Art Director - Experiential & Live Activations

THE ROLE & THE TEAM

We’re looking for an Art Director to bring brand worlds to life through unforgettable physical experiences. You’ll bring bold ideas to life from concept to live activation, bridging physical spaces with integrated campaigns and contemporary culture across fashion, beauty, and sport.

WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO

• Develop and execute experiential concepts, visual identities, and guest journeys for live events and campaign extensions.
• Translate brand storytelling and campaign mechanics into 3D ideas that drive engagement and earned media.
• Connect with contemporary culture and creative communities, identifying relevant tastemakers and talent for activations.
• Create bold ideas, moodboards, spatial treatments, and pitch decks that merge client goals with progressive aesthetics.
• Brief and collaborate with 3D visualizers, scenographers, and prop stylists to translate 2D concepts into tangible 3D spaces.
• Lead on-site creative direction for intimate to mid-scale events, and support senior leads on major activations during setup and live days.
• Present creative ideas and spatial narratives clearly to clients and internal teams, articulating choices and taking in feedback.
• Collaborate closely with experiential producers, set designers, AV teams, and strategists from brief to live activation.

WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF

• You bring 4+ years of experiential Art Direction experience, ideally in a creative agency or studio.
• You have a strong portfolio of executed physical spaces across fashion, beauty, or sport, demonstrating solid spatial craft.
• You understand how live activations connect with multi-platform campaigns, translating brand stories into physical journeys.
• You have a sharp instinct for culture and creative communities, with a genuine curiosity for emerging talent.
• You understand spatial flow, materials, and lighting, with an eye for designing content-ready moments.
• You have hands-on experience working with set designers and builders, staying calm and solution-oriented on-site.
• You communicate confidently, articulating spatial concepts clearly to teams and clients.
• You are organized, resilient under event deadlines, and proactive in solving production challenges on the fly.
• You are fluent in English.

OUR OFFER

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.

• Employee shares program
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Hybrid working model with up to 60% remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration
• Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year
• 27 days of vacation a year to start for full-time employees
• Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
• Family services, including counseling and support
• Health and wellbeing options (including Wellhub, formerly Gympass)
• Mental health support and coaching available
• Drive your development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce - one that is inclusive by design. We only assess candidates based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We welcome applications from people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, personal expressions, racial identities, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and disability statuses. We only want to know why you’re great for this role, so please avoid including your picture, age, and marital status in your CV as well.

We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Please feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support and assist you throughout the hiring process.

do.BETTER - our diversity & inclusion strategy: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion