Associate Creative Director/Copy

Esrock Partners; Burr Ridge (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health insurance

401(k) program with employer match

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

Esrock Partners is seeking an experienced Associate Creative Director in Burr Ridge, Illinois, to lead the creative team for B2B Foodservice initiatives. The ideal candidate will manage a team, develop impactful concepts, and maintain strategic relationships with clients.

This role offers a hybrid work model with three days on-site per week and a salary range of $100,000 to $125,000 annually, plus bonuses. Benefits include PTO, health insurance, 401(k) matching, and more.

Qualifications

• Ability to manage a creative team and guide decisions ethically.
• Must cultivate strong relationships with clients and partners.
• Competence in presenting and defending creative work effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative development using various tools to inspire target audiences.
• Manage team processes and ensure strategic alignment of creative work.
• Mentor junior creatives and cultivate a positive team environment.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship building

Conceptual thinking

Business acumen

Entrepreneurial mindset

Presentation skills

Resource management

Mentorship

Inspiration

Job description

Esrock Partners is seeking an experienced agency ACD/Copy, with B2B Foodservice expertise, to join our team.

About the Role

The primary role of an associate creative director is to lead and manage the creative development of concepts, using various forms and a variety of tools to communicate ideas that can inspire, inform, or influence a specific target(s) to engage with a product or service. In addition to the primary function, there are several other areas of responsibility that an associate art director needs to be comfortable with.

• Leadership: Ability to manage your assigned team, processes and procedures, and how the creative machine works. Provide leadership to the team by example of expertise, in best practices and guide ethical decisions.
• Relationships: Ability to cultivate strong strategic creative relationships with internal stakeholders, clients and outside strategic partners.
• Conceptual thinker: Ability to develop strategically sound, relevant and impactful ideas based on a well‑executed creative brief.
• Talk khaki: Ability to speak business and not just creative speak. You need to know the client’s business and industry ensuring all our creative work strategically aligns.
• Entrepreneurial: Ability to align client needs with agency services that provide results to clients and profitable business opportunities to the agency. Actively providing new solutions and ideas for additional new business from clients.
• Presenting and selling: Ability to be a master of meetings. Present, guide, and defend the ideas and work. Ability to read the room, own the room, and have a presence. Work gets done for most others in these meetings.
• Resourcing: Ability to balance workloads including how to get the work done, who is best to do it, by managing internal and external resources in order to balance that workload.
• Hustle: Ability to be ever‑present, pushing yourself and others, by being aggressive and a go‑getter. Know where the work is going, why, and how to use the creative process work to make the agency profitable.
• Mentor: Ability to provide thoughtful direction and advice to more inexperienced or junior creatives while not taking over ownership.
• Inspiration: Ability to find the positive in all the work we do. Approach each project with the same attention to detail and craftsmanship in order to deliver best‑in‑class creative solutions. Be a positive force for the team and the agency.

Additional Work Requirements

• This is an exempt, salaried position.
• Local candidates only. The required work schedule is hybrid, with three days on‑site per week.
• Occasional overtime may be required depending on workload and client needs.
• Occasional travel may be required.
• Physical demands may include standing for periods, walking, bending, or lifting up to 15 lb.
• The pay range for this role is $100,000 – $125,000 / year, with the opportunity for eligible employees to earn additional compensation through Esrock’s bonus program. Exact pay will be determined based on factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, experience, qualifications, certifications, geographic location, and business needs.
• Work models, including local, hybrid, and remote options, are considered based on agency discretion and the best‑qualified candidate for the role.
• Esrock provides a comprehensive benefits package to support the health and well‑being of our employees. Full‑time employees are eligible for paid time off, health, dental, vision, life, short‑term disability insurance, a 401(k) program with employer match, and flexible spending account (FSA) and dependent care FSA options.