Creative Lead, Creative Studio

Rivian; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 112,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian is seeking a Creative Lead to own the creative direction and execution of performance marketing content across paid channels. You will translate performance objectives into compelling, channel-specific assets and guide junior creatives as a player-coach.

The role combines hands-on asset creation with strategic thinking, collaborating across Brand Marketing, Product Marketing, and Performance Marketing to scale campaigns, improve efficiency, and protect Rivian’s premium, cinematic brand

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5+ years of progressive experience in a creative role with paid, digital, and performance focus.
• Strong understanding of paid media environments and platform-specific best practices.
• Proven art direction, visual storytelling, video, motion, and creative development.
• Knowledge of production and post-production workflows using industry tools.
• Ability to lead creative development across internal teams and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative strategy, concepting, and execution of paid content across digital channels.
• Oversee end-to-end production for paid campaigns, including brief, storyboard, script, and shoot where applicable.
• Direct editing, motion graphics, and sound design to ensure brand-right performance.
• Collaborate with Performance Marketing, Brand Marketing, and Product Marketing to translate goals into assets.
• Present concepts, testing rationale, and performance-informed recommendations to senior leadership.

Skills

Creative leadership

Performance marketing

Art direction

Analytical mindset

Communication

Leadership

Organization

Tools

Adobe Premiere Pro

After Effects

Job description

About Rivian

Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract.

As a company, we constantly challenge what's possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations.

Role Summary

The Creative Studio is responsible for defining and delivering the visual and narrative identity of the brand. We are looking for an exceptional Creative Lead to own the creative direction, development, and execution of performance marketing paid content across channels. This role will serve as the creative lead for growth marketing, shaping concepts and systems that drive acquisition, conversion, and measurable business impact while ensuring all paid media creative feels distinctly Rivian.

The ideal candidate is both a hands‑on maker and a strategic thinker who can lead creative from brief to launch, translating performance objectives into compelling, channel‑right creative across paid social, digital, video, motion, and campaign assets. They bring strong instincts for storytelling and design, paired with a deep understanding of how creative performs in media environments and how to iterate based on insights. This role will help develop discrete campaigns to meet the needs of the business and also work along Creative Leads to provide the performance assets relevant to larger brand initiatives.

This role is a player coach. You should be equally comfortable directing junior creatives as making assets.

This role will be hybrid, convenient to our Southern California offices.

Responsibilities

• Growth Creative Leadership: Lead the creative strategy, concepting, and execution of paid content across digital channels, with a primary focus on brand awareness and conversion.
• Paid Content Ownership: Serve as the creative lead for all paid content, ensuring assets are optimized and meet metrics for platform, audience, and objective while maintaining a premium, brand‑right expression of Rivian.
• Creative Strategy & Concepting: Develop insight‑driven creative concepts for paid social, digital campaigns, product marketing, and performance initiatives, building ideas that can scale across formats, placements, and audience segments.
• Testing & Optimization: Partner closely with Marketing and our partners to establish testing frameworks, iterate on creative based on results, and continuously improve measurable asset effectiveness across the funnel.
• Production Leadership: In collaboration with our Production Team, oversee the end‑to‑end creative process for paid campaigns, including briefing, concept development, storyboarding, script development, partner management, and shoot execution where applicable.
• Post‑Production Oversight: Direct the editing, motion graphics, sound design, and finishing of paid assets, providing clear feedback that improves both creative quality and performance outcomes.
• Brand Stewardship: Act as a key guardian of the Rivian brand, ensuring paid creative balances performance rigor with cinematic quality, strong visual storytelling, and tonal consistency.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Performance Marketing, Brand Marketing, Product Marketing, and other cross‑functional teams to turn business goals, audience insights, and product priorities into effective paid creative.
• Presentation & Communication: Confidently present creative strategies, campaign concepts, testing rationale, and performance‑informed recommendations to senior leadership and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of progressive experience in a creative role, with meaningful experience developing paid, digital, and performance‑focused creative.
• Performance Marketing Acumen: Strong understanding of paid media environments, creative best practices by platform, and how to develop assets that support acquisition, engagement, and conversion goals.
• Creative Craft: Proven strength in art direction, visual storytelling, video, motion, and creative development across multiple formats.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of production and post‑production workflows and relevant tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and similar creative software.
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead creative development across internal teams and external partners, managing multiple workstreams with clarity and high standards.
• Analytical Mindset: Comfortable using performance insights, testing results, and audience learnings to inform creative decisions and shape future iterations.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and visual communication skills with the ability to articulate creative thinking, performance rationale, and production direction clearly.
• Mindset: Passionate about sustainability, electric vehicles, technology, and the outdoors. Must thrive in a fast‑paced, ambiguous environment while being flexible, collaborative, and reliable.
• Excellent organization and adherence to deadlines.

Pay Disclosure

The salary range for this role is $112,100 to $140,100 for Irvine, California based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs.

The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full‑time and part‑time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short‑term disability insurance, and long‑term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian's 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full‑time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part‑time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com.

This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than 10/9/2026.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy and Technology

Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes ("Candidate Personal Data"). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian's service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process: To ensure transparency, we want candidates to know that Rivian uses iCIMS Talent Cloud Artificial Intelligence (TCAI) and AI‑enabled tools to assist with screening, reviewing, organizing and highlighting profiles and applications that match the key requirements for each role.

AI does not make hiring decisions: Qualified candidate applications are reviewed by a member of our team, and all decisions throughout the process are made by humans. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgment. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.