Creative Director, Copywriter

VML; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401k match

Paid time off

Job summary

VML is seeking a Creative Director to lead one of the agency's most creatively ambitious accounts, shaping work that matters and earns recognition at the highest levels. You'll guide a team of writers, art directors, designers, strategists, and makers, turning bold ideas into real-world impact.

You'll mentor talent, raise the creative standard, and build trusted relationships with senior clients while pushing the narrative of a legacy brand to new heights.

Qualifications

• A portfolio filled with breakthrough ideas and award-worthy work.
• Strong storytelling and presentation abilities.
• Ability to earn trust and advise senior clients effectively.

Responsibilities

• Develop ideas that earn attention and set the creative agenda.
• Partner with strategy, production, and account leadership to realize ambitious concepts.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients as a strategic partner, not a vendor.
• Lead day-to-day client conversations with confidence and alignment on the work.
• Present and sell ideas with conviction, clarity, and impact.
• Mentor emerging talent and shape the next generation of creative leaders.
• Raise the creative standard of all work you touch.

Skills

Portfolio leadership

Storytelling

Persuasion

Client advisory

Job description

Who We Are

VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning human-first work for clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. In 2026, VML was named Campaign’s Global Network of the Year and ranked #2 Creative Network of the Year at Cannes Lions. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel. For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

Who we are looking for:

We're looking for a Creative Director to help lead one of the most creatively ambitious accounts in the agency. The kind of assignment where breakthrough work isn't a nice-to-have. It's the expectation. You'll be joining a team that has fundamentally changed the narrative of a legacy brand, creating work recognized at the highest levels of the industry while delivering real-world impact. The opportunity now is to push even further. We want someone whose portfolio creates the same reaction, over and over: "I wish I'd thought of that." Not because the work is complicated. Because it's inevitable in hindsight. Smart. Surprising. Impossible to ignore.

Who you are:

You're a leader people want to follow. Not because of your title. Because you make everyone around you better. You know how to create an environment where writers, art directors, designers, strategists, and makers produce the best work of their careers. You challenge people. Protect them. Push them. Inspire them. But leadership alone isn't enough. We're not looking for someone who manages creativity from the sidelines. We're looking for a maker.

Someone Who Still Gets Excited About The Blank Page.

Someone who wants to be in the room when the idea cracks open. Someone who still has a fire in their belly to create the work they'll be remembered for.

What You'll Do

• Develop ideas that earn attention because they deserve attention.
• Partner closely with strategy, production, and account leadership to turn ambitious ideas into reality.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients, becoming a strategic and creative partner rather than a vendor.
• Lead day-to-day client conversations with confidence, guiding discussions, addressing challenges, and creating alignment around the work.
• Present and sell ideas with conviction, clarity, and the ability to make others see what doesn't exist yet.
• Mentor emerging talent and help shape the next generation of creative leaders.
• Raise the creative standard of everything you touch.

What We're Looking For

• A portfolio filled with ideas people wish they'd made first.
• Exceptional storytelling, presentation, and persuasion skills.
• The ability to earn the trust of senior clients and become an indispensable advisor to their business.
• A relentless curiosity about culture, technology, media, and human behavior.
• Equal comfort leading the room, leading the client, and leading the work.
• A belief that the best work is still ahead of you.

The Opportunity

This isn't a maintenance account. This isn't a role for someone looking to manage the process. This is a chance to lead work that matters. Work that gets talked about. Work that changes lives. If you're the kind of creative who still feels a rush when an idea lands, and still believes the next brief could produce the best work of your career, we'd love to meet you.

What we offer

• Passionate, driven people|We champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work.
• Consciously cultivated culture|We aim to embody the behaviors to build an inclusivecommunity that is in it together, bringing both positivity and active listening into the workplace as we simultaneously strive to empower creative bravery.
• Competitive benefits| What we offer full time hires ranges from the full spectrum of group health coverage options (medical, dental, vision) to a generous 401k match (100% dollar-for-dollar match, up to 5% of salary contribution), and a variety of paid time off offerings that reflect our investment in all aspects of your overall life balance and wellness.
• Growth-minded opportunities| We aim to nurture a culture of real-time feedback, growth-oriented mindset, and plenty of training opportunities through Wunderman Thompson and WPP, so you can continue to grow personally and professionally.

VML is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or other protected group status. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below.

$100,000—$230,000 USD

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.