Creative Director

Designer Jobs; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

In-office collaboration Tue–Thu

Remote Mon/Fri

Job summary

Thesis is seeking a Creative Director to set and lead the creative vision for client work, shaping ideas that connect business goals and audience needs while guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver strong creative outcomes.

This role partners closely with Strategy, Technology, Production, and Leadership to protect creative ambition and support new business growth in a Portland, OR hybrid environment.

Qualifications

• Multidisciplinary creative leadership experience.
• Ability to move between strategy, creative direction, and execution.
• Exceptional taste and judgment across disciplines.
• Capability to mentor and grow creative talent.
• Compelling storytelling to win client buy-in.
• Comfort with ambiguity and fast-paced agency work.
• Curiosity with AI, technology, and new methods.

Responsibilities

• Set and lead the creative vision for client work across channels and experiences.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across design, writing, motion, and content.
• Protect creative ambition while balancing scope, timing, and resources.
• Partner with Strategy and clients to define problems before delivering.
• Build relationships to expand Thesis’ creative influence and opportunities.
• Lead opportunities framing, concept development, and pitching for new business.

Skills

Creative leadership

Strategy to execution

Mentoring

Storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Client relationships

Ambiguity tolerance

Team building

AI experimentation

Job description

Thesis is seeking a Creative Director to set and lead the creative vision for client work, shaping ideas that connect business goals and audience needs while guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver strong creative outcomes. This role partners closely across strategy, technology, production, and leadership to protect creative ambition and support new business growth.

Creative Vision and Idea Leadership

• Establish the creative vision for assigned clients, accounts, and opportunities.
• Translate business, audience, and cultural insights into compelling ideas and creative opportunities.
• Lead concept development and maintain idea integrity as work scales across channels, experiences, and content.
• Partner with Strategy and clients to define the problem and opportunity before defining the deliverable.
• Connect creative decisions to audience needs, brand ambition, culture, and business objectives.
• Look beyond the immediate ask to identify opportunities for greater client and creative impact.
• Build belief in ideas through clear, compelling storytelling and presentations.

Team Leadership and Creative Standards

• Lead multidisciplinary teams across design, writing, motion, experience, content, and emerging disciplines.
• Set a high creative standard while staying close enough to meaningfully shape and elevate the work.
• Manage, mentor, and develop creative talent and emerging leaders through clear expectations, feedback, and meaningful opportunities for growth.
• Build teams that can operate with increasing ownership and autonomy.
• Own the creative outcome from opportunity through execution, while balancing creative ambition with scope, timing, and resourcing realities.
• Build the smallest, strongest team capable of solving the problem.
• Navigate feedback and business constraints while protecting the creative ambition.
• Play a proactive role by bringing ideas and provocations to clients before they are requested.

Collaboration Across Functions and Execution

• Partner across Strategy, Technology, Client Leadership, Production, and Operations to reduce handoffs and create clear ownership.
• Partner with Technology and Production to explore new ways of making and bringing ideas to life.
• Use technology to scale strong ideas without replacing human judgment, originality, and taste.
• Use AI and emerging technology to expand exploration, prototype ideas, accelerate learning, and increase the leverage of teams.

Client Partnerships and New Business

• Serve as a trusted creative partner to senior clients.
• Build relationships that expand Thesis’ creative influence and uncover new opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to grow existing client relationships through creativity, strategy, and technology.
• Support new business efforts, including opportunity framing, concept development, and pitching.

Requirements

• A multidisciplinary creative leader with experience leading significant creative work, teams, and client relationships.
• Strong ability to move between strategy, creative direction, and execution.
• Exceptional taste and judgment across disciplines.
• Demonstrated capability to manage, mentor, and grow creative talent.
• Compelling storytelling skills to build belief with clients, teams, and senior stakeholders.
• Comfort with ambiguity, direct client relationships, and the pace of agency work.
• Curiosity and experimentation with AI, technology, and new ways of making.
• Collaborative, accountable, low ego, and able to make others better.
• Ability to use standard office equipment, computers, and related technology.
• Works in an environmentally controlled office setting with extended periods of sitting, keyboarding, and using a computer mouse.
• Ability to bend, reach, lift, push, and pull up to 25 pounds.

Role Details

• Location: Portland, OR (hybrid)
• Compensation: USD 140,000 - 180,000 per yearly
• Work model: In-office collaboration Tuesday through Thursday; remote work Mondays and Fridays
• Travel: Minimal travel anticipated
• Reports to: Chief Creative Officer
• Internal cross-functional partners: Strategy, Technology, Client Leadership, Production, Operations
• External partners: Senior clients
• Direct reports and teams: Lead multidisciplinary teams across design, writing, motion, experience, content, and emerging disciplines; manage, mentor, and develop creative talent and emerging leaders

Inclusion, Equal Opportunity, and Accessibility

• Thesis encourages applications even if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are essential to how Thesis works and creates.
• Thesis is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to full inclusion of all qualified individuals.
• Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process for applicants with disabilities. Contact Human Resources at [e-mail] for accommodations.
• Thesis does not request or consider applicants’ salary history when making hiring decisions.