Creative Director (Design)

AKQA Media; California, San Francisco (MO, CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a visionary Creative Director to lead innovative projects that blend artistry and strategy. In this dynamic role, you will guide a talented team, developing unique concepts that resonate across various platforms. Your expertise will drive creative excellence, ensuring that each project not only meets but exceeds client expectations. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, you will foster an environment where creativity thrives, making a significant impact on the digital landscape. If you are passionate about pushing boundaries and crafting exceptional experiences, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in the creative industry with a strong portfolio.
• Exceptional communication and leadership skills with a focus on strategic development.

Responsibilities

• Direct creative concepts and implementations across disciplines.
• Lead and inspire teams to innovate and develop compelling narratives.

Skills

Creative Direction

Strategic Thinking

Leadership

Communication Skills

Presentation Skills

Mentoring

Relationship Building

Business Development

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a Relevant Field

12+ Years of Experience in Creative Industry

Job description

At AKQA, we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Creatives at AKQA apply artistry and craftsmanship to strategic insight to create and bring to life beautiful ideas that move the world. Skilled storytellers and conceptors, they work in a multidisciplinary environment to develop labors of love that delight customers and deliver results for clients.

Creative Directors play essential roles in the strategy, conception and design of beautiful ideas, products and services. They bring exceptional creative thought and craft output, developing and delivering projects from brief to end user.

Creative Directors at AKQA approach every brief with fresh eyes. Avoiding familiar solutions, the Creative Director generates useful, usable ideas across all existing and emerging platforms. Creative Directors create and inspire work that is distinctive, effective and truly remarkable.

AKQA offers our staff the opportunity to produce meaningful work for world-class companies in one of the world’s most vibrant and beautiful cities.

Responsibilities

• Direct: Directs the effort to develop creative concepts and implementations in a cross-disciplinary manner. Works with planners and strategists to establish strategic and creative approaches for a given assignment.
• Creative craft skills: Sets creative direction and strategic guidance throughout the duration of client team projects. Displays a cohesive understanding, and ability to execute.
• Concepting: Leads, develops, and inspires the team to innovate thinking and solutions through strong process and methodology.
• Presenting: Constructs and crafts a compelling narrative to effectively communicate creative work both internally to the team and externally to clients.
• Leadership: Sets the tone on professional standards for the team and the department. Inspires and leads by example, evangelizes and represents AKQA externally through various leadership opportunities, conferences, speaking and writing engagements. Leads and manages 30+ creatives on an ongoing basis.
• Mentoring: Acts as a Career Manager, guiding creatives of all levels within AKQA, including regular one-on-one check-ins, writing and delivering annual performance reviews and takes responsibility for onboarding new employees and guiding them through a successful tenure at AKQA.
• Relationship: Works in conjunction with the Client Services team to actively build a strong relationship with a given client. Contributes significantly in growing breadth of business with existing clients.
• New business development: Creatively leads new business pitches. Is responsible for the ideas and the creative work, and articulating a compelling story.

Role Requirements

• An excellent portfolio
• A minimum of 12 years’ experience in the creative industry
• Proven track record supporting clients in the premium consumer technology and electronics category
• Strong track record for managing $10 – 20MM of business per year
• Exceptional communication skills: verbal, written, interpersonal and inter-departmental
• Thoughtful leadership; a strong point of view; ability to contribute to strategic development
• Strong ability and experience in leading, directing and managing a group of cross-disciplinary teams
• Detail oriented and has the ability to multi-task across multiple workstreams
• Dynamic Presenter
• Understanding of digital media as well as the marketing industry at large; an ability and a desire to adapt to the changing landscape of technology
• Act as a creative partner for other cross-department relationships such as with Strategy and client services. Ability to establish and maintain strong, dynamic client relationships
• Track record of winning pitches and awards

Qualities and Characteristics

• You have an award-winning portfolio of digital work that demonstrates high quality art direction, storytelling and a clean, contemporary design aesthetic within a variety of campaigns and projects for website launches, site redesigns, email marketing, mobile experiences, and digital product launches
• You have a breadth of cultural reference points
• You have a drive to break boundaries and craft the best ideas in the world of their kind
• You are fearless, boundlessly creative and relentlessly attentive to detail

Preference given to candidates located in or willing to relocate to the SF Bay Area; all candidates must be able to work West Coast hours.

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. Explore our extensive range of benefits here.

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$100,000 — $230,000 USD

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

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular 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.