 100. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel. For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

Who We Are Looking For

VML is seeking an Associate Creative Director to join our world class creative team: A next-level conceptual thinker and artist who knows all when it comes to creating work that demands attention across all digital and social platforms. You should be able to work and lead, owning an array of client projects. Excellent client relationship and presentation skills are expected. As ACD, you are an expert collaborator and are able to develop strong working relationships with other discipline leads on the team. You inspire team members to exceed expectations and you yourself strive to continually evolve and grow the brand’s connection and personality. You are constantly curious and seek innovative ways to apply your knowledge, pushing against the norms of traditional messaging and marketing.

What You’ll Do

• Create | Ideate constantly and be passionate about bringing innovative ideas to every brief, tactic, execution, and conversation. Capture brand voice in interactive marketing materials from conception to execution of final deliverables. Be the voice for your team.
• Collaborate | Partner with the ACD Copy and design team for the timely development and execution of campaigns and projects, including the concepting and execution of final deliverables.
• Set the Trends | Be an expert in doing it before it’s been done, know current trends and what’s next. Performs strategic and next-level creative thinking to create innovative solutions across multiple channels.
• Build Client Relationships | Partner and work with team to achieve results. Present creative material in both internal and client meetings. Participate in client presentations and manage client contact as necessary.

Who You Are

• A Builder | Forms relationships as a trustworthy and essential team lead across relevant markets, regions, and businesses. Easily recognized and trusted within the agency. Able to spin up creative input in brainstorming sessions.
• Creatively Brave | Passionate about the power of creativity with the knowledge to identify and nurture the best ideas. Adapts to solve clients’ challenges. Creates visuals for multichannel initiatives, presentations and other projects.
• Ambitious | Continuously re-imagines how to partner with clients to build better futures for their business; pro-actively seeks out new opportunities and lateral ideas to solve clients’ biggest business issues. You know what you like, what you’re after, and how to navigate any scenario that comes your way.
• Ego-less | We all wear the hats that need wearing- it’s a mentality that makes the team successful.

What You’ll Need

• Minimum 7 years of experience in a creative advertising agency.
• Portfolio featuring a wide range of award-worthy creative work that displays mastery of your craft.
• A strong working knowledge of visual design, art direction and the creative process.
• Proven conceptual and campaign experience; demonstrated success working on integrated campaigns that include broadcast, digital, social and everything in between.
• Solid understanding of creative development—from drafting briefs to executing deliverables.
• Strong ability to prioritize work and resources across engagements based on short and long-term need. Timelines, budgets, and availabilities change—we need someone who can roll with it.
• Ability to direct and mentor junior team members.
• Ability to handle a high-volume environment with rapid turnaround times and manage multiple tasks and project details.
• Practiced time management skills and a strong work ethic.

What We Offer

• Passionate, driven people | We champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work.
• Consciously cultivated culture | We aim to embody the behaviors to build an inclusive community that is in it together, bringing both positivity and active listening into the workplace as we simultaneously strive to empower creative bravery.
• Competitive benefits | What we offer full time hires ranges from the full spectrum of group health coverage options (medical, dental, vision) to a generous 401k match (100% dollar-for-dollar match, up to 5% of salary contribution), and a variety of paid time off offerings that reflect our investment in all aspects of your overall life balance and wellness.
• Growth-minded opportunities | We aim to nurture a culture of real-time feedback, growth-oriented mindset, and plenty of training opportunities through VML and WPP, so you can continue to grow personally and professionally.

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click WPP Benefits for more details.

$75,000—$180,000 USD

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.