U.S. Creative Director, Zoic Labs

Zoic Studios; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

DoD clearance eligibility

US-based role

Job summary

Zoic Labs seeks a Creative Director to ideate, define, and present innovative solutions across client experiences. You will lead the front end of the creative process, transforming ideas into prototypes and compelling client presentations for web, XR, and more.

You will collaborate with designers, developers, and project leads to ensure bold visions are intuitive and usable, spanning government and commercial engagements with both remote and on-site work options.

Qualifications

• A portfolio demonstrating original creative concepts across digital and/or physical experiences.
• Strong ideation and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate concepts visually and verbally.
• Comfort working in quick-paced, rapid-prototyping environments.
• Familiarity with design and prototyping tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite); experience with Unreal Engine or Unity is a strong plus.
• Curiosity about user and human-centered design, and what makes an experience genuinely engaging.
• Collaborative mindset, comfortable working across government and commercial engagements.

Responsibilities

• Generate and pitch original creative concepts, translating client goals and brand strategy into concept art, storyboards, mockups, or interactive prototypes.
• Join business development trips and lead early client conversations to identify friction and opportunities.
• Partner with UX/UI designers, developers, and project leads through discovery and rapid prototyping.
• Explore emerging tools and technologies and identify practical uses in client work.
• Support creation of case studies, pitch decks, and thought leadership content.

Skills

Portfolio

Storytelling

Rapid prototyping

Figma

Unreal Engine/Unity

Adobe Creative Suite

Collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

About Zoic Labs

Zoic Labs is an Experience Engineering company, focused on the strategic design and development of immersive, interactive and user-centric experiences.

We blend principles of UX/UI design, psychology, advanced technology, and storytelling to create seamless, engaging, and functional digital and physical interactions. Our dynamic and multi-disciplinary team has deep expertise in video game, XR, and web tool design and leverages a robust product development pipeline.

We work for a diverse mix of government and commercial clients.

The Role

We're looking for a Creative Director to help ideate, define, and present solutions with cutting-edge look, feel, and function across our client experiences. You'll work where design, psychology, storytelling, and emerging technology meet, turning early ideas into interactive prototypes that show clients what's possible and what their users need.

You’ll lead the front end of our creative process: understanding client goals, generating original concepts, prototyping them quickly across game, XR, and web platforms, and presenting to build confidence and buy-in. Working with designers, developers, and project leads, you'll carry the strongest ideas forward in alignment with clients and stakeholders, so bold creative visions become experiences that are intuitive, functional, and ready for real-world use.

Your work will span commercial and government clients, from engaging consumer-facing experiences to mission-focused training and operational tools. Each comes with its own users, constraints, and definition of success.

This role suits someone who thrives in early-stage ambiguity, moves easily from sketch to working build, and is equally comfortable working remote, onsite with clients, or on the road with our business development team. Some of the most important work happens in those first meetings, where reading the room and sketching out what's possible on the spot is what earns the engagement.

What You'll Do

• Generate and pitch original creative concepts, translating client goals and brand strategy into concept art, storyboards, mockups, or interactive prototypes for immersive, interactive, experiential and gamified experiences (primarily web tools, VR/AR/XR a plus).
• Join business development trips and take the lead in early client conversations, listening for how their teams work today and where the friction is, then thinking out loud with them about what a better experience could look like.
• Partner with UX/UI designers, developers, and project leads through discovery, brainstorms, and rapid prototyping while adapting tone and approach across government and commercial engagements.
• Explore emerging tools, platforms, and technologies (game engines, AI, spatial computing, etc.) and identify practical ways to bring them into client work.
• Support the creation of case studies, pitch decks, and thought leadership content that showcase Zoic Labs' creative approach.

What You Bring

• A portfolio demonstrating original creative concepts across digital and/or physical experiences (web, games, XR, installations, or similar).
• Strong ideation and storytelling skills, with the ability to communicate concepts visually and verbally, including surfacing pain points and sketching ideas in real time in front of clients.
• Comfort working in quick-paced, rapid-prototyping environments.
• Familiarity with design and prototyping tools (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar); experience with Unreal Engine or Unity is a strong plus.
• Curiosity about user and human-centered design, and what makes an experience genuinely engaging.
• A collaborative mindset, comfortable working closely with designers, developers, and producers across both government t and commercial engagements.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AR/VR/MR headset or tablet-based application design.
• Prior experience with government or defense-related creative projects.
• Background in game design, exhibit design, or experiential/environmental design.
• Exposure to data visualization or geospatial tools.

Additional Info

• Candidates will need to be located in the U.S and able to successfully pass and obtain a DoD clearance.
• This is a remote (work-from-home position)
• Pay Range: 140k-160kDOE(The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position)
• Zoic Studios participates in the eVerify program
• This job description contains the basic requirements for the position and is NOT intended to be a complete list of responsibilities; other duties may be assigned
• Due to the volume of applications we receive across our different openings we regret that only those selected to interviewwill be contacted

Security Clearance

Successful applicant for this position must be eligible to obtain a DoD clearance or government customer access to classified/sensitive material. A current DoD clearance is not required to be eligible for this position, however the successful applicant will be required to obtain a DoD clearance or government customer access within a reasonable time after the offer is extended and must be able to maintain the applicable clearance. *US Citizenship is Required. By applying to this position, you are agreeing to complete a National Security Clearance Pre-Screen Questionnaire, if one is required, to evaluate your general ability to obtain the required security clearance or government customer access associated with this position.