Head of Creative

Contra; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401k matching

Company laptop

Job summary

Contra Labs in NYC seeks a Head of Creative to push the boundaries of AI-driven creativity through ambitious, one-of-one digital experiences. You will define the creative vision and lead execution across experimental websites, reports, visuals, motion, and new formats that showcase frontier AI's potential.

You will collaborate with designers, researchers, and engineers to turn bold ideas into tangible work, experiment with emerging models, and craft workflows that elevate creative output to new

Qualifications

• 5+ years in creative direction, art direction, digital design, or creative technology.
• An exceptional portfolio of original, visually ambitious work across digital experiences, brands, or experimental projects.
• Demonstrated experience using generative AI to produce sophisticated, original creative work.
• Strong command of visual design, typography, composition, interaction design, and digital aesthetics.
• Experience taking ambitious concepts from exploration to polished execution.
• Proficiency with tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and emerging AI-native creative platforms.
• Strong creative communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the creative direction for Contra Labs, establishing a high bar for originality and craft.
• Conceptualize, design, and ship one-of-one experiences that stand apart from conventional work.
• Continuously explore frontier AI models across image, video, code, motion, and 3D to discover new capabilities.
• Invent workflows that combine frontier AI models with traditional tools for exceptional results.
• Transform complex research and technical breakthroughs into visually compelling experiences.
• Hands-on execution in design, code, and generative tools to rapidly prototype and iterate.
• Collaborate with world-class designers, researchers, and engineers to push beyond disciplinary limits.
• Pioneer emerging formats to communicate, interact, and create with AI.

Skills

Creative direction

Portfolio

Generative AI

Visual design

Prototype and execution

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Emerging AI-native platforms

Tools

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Who we are

Contra Labs is a frontier human data and evaluation lab making AI better for creativity.

We work at the intersection of human creativity and frontier AI, exploring what becomes possible as the world's most advanced models transform how we design, build, and create.

Built on Contra's global network of creative professionals, we partner with leading AI labs and technology companies to advance the creative capabilities of AI through research, evaluation, and real-world creative expertise.

Our ambition is to help define the future of creativity in the age of AI.

The opportunity

We're looking for a Head of Creative to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI.

This is an opportunity to create things that have never been made before.

You'll lead the creative vision and execution of ambitious, one-of-one digital experiences that demonstrate the true capabilities of frontier AI models.

From experimental websites and interactive research reports to generative visuals, motion, and entirely new creative formats, your work will challenge expectations of what AI can produce.

You'll have the freedom to experiment with emerging models, combine disciplines, invent new workflows, and turn ambitious ideas into exceptional finished work.

We're looking for someone with extraordinary creative taste, relentless curiosity, and a genuine obsession with making things. Someone who sees frontier AI as an entirely new creative medium and wants to explore its full potential.

Your work will become a public expression of what's possible at the frontier of creative AI.

Examples of the work you'll build

• Contra Labs

• Creative Intelligence Report 2026

What you'll own

• Creative vision: Define and execute the creative direction for Contra Labs, establishing an exceptionally high bar for originality, aesthetics, and craft.

• One-of-one experiences: Conceptualize, design, and ship ambitious websites, interactive reports, creative experiments, and digital experiences that stand apart from conventional work.

• Frontier AI experimentation: Continuously explore the latest generative models across image, video, code, motion, and 3D, discovering new capabilities and creative possibilities.

• AI-native production: Invent and refine workflows that combine frontier AI models with traditional creative tools to achieve exceptional results.

• Creative storytelling: Transform complex research, benchmarks, and technical breakthroughs into compelling, visually extraordinary experiences.

• Hands-on execution: Work directly in design, code, and generative tools to rapidly prototype, iterate, and bring ambitious creative concepts to life.

• Creative collaboration: Work with world-class designers, creative technologists, researchers, and engineers to execute projects that push beyond the limits of any single discipline.

• Emerging creative formats: Challenge existing conventions and pioneer new ways to communicate, interact, and create with AI.

About you

• You have exceptional creative taste and a distinctive point of view. Your work is original, visually sophisticated, and immediately recognizable.

• You're obsessed with frontier AI and spend your time experimenting with emerging models, tools, and techniques.

• You see AI as a new creative medium with possibilities that are still largely unexplored.

• You're a multidisciplinary creative who can move fluidly between visual design, art direction, interaction, motion, and emerging technologies.

• You're a maker. You love the process of building, experimenting, refining, and shipping exceptional work.

• You have ambitious creative instincts and the technical curiosity to figure out how to execute ideas that initially seem impossible.

• You understand the fundamentals of great design and know when and how to break conventions.

• You move quickly, embrace experimentation, and continually push your own creative standards.

• You're deeply curious about the future of creative work and motivated to help shape it.

Experience

• 5+ years in creative direction, art direction, digital design, or creative technology.

• An exceptional portfolio of original, visually ambitious work across digital experiences, brands, or experimental creative projects.

• Demonstrated experience using generative AI to produce sophisticated, original creative work.

• Strong command of visual design, typography, composition, interaction design, and digital aesthetics.

• Experience taking ambitious creative concepts from initial exploration to polished execution.

• Proficiency with tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and emerging AI-native creative platforms.

• Strong creative communication and collaboration skills.

Bonus

• Experience building immersive websites, interactive experiences, or experimental digital products.

• Creative coding experience with tools and frameworks such as React, Three.js, WebGL, or similar technologies.

• Experience with generative video, motion design, 3D, or procedural visuals.

• Experience combining multiple AI models into novel creative workflows.

• Recognition for exceptional creative work, experimental projects, or digital experiences.

• Experience working at an AI company, creative technology studio, or design-led startup.

Requirements

• Based in NYC

Total comp

• Salary: $180,000–$250,000 USD plus equity

• Medical, dental, vision

• 401k matching

• Company laptop on your start date

Interview process

1. Recruiting team (20 minutes)
2. CEO and co-founder (30 minutes)
3. Head of Contra Labs (30 minutes)
4. Paid case study and presentation (60 minutes)

Note: Contra communicates with applicants through @contra.com domains only. We never ask for money from potential employees. For the latest job postings, visit Contra Careers.