Creative Director

Michael Coleman Creative Services; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Coleman Creative Services in Chicago is seeking a Creative Director to join the leadership team. You will lead a 4-5 designer squad, managing an annual workflow of 2,000+ projects, and own performance management and team development.

Split time is roughly 60% people leadership and 40% hands-on creative work. This is a leadership role, not a pure design position, with a focus on mentorship, strategy, and delivering high-quality work for hospitality, healthcare, lifestyle and destination

Qualifications

• 3+ years leading or managing a design team.
• 8+ years as a designer, ideally at an agency.
• A portfolio that shows your creative work and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 4-5 designers and manage workflows and quality.
• Own performance management and career development for the team.
• Lead creative on complex projects and communicate with clients.
• Set expectations, priorities, and ensure timely delivery.
• Be the hub of communication between team, clients, and leadership.
• Mentor designers and foster collaboration and accountability.
• Translate client needs into actionable work and keep stakeholders informed.
• Drive utilization, project profitability, and key design metrics.

Skills

Team Leadership

Design Experience

Client Communication

Project Management

Job description

We're a small independent agency working with hospitality, healthcare, lifestyle, and destination brands. We make the kind of work that actually moves the needle, and we do it without layers of bureaucracy slowing things down.

What makes this place different is that it's built on trust and smart process. You work directly with the founder and leadership team. Decisions move quickly because you're in the room where they happen, not hearing about them secondhand. You have real input on how the agency grows, and you won't be asked to execute strategies you didn't help shape.

We're collaborative and care about what we're building together. The people here are talented and thoughtful, and we actually like working with each other. There's flexibility around how and when you work because we care more about the work than about looking busy. We value autonomy, so your perspective shapes how the team operates and how we approach the work.

The Role

We're looking for a Creative Director to join the leadership team of our small, founder-led agency alongside our Director of Agency Operations and Director of Digital and Content. Lead a team of 4-5 designers and manage how they operate — from handling an annual workflow of 2,000+ projects, to setting expectations around goals, accountability, collaboration, and quality. You'll own performance management and team development, lead creative on our most complex projects, and be the hub of communication between the team, clients, and leadership.

Your time will be split roughly 60% on team management, performance, and company leadership, and 40% on hands-on creative work. This is a leadership role, not a designer role with management duties added on. We have great designers. We're looking for someone who's genuinely energized by motivating, mentoring, and maximizing that team.

What You'll Own

• Own the execution of complex, high-stakes projects and campaigns from brief through delivery
• Manage project scopes, timelines, and deliverables; ensure quality and clarity at every stage
• Work directly with clients to understand their needs, set expectations, and communicate progress
• Manage client feedback and expectations; be the translator between client needs and team capability
• Mentor designers on complex work; ensure quality and consistency
• Lead the design team; set clear expectations around how we work, the quality we deliver, and how we collaborate
• Own performance management: goal-setting, feedback, career development
• Make decisions about project assignment, priorities, and team workflow
• Foster a collaborative team culture where communication and accountability are the norm
• Be the hub of communication between the team, clients, and leadership

Operations & Partnership

• Own team utilization, project profitability, and key metrics
• Manage project scoping, delivery, and quality
• Meet weekly with leadership; be the liaison between the team and company leadership
• Identify and solve blockers; improve how the team operates

What We're Looking For

Experience

• 3+ years leading or managing a design team
• 8+ years as a designer, ideally at an agency
• A portfolio that shows your creative work and leadership

Mindset

• You're a strong communicator and collaborator. You build trust across teams and with clients. You're comfortable being the person who clarifies expectations and translates between different needs
• You're excellent at client management — you can understand what they need, set realistic expectations, and keep them informed and aligned throughout a project
• You see yourself as part of the team. You're energized by collaboration and solving problems together
• You're an owner. You take accountability for project delivery and team performance, and you thrive when that's clear

Why This Role:

• Direct impact on clients
• You shape how clients experience the agency and the quality of work they receive
• Direct impact on the team
• You set the tone for collaboration, creativity, and the deliverables we design
• Real partnership
• You work closely with leadership on strategy and priorities; you're part of the decision-making
• Own the delivery
• You're accountable for project success and team performance. The work is yours to shape