Group Creative Director (Future Opportunity)

ICF; United States; Remote; USD 131,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

ICF Next is seeking a Group Creative Director to lead a significant portfolio of work, shaping ideas and directing multidisciplinary teams across campaigns that connect with audiences and drive measurable impact.

As part of the Creative leadership, you will push for the highest standards of craft and storytelling, while partnering with strategy, research, and technology to deliver integrated campaigns across channels. This role emphasizes leadership, mentorship, and strategic vision.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of agency or equivalent creative experience; deep experience leading integrated campaigns and multidisciplinary teams.
• Exceptional portfolio showing original thinking, leadership, and measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative direction, quality, and vision of a significant portfolio of clients, campaigns, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Develop breakthrough integrated campaigns translating strategy, audience insight, and cultural context into impactful ideas.
• Lead creative development from brief through production, maintaining the strength of the original idea and high craft standards.
• Build, mentor, and inspire Creative Directors, Associate Creative Directors, writers, art directors, designers, and other creatives.
• Partner with strategy, research, behavioral science, media, production, communications, experience design, and technology teams to deliver seamless campaigns across channels.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients, presenting ambitious thinking and guiding complex decisions while protecting the work's integrity.
• Lead major productions across film, photography, digital, social, experiential, and emerging platforms from concept to delivery.
• Play a leadership role in new business, pitches, and agency growth by shaping strategies, platforms, and client relationships.
• Champion creative excellence while ensuring accessibility, clarity, and measurable performance in all work.
• Shape the creative culture, standards, capabilities, and long-term reputation of ICF Next.

Skills

Creative leadership

Integrated campaigns

Team mentorship

Executive presentation

Job description

_ Note: This is a strategic job posting to network for future anticipated opportunities as we continue to grow. While this may not be an immediate need, we would love the opportunity to connect with you. _

ICF Next brings together strategy, creativity, data, and technology to solve complex challenges and move people when it matters most.

We work with organizations tackling some of today’s most important issues—from public health and energy to climate, resilience, and economic opportunity. Our work isn’t simply about communication. It’s about helping people understand, make informed decisions, build confidence, and take meaningful action.

We create integrated campaigns and experiences that connect with people wherever they are, building ideas that work seamlessly across channels and endure across every touchpoint. Whether we’re launching a national behavior‑change campaign, helping communities navigate change, or strengthening trust, we believe the best creative work combines insight, strategy, and exceptional craft to create measurable impact.

The Role

We are looking for a Group Creative Director who can lead important work, build exceptional teams, and create the conditions for ambitious ideas to thrive.

This role sits at the heart of Creative. The Group Creative Director is responsible for the quality, direction, and creative sensibility of a significant portfolio of work, as well as the teams responsible for creating it. This person should be able to see the big picture without losing sight of the idea, the craft, or the audience. They should know when to push, when to protect, and when to simplify.

Much of the work will address some of the most consequential issues facing people and communities, including public health, public safety, education, energy, environmental sustainability, and other mission‑driven challenges. These are often complex issues involving diverse audiences, competing priorities, deeply held beliefs, and decisions with meaningful consequences.

The right experience, however, can come from anywhere truly great integrated creative work gets made. Consumer. Healthcare. Technology. Culture. We are looking for someone who understands not just how creativity can attract attention, but how the right idea can make complex information human, connect with people, shift perception, build confidence, and move audiences to act.

The strongest candidates will have a body of work that demonstrates original thinking, exceptional creative judgment, and consistently high standards of craft. Industry recognition and award‑winning work are valued, but what matters most is evidence of ideas that were distinctive, beautifully made, strategically sound, and effective.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the creative direction, quality, and vision of a significant portfolio of clients, integrated campaigns, and multidisciplinary creative teams.
• Develop breakthrough integrated campaigns that translate strategy, audience insight, behavioral understanding, and cultural context into ideas that connect with people and create measurable impact.
• Lead creative development from brief through production, ensuring every execution reflects the strength of the original idea and the highest standards of craft.
• Build, mentor, and inspire Creative Directors, Associate Creative Directors, writers, art directors, designers, and other creative specialists, creating an environment where ambitious ideas and exceptional people can thrive.
• Partner closely with strategy, research, behavioral science, media, production, communications, experience design, and technology teams to deliver seamless integrated campaigns across every channel.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients and stakeholders, confidently presenting ambitious creative thinking and guiding complex decision‑making while protecting the integrity of the work.
• Lead major productions across film, photography, digital, social, experiential, and emerging platforms, ensuring creative excellence from concept to final delivery.
• Play a significant leadership role in new business, pitches, and agency growth by helping shape winning strategies, creative platforms, and client relationships.
• Champion creative excellence while ensuring work meets the highest standards of accessibility, inclusivity, clarity, effectiveness, and measurable performance.
• Help shape the creative culture, standards, capabilities, and long‑term reputation of ICF Next.

What Makes This Role Different

The Group Creative Director defines the creative standard for a significant portfolio of work. They don’t simply oversee campaigns—they build teams, shape creative culture, strengthen client relationships, and create the conditions for exceptional ideas to thrive.

They move comfortably between the biggest strategic challenge and the smallest creative detail, knowing when to challenge an idea, when to simplify it, and when to protect it. They understand that exceptional creative work is built by exceptional creative teams and invest in both with equal commitment.

What We Are Looking For:

Basic Qualifications

• 15+ years of agency or equivalent creative experience, including deep experience leading integrated campaigns and multidisciplinary creative teams.
• An exceptional portfolio demonstrating original conceptual thinking, creative leadership, and a consistent ability to produce strategically smart, beautifully crafted work that delivers measurable results.

Professional Skills

• A proven track record of building, mentoring, and leading high‑performing creative teams while establishing a clear creative vision across a significant portfolio of work.
• Extensive experience developing integrated campaigns across video, digital, social, experiential, print, out‑of‑home, web, emerging platforms, and connected customer experiences.
• Exceptional creative judgment and the ability to recognize, shape, challenge, and protect powerful ideas from concept through execution.
• Deep understanding of how strategy, audience insight, behavioral science, storytelling, design, technology, and craft come together to create work that moves people.
• Experience translating complex, technical, scientific, regulated, or sensitive subject matter into compelling creative communications that people genuinely engage with.
• Confidence presenting ambitious creative thinking to senior executives, clients, and diverse stakeholder groups while building trust and creative momentum.
• Experience developing campaigns addressing public health, public safety, education, energy, environmental sustainability, climate, or other complex mission‑driven challenges is highly valued. Public‑sector experience is welcome but not required.
• Industry recognition is valued, but what matters most is a body of work that demonstrates originality, exceptional craft, strategic thinking, and measurable impact.

Working at ICF

ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we’re not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting‑edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future.

We can only solve the world’s toughest challenges by building a workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer.Together, our employees are empowered to share their expertise and collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please read our EEO policy.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation, please email [e-mail] and we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

Read more about workplace discrimination rights or our benefit offerings which are included in the Transparency in (Benefits) CoverageAct.

Candidate AI Usage Policy

At ICF, we are committed to ensuring a fair interview process for all candidates based on their own skills and knowledge. As part of this commitment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in‑person or virtual) is not permitted. This policy is in place to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the interview process.

However, we understand that some candidates may require accommodation that involves the use of AI. If such an accommodation is needed, candidates are instructed to contact us in advance at [e-mail]. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to succeed.

Pay Range

There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.

The pay range for this position based on full‑time employment is:

$131,256.00 - $269,993.00

Nationwide Remote Office (US99)