Creative Director

Aquent; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan with match

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

Skill is seeking a Creative Director to lead a multidisciplinary team across lifestyle, CPG and B2B accounts. You will shape creative vision, drive high-impact campaigns, and coach talent while collaborating with service leads and platform partners.

You’ll influence strategy, ensure quality, and push creative boundaries to deliver measurable business results. With 7–8 years in digital marketing/creative roles and 5+ years in agency leadership, you’ll partner with clients to articulate strategy,

Qualifications

• 7–8 years of digital marketing/creative experience, with 5+ years in an agency setting.
• 5+ years of hands-on leadership, mentoring, and people development.
• A robust portfolio showing scalable campaigns across channels.
• Executive-level presentation and senior stakeholder advisory experience.
• Strong understanding of brand strategy and creative processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of creatives, including hiring and onboarding.
• Shape creative vision across a diverse client book and drive growth of the team.
• Direct strategy, performance, and channel nuances in client engagements.
• Oversee QA and ensure high-quality, data-informed creative work.
• Collaborate with partners to stay ahead of creative trends and tools.

Skills

Creative leadership

Team management

Brand strategy

Campaign conception

Executive communication

Client relations

Digital marketing

Data-driven decisions

Job description

Our client is a multi-vertical agency and they are seeking a Creative Director in the following spaces: Lifestyle, CPG and B2B

Aquent is partnering with a leading tech-enabled growth firm that stands at the intersection of marketing, consulting, and data intelligence. This innovative firm is dedicated to igniting revenue and brand recognition for leading and emerging companies globally. With a people-first approach, they champion diversity and believe their culture is paramount to their success, striving to be recognized as the most valued and respected private growth marketing firm in the world. They are driven by a mission to redefine what’s possible through a team of growth-obsessed experts who demand innovation and results, all powered by integrity, autonomy, and grit. This is a unique opportunity to join a team that manages billions in media, challenging traditional planning and measurement through meticulous testing and data science across every milestone of the customer journey.

Are you a visionary creative leader (specifically within consumer brands/lifestyles) ready to make an indelible impact on both a dynamic team and a diverse portfolio of clients? This exciting role offers the chance to shape the creative vision for a book of business, driving both the quality of work and the growth of your team. You’ll be a player-coach, leading from the front, influencing strategy, and directly contributing to high-priority accounts. This position is a stepping stone to further leadership, allowing you to cultivate people leadership and product judgment while staying deeply connected to the craft. Your leadership will directly translate into exceptional client outcomes and the continuous evolution of creative services, truly redefining what’s possible.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and manage a team of creative professionals, overseeing hiring, onboarding, and day-to-day operations.
• Develop and mentor team members, fostering growth paths, positive sentiment, and psychological safety.
• Drive performance management, provide direct feedback, and make recommendations for raises and promotions.
• Oversee capacity planning and staffing to align with evolving client needs.
• Facilitate ongoing training and knowledge-sharing on industry trends and tools.
• Meet directly with clients to articulate strategy, performance, and channel nuances.
• Provide hands-on execution and exemplary support on complex or high-priority client accounts.
• Act as the primary escalation point for creative client concerns.
• Strengthen client retention through strong creative solutions and identification of expansion opportunities.
• Proactively address client churn risks within your book of business.
• Ensure exceptional product quality through consistent and accountable QA processes.
• Lead creative product development, structured innovation, knowledge-sharing, and brainstorms.
• Collaborate with service leads and platform partners to remain at the forefront of creative trends.
• Maintain full working knowledge of internal systems and adapt to evolving processes.
• Employ AI technologies to enhance and optimize business processes and drive results.
• Demonstrate a genuine interest in expanding and evolving creative services within your industry division.

Must-Have Qualifications

• 7–8 years of digital marketing/creative experience, with 5+ years in an agency setting.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on, expert-level experience across creative disciplines (copywriting, design, production, strategy, and/or post-production).
• 5+ years of experience managing a team, including performance management and development planning.
• A robust portfolio showcasing a track record of conceptualizing, developing, and delivering creative campaigns across multiple channels at scale.
• Demonstrated judgment and credibility that has earned the trust of creative specialists.
• Expert knowledge of how creative functions within the broader marketing funnel and business strategy.
• Executive-level presentation and communication skills, with the ability to advise senior client stakeholders and internal leadership.
• A visionary leader with a track record of building culture, inspiring teams, and pushing creative boundaries while delivering measurable business results.

About Skill:

Skill connects the best professional, IT, engineering, financial and administrative talent with the world’s biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to benefits such as health benefit contributions, retirement plans with match and flexible spending accounts.

Skill is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

We’re about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.