Creative Director, Video & Design

Kikoff; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Kikoff is seeking a Creative Director to lead video and visual design, shaping the brand’s creative and performance advertising. You’ll set standards and drive acquisition across TV, paid social, and other channels.

You bring a strong track record in brand visuals, evergreen creative, and leadership, with a portfolio across TV and social formats. Collaboration with Growth Marketing and Brand teams is essential.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in advertising or design, including 5+ years of people management.
• Exceptional taste and strong art direction across video and visual design.
• Experience defining or evolving a brand’s visual identity across channels.
• Deep expertise in evergreen performance creative, especially paid social.
• TV advertising experience with a strong portfolio across TV and paid social.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative direction for evergreen performance advertising across video and visual design.
• Partner with Brand leadership to define and evolve Kikoff’s visual identity.
• Oversee creative across multiple brands and products, giving each a distinct expression.
• Manage and coach the internal video and visual design teams with clear growth expectations.
• Set creative standards across internal teams, freelancers, and our editing agency.

Skills

Art direction

Branding

Creative leadership

Video design

Performance advertising

Paid social

Job description

Kikoff: The Fintech Powering Financial Security at Scale

Kikoff is a profitable, pre-IPO fintech company on a mission to empower everyone to achieve financial security. With record revenue growth in 2025 and a unicorn valuation, we've built a suite of products that help millions of people build credit, access liquidity, and save money.

We're scaling fast. Join us if you want to build something meaningful and help millions of people move forward financially.

Why Kikoff

This is a consumer fintech startup, and you will be working with serial entrepreneurs who have built strong consumer brands and innovative products. We value extreme ownership, clear communication, a strong sense of craftsmanship, and the desire to create lasting work and work relationships. Yes, you can build an exciting business AND have real-life real-customer impact.

About The Role

We’re looking for a Creative Director to lead our video and visual design teams and shape the next chapter of Kikoff’s creative, bringing exceptional creative judgment and a strong understanding of what makes performance advertising effective. You’ll help define our visual identity and lead evergreen performance creative across TV, paid social, and other marketing channels, making our brands more recognizable and driving efficient acquisition.

You bring exceptional taste, strong advertising instincts, and a clear point of view on what makes creative effective. You can see the potential in an idea and give specific direction that makes it stronger. You’re equally invested in developing people, helping creatives build their judgment, sharpen their craft, and take on greater ownership.

Please include a portfolio featuring TV and paid social advertising, measurable results, and examples of a visual identity you helped define or evolve.

What You’ll Do

• Lead creative direction for evergreen performance advertising across video and visual design. Turn consumer needs and product benefits into clear, compelling creative that drives acquisition and conversion.
• Partner with Brand leadership to define and evolve Kikoff’s visual identity. Translate brand strategy into a distinctive, practical system of design, imagery, and motion that makes our creative more consistent and recognizable.
• Oversee creative across multiple brands and products, giving each a distinct expression while maintaining appropriate connections across the portfolio.
• Manage and coach the internal video and visual design teams. Build on individual strengths, develop creative judgment, and support growth through clear expectations, regular feedback, and thoughtful delegation.
• Set creative standards across internal teams, freelance and contract resources, and our editing agency. Align priorities and capacity with business needs to deliver a high volume of effective work.
• Give specific, strategic feedback that strengthens both the idea and the execution. Help the team connect choices in messaging, design, and storytelling to the audience, consumer benefit, and desired action.
• Guide design across paid social, digital marketing, and other brand touchpoints, strengthening layout, typography, and visual hierarchy to make product benefits clear and drive action.
• Help shape the creative vision for TV and video shoots in partnership with brand and production leads.
• Guide post-production across our internal editors and editing agency, with clear direction on narrative, pacing, motion, sound, and finishing to strengthen creative quality and effectiveness.
• Partner closely with Growth Marketing to understand priorities and apply the performance learnings they bring, continuously improving creative across concepts, messaging, and formats.
• Collaborate with Creative Strategy, Copy, and Product Marketing to translate insights into effective advertising, and with Legal and Compliance to keep creative clear, accurate, and compliant.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years in advertising, design, or creative roles, including 5+ years managing and developing creative teams.
• Exceptional taste and strong art direction skills across video and visual design.
• Experience defining or significantly evolving a brand’s visual identity and applying it consistently across channels.
• Deep expertise in evergreen performance creative, especially paid social, with a track record of driving measurable business results.
• TV advertising experience and a strong portfolio spanning TV and paid social, with clear examples of your role and impact.
• Strong post-production experience, including directing editors and giving actionable feedback on edits, motion, sound, and finishing.
• A strategic approach that connects creative choices to consumer needs, product benefits, and business objectives.
• Proven ability to coach talent at different career stages and give specific feedback that develops both craft and judgment.
• Experience overseeing high-volume creative across multiple brands or products and a mix of internal and external resources.
• Ability to translate performance insights into stronger creative and collaborate effectively with the Growth Marketing team.
• Practical experience using AI tools to improve creative exploration or workflows.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with video production and experience collaborating with producers and production teams.
• Experience with UGC and creator-led advertising.
• Experience in consumer fintech or other regulated categories.

Base Range

$163,000 - $225,000 USD

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Kikoff Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

Please reference the following for more information.