Creative Director

tms; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Paid time off

Job summary

tms is seeking a Creative Director (Art) to lead visual storytelling and brand experiences for two dynamic CPG brands in food, beauty, and home. You will guide a multidisciplinary team, shaping concepts from ideation through execution, and partner with senior leadership to elevate craft and strategy.

The role requires 10+ years of experience, a strong art and design background, and a hands-on, collaborative approach.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in art direction / creative development with strong visual craft and brand storytelling.
• Strong typography, composition, color, imagery, layout, visual identity.
• Proven experience developing consumer-facing brands across touchpoints.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud and design software.
• Experience directing photo/video production and on-set styling.
• Excellent presentation and client-facing communication.
• Mentors and fosters growth within multidisciplinary teams.
• Able to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Collaborative with senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Shape, develop, and elevate creative across multiple brand touchpoints.
• Lead and guide a team of art directors, copywriters, and designers.
• Oversee PDPs, digital, social, retail, and integrated marketing materials.
• Develop art direction for photo and video shoots and on-set execution.
• Present concepts and recommendations to clients and stakeholders.
• Maintain high-quality craft and ensure brand consistency across work.

Skills

Art direction

Brand storytelling

Team leadership

Creative guidance

Design critique

Typography

Concept development

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Presentation skills

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Figma

PowerPoint

Job description

About Us

tms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world’s leading brands. With more than 1,400 employees across 28 countries., we offer an impressive range of solutions – from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery.

About Us

tms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world’s leading brands. With more than 1,400 employees across 28 countries., we offer an impressive range of solutions – from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery. Operating as a creative agency, a strategic consultancy, a sourcing business, and a technology provider, we engage with over 110 million customers every single day for our clients, including McDonald’s, T-Mobile, O2, Starbucks, and adidas. Most importantly, we're a place where you can achieve great things, and be recognized as the best. tms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world’s leading brands. With more than 1,400 employees across 28 countries., we offer an impressive range of solutions – from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery. Operating as a creative agency, a strategic consultancy, a sourcing business, and a technology provider, we engage with over 110 million customers every single day for our clients, including McDonald’s, T-Mobile, O2, Starbucks, and adidas. Most importantly, we're a place where you can achieve great things, and be recognized as the best.

What Matters The Most

Breakthrough, business-driving ideas come from extraordinary people with the freedom to be their most authentic selves at work. Authenticity and diversity are critical elements of our business. They can only be realized when we create access and equity for all. We foster a culture of inclusion and belonging and aspire to be ever-evolving. tms is a place where brilliant people are better together. If you want your ideas to be heard and to contribute to a culture of inclusion and authenticity, bring us your voice! Visit us at tmsw.com.

WHY WE THINK YOU WILL LOVE THIS ROLE

Do you love turning big ideas into distinctive brand worlds? Are you passionate about visual storytelling, thoughtful design, and creating work that makes people stop, look, and feel something? Do you thrive on pushing creative thinking forward while staying close to the craft? Then this might be the perfect gig for you. Today, we’re looking for a Creative Director (Art) to join our rapidly growing team at tms. With a strong art and design background, a sharp creative instinct, and a passion for making great work, you’ll partner closely with the SVP, Group Creative Director to help shape and elevate the creative across two dynamic CPG brands in food, beauty, and home. From new product launches to big-bet marketing initiatives, you’ll help turn strategic ambition into bold ideas and distinctive brand experiences that capture attention and connect with consumers. Working hand in hand with the SVP, you’ll also help guide a talented, multidisciplinary team of Art Directors, Copywriters, and Designers—bringing fresh perspective, thoughtful direction, and a high bar for creative excellence to the work. You know how to recognize a good idea, push it further, and help transform it into something truly memorable. Equally comfortable in a brainstorm, shaping a visual concept, or refining the details of an execution, you bring a hands‑on approach that helps move the work from promising to exceptional.

What You Will Bring To The Organization

• Partner closely with the SVP, Group Creative Director to help shape, develop, and elevate creative across two dynamic CPG brands in food, beauty, and home.
• Help lead and guide a team of Art Directors, Copywriters, and Designers, providing creative direction, thoughtful feedback, and hands‑on support to push ideas and execution further.
• Contribute to concept development and visual storytelling for new product launches, integrated campaigns, and high-impact marketing initiatives, translating strategic objectives into compelling brand experiences.
• Help oversee creative development across key brand touchpoints that may include packaging, e-commerce PDPs, digital, social, retail, and integrated marketing materials, ensuring consistency, quality, and a strong visual point of view.
• Partner with the creative team to develop art direction for photo and video shoots, helping shape visual concepts, shot lists, mood boards, styling, and on‑set execution to ensure content aligns with the brand vision and creative objectives.
• Review and refine creative deliverables throughout the development process, identifying opportunities to strengthen concepts, elevate design, and maintain a high standard of craft.
• Guide the development of engaging, on‑brand e-commerce PDP experiences that bring product benefits and brand storytelling to life while supporting consumer engagement and conversion.
• Build and present compelling creative concepts and recommendations to clients, clearly articulating the thinking behind the work and bringing ideas to life through persuasive visual storytelling.
• Collaborate with account, strategy, production, and other cross‑functional partners to keep projects moving forward, balance competing priorities, and deliver high‑quality work within established timelines.
• Foster a collaborative, creatively ambitious environment that encourages fresh thinking, supports team development, and continually raises the bar for the work.

Skills And Experience We Would Like You To Have

• 10+ years of experience in art direction, design, or creative development, with a strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional visual craft, conceptual thinking, and brand storytelling.
• A strong art and design background, with a sophisticated eye for typography, composition, color, imagery, layout, and visual identity.
• Proven experience developing and evolving consumer-facing brands across multiple touchpoints, ideally within CPG, food, beauty, personal care, home, or lifestyle categories.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, with the ability to work hands‑on in design files and refine creative execution.
• Experience developing and overseeing e-commerce Product Detail Pages (PDPs), with an understanding of digital merchandising, product storytelling, content hierarchy, and conversion-minded design.
• Experience art directing and overseeing photo and video production, including familiarity with photography, styling, lighting, shot planning, and translating creative concepts into compelling visual content.
• Working knowledge of Figma and its application in collaborative design development and digital creative workflows.
• Strong PowerPoint skills, with the ability to create polished, visually engaging client presentations that communicate creative concepts and tell a compelling story.
• Experience presenting creative work to clients and stakeholders, articulating creative rationale, and building confidence in ideas through clear, thoughtful communication.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and support creative talent, offer constructive feedback, and collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate multiple projects, manage shifting priorities, and maintain a high standard of work in a fast‑paced environment.
• A collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset, with the ability to work in close partnership with senior creative leadership while bringing an independent point of view, sound creative judgment, and a hands‑on approach.

Starting salary between $142,000-$150,000

TOTAL REWARDS

Benefits

Our total rewards philosophy integrates programs for compensation, benefits, recognition, learning and development, corporate culture, corporate citizenship and work-life balance. While individual program components may differ by country, some things remain constant:

• Our commitment to rewarding results
• Opportunities to work with talented and driven individuals at every level of our company who respect each other, treat each other fairly and hold one another accountable for our customers—and our company’s—success

There's more ...

Generous Medical, Dental, Vision And Other Great Benefits

• Paid parental and medical leave programs
• 401(k) with a company match component and profit sharing
• 15 days of paid time off plus company holidays
• Hybrid work model
• Tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment assistance
• Inclusive employee resource groups

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

RECRUITING AGENCIES

tms does not accept agency resumes submitted by third-party vendors unless a valid agreement has been signed and the tms Talent Acquisition Team has granted authorization for submissions for a specified position. Please do not submit or forward resumes to our site, tms employees, or any other company location. tms is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.