Associate Creative Director

Job Description

The Associate Creative Director (ACD) is responsible for leading the creative work that is  produced on two or three accounts, depending on the account size. This leadership role includes assigning teams, inspiring those teams to consistently product exceptional concepts and final work, and working closely with account management to ensure that our clients are satisfied with the quality of our creative work, the value of our services, and our responsiveness to their needs. 

Specifically, the ACD, Copy has the following responsibilities: 

Creative/Hands-on Work (40%) 

• Help develop and review creative briefs that provide strategic insight and creative inspiration 
• Work with ACD, Art to produce standout and strategically focused concepts and campaigns 
• Take on appropriate projects and own them, start to finish 
• Manage and work independently, under tight deadlines, while juggling multiple projects 
• Estimate copy hours 
• Participate in client meetings  
• Lead concept presentations 
• Attend market research as appropriate 
• Share responsibility with planning to shape strategic branding 

Management (30%) 

• Assign creative teams best suited for each project based on ability and workload 
• Manage workloads to maximize productivity of the copy team, ensuring that everyone is busy and billable 
• Work closely with art, editorial and traffic departments to ensure that deadlines and budgets are met 
• Provide written and face-to-face feedback for annual performance reviews, as well as ongoing feedback throughout the year (written when requested) 
• Identify and Interview prospective creative candidates 

Leadership (30%) 

• Become the creative voice for your accounts 
• Develop good relationships with your clients 
• Work with account management to grow our business at existing clients 
• Work with creative management to address performance, workflow, and quality issues and develop long-range plans for the creative group 
• Lead the creative teams in development of concepts and execution of all projects  
• Assure that all copywriters are trained and, where needed, mentored to maintain the standards and expectations of the agency and the client, and to meet their own career goals 
• Demonstrate to clients that you understand their products and marketing challenges and are responsive to the strategic and creative needs 
• Represent the agency at client meetings and social events as appropriate 

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ agency experience 
• BA degree (Advertising, Communications, Fine Arts or related field preferred) 
• A proven track record of creative ability and judgment, successful client contact experience, the ability to work collaboratively with account management, excellent presentation skills, successful experience in managing creative teams and multiple accounts, and the commitment to go the extra mile in time and effort to produce the very best work