Senior Direct Response Designer

Assist World; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 445,000 - 624,000; Full time

Job summary

Assist World in South Africa is seeking two senior direct-response designers to join our high-velocity creative team. You will produce conversion-focused ads for e-commerce and D2C brands, and analyze performance data to drive iterative improvements.

This role rewards a performance-first mindset, autonomy, and the ability to ship effective campaigns from day one. Expect a dynamic, leaderboard-driven environment with substantial ad spend and measurable ROI.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience editing direct-response ads for e-commerce and D2C brands.
• Strong track record creating creative designed to drive conversions and sales.
• Deep understanding of direct-response principles, including hooks, pacing, product demonstrations and action-oriented editing.
• Experience analysing and interpreting creative performance data, including hook rates and retention curves.
• Ability to use performance insights to inform creative decisions and improve future iterations.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating a broad range of advertising styles and formats.
• Experience with advanced creative techniques such as AI-assisted animation, 3D or visual effects is highly desirable.
• Ability to work independently and iterate quickly.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Edit fast-paced, engaging and conversion-focused ads for e-commerce and D2C brands.
• Create strong product demonstrations and action-driven creative designed to capture attention and drive sales.
• Analyse campaign performance data, including hook rates and retention curves, to identify opportunities for creative improvement.
• Use performance insights to test, refine and iterate on creative concepts.
• Produce a variety of direct-response ad styles, from simple, high-converting UGC and product-focused ads to more advanced formats.
• Work with AI-assisted animation, 3D visuals or other advanced techniques as required.
• Take ownership of creative running on campaigns with significant advertising spend, where ROI is measurable.

Skills

Direct-response

Performance marketing

Editing ads

Analytics

Tools

AI-assisted animation

3D visuals

Job description

About the Company

We are a leading creative advertising agency specialising in high-performing User Generated Content (UGC) and direct-response advertising for e-commerce and D2C brands across platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

We operate in a highly competitive, results-driven creative environment where performance matters. Ads are backed by significant media spend, with individual creatives contributing to campaigns spending $100,000+ per month. Performance is monitored closely, with daily results tracked through a "Premier League"-style leaderboard.

This is an opportunity for designers who thrive on seeing a direct connection between their creative work and real business results. The focus is not simply on producing visually appealing ads — it is on creating creative that captures attention, drives engagement and, most importantly, generates sales.

The Role

We are looking for two experienced Senior Direct Response Designers to join our creative team.

This is a performance-first role for highly experienced creatives who understand the principles behind successful direct-response advertising and can apply them independently from day one.

You will be responsible for producing high-converting ads, analysing their performance and using real campaign data to continuously refine and improve your creative approach. You should be comfortable working with metrics such as hook rates and retention curves and translating those insights into stronger creative iterations.

This is a fast-paced, high-visibility role where your work will have a measurable and direct impact on campaign performance and revenue.

Key Responsibilities

• Edit fast-paced, engaging and conversion-focused ads for e-commerce and D2C brands.

• Create strong product demonstrations and action-driven creative designed to capture attention and drive sales.

• Analyse campaign performance data, including hook rates and retention curves, to identify opportunities for creative improvement.

• Use performance insights to test, refine and iterate on creative concepts.

• Produce a variety of direct-response ad styles, from simple, high-converting UGC and product-focused ads to more advanced creative formats.

• Work with AI-assisted animation, Pixar-style animation with lip-syncing, 3D anatomical visualisations and claymation or stop-motion-style product integration where required.

• Work within a highly competitive, performance-driven creative environment where results are tracked daily.

• Take ownership of creative running on campaigns with significant advertising spend, where creative decisions have a direct and measurable impact on ROI.

Skills & Experience

We are looking for a highly experienced direct-response creative with a proven background in performance marketing.

The ideal candidate will have:

• 5–10 years of experience editing direct-response ads for e-commerce and D2C brands.

• Strong, demonstrated experience creating creative specifically designed to drive conversions and sales.

• A deep understanding of direct-response principles, including hooks, pacing, product demonstration and action-oriented editing.

• Experience analysing and interpreting creative performance data, including hook rates and retention curves.

• The ability to use performance insights to inform creative decisions and improve future iterations.

• A strong portfolio demonstrating a broad range of advertising styles and formats.

• Experience with advanced creative techniques such as AI-assisted animation, 3D or visual effects, animation, or claymation/stop-motion-style product integration is highly desirable.

• The ability to work independently, manage feedback and iterate quickly.

• A comfortable working style within a fast-paced, high-performance and metrics-driven environment.

Please note that this is a senior-level role. Candidates should already have a strong understanding of direct-response advertising principles and be able to contribute immediately, as training in direct-response fundamentals will not be provided.

Contract & Opportunity

• Two positions are currently available.

• Compensation is competitive and flexible for exceptional, senior-level talent.

• The role also includes a performance-based bonus structure, tied to a percentage of the advertising revenue generated.

• The client is actively sourcing candidates through multiple recruitment partners, so a strong and efficient candidate shortlist is essential.

• There may be an opportunity to place an additional strong candidate with a related client if suitable talent is identified during the recruitment process.

• Working hours and time zone requirements will be confirmed prior to candidate submission.

If you are an experienced direct-response creative who enjoys combining creative thinking with performance data — and you want your work to have a measurable impact on revenue — this is an opportunity to work on high-budget campaigns in a highly competitive creative environment.

$2,500 - $3,500 a month