Associate Creative Director, Art

M+C Saatchi UK; New York (NY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

M+C Saatchi UK is seeking an Associate Creative Director (Art Focus) to lead and shape our creative output. You will balance hands-on concepting with team leadership, mentoring designers and art directors, and partnering with copy, strategy, and account teams to deliver bold, visually stunning campaigns.

The role emphasizes leadership across digital, social, broadcast, and print, with responsibility for inspiring teams and driving exceptional visual storytelling. Strong portfolio required.

Qualifications

• 6–9 years of experience in art direction/design within an advertising agency or creative environment.
• Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns across multiple channels.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite; familiarity with Figma and Sketch.

Responsibilities

• Lead art direction and design vision across multiple accounts.
• Generate campaign concepts, mood boards, storyboards, style frames, and visual systems.
• Inspire and mentor junior and mid-level art directors/designers.
• Present concepts and design rationale to clients.
• Collaborate with copy, strategy, and production partners.

Skills

Art direction

Design

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Sketch

Presentation skills

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Sketch

Job description

About The Role

We are looking for an experienced Associate Creative Director (Art Focus) to help lead and shape the creative output of our agency. This role is for a seasoned art director ready to take on more leadership responsibility, while still staying close to the work. You’ll play a key role in developing bold concepts, refining visual storytelling, and mentoring design and art teams across a wide range of campaigns. As an ACD (Art), you’ll partner with copy leads, strategy, and account teams to deliver integrated ideas that are strategically sharp, visually stunning, and culturally resonant. You’ll balance hands-on concepting and design with team leadership, ensuring projects not only meet but exceed creative and client expectations.

Responsibilities

Creative Leadership

• Partner with Creative Directors to lead the art direction and design vision across multiple accounts.
• Drive the development of campaign concepts, mood boards, storyboards, style frames, and visual systems.
• Inspire and oversee junior and mid-level art directors/designers, elevating their craft and pushing for excellence.

Concepting & Execution

• Generate fresh, innovative ideas for integrated campaigns (digital, social, broadcast, experiential, print, OOH).
• Contribute hands-on art direction and design, ensuring craft and attention to detail in all deliverables.
• Direct photography, illustration, video shoots, and other production elements to ensure strong visual storytelling.

Collaboration

• Partner closely with copy-focused ACDs, strategists, and producers to develop unified campaign ideas.
• Work with account management to align creative solutions with client objectives and brand strategy.
• Collaborate with external production partners to execute campaigns at the highest level.

Client Partnership

• Confidently present creative concepts and design rationale to clients.
• Build trust with clients by providing thoughtful, strategic, and visually compelling solutions.

Team Development

• Mentor junior team members, providing constructive feedback and guidance.
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative, and design-driven creative culture.

About You

You’ll bring with you:

• 6-9 years of experience in art direction/design within an advertising agency or creative environment.
• Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns and design excellence across multiple channels.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and familiarity with design/prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch).
• Deep understanding of typography, layout, color, photography direction, and emerging design trends.
• Experience working across digital, social, and traditional media.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate creative ideas.
• Experience mentoring and providing creative direction to junior talent.

You're good at:

• A great communicator and excellent presenter
• A great listener, able to take in information, ask the right questions and quickly suss out what’s next
• Organized and detail-oriented. A self-starting multi-tasker that can handle the pressure of several assignments at once. Resourceful and inquisitive, able to independently chart a path to tackle an assignment
• Positive outlook and good people skills; a great team builder who team members and clients want to work with
• Travel may be necessary

What You’ll Get

We offer a competitive salary, a comprehensive employer subsidized benefits package which includes group medical, dental and vision coverage, Health Savings Account, 401k retirement plan with annual company match, employee wellness, commuter benefits and cellular phone allowance, generous paid time off and employee volunteer day to encourage social responsibility giving time to the non-profit, community service or charity of your choice. Salary is dependent on experience but ranges from: $175,000 - $190,000. All candidates must have the ability to work in the US; we are unable to sponsor any work visas for this role.

ABOUT M+C SAATCHI GROUP

https://mcsaatchi.com/

M+C Saatchi SSK as part of M+C Saatchi Group has pledged its commitment to create a company that values difference, with an inclusive culture. As part of this M+C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not and shall not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on merit, without regard for any personal characteristics.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please make us aware as part of your application.

All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).