Creative Director

WHY DEPT®?

We are pioneers at heart. What this means, is that we are always leaning forward, thinking of what we can create tomorrow that does not exist today. We were born digital and we are a new model of agency, with a deep skillset in tech and marketing. That’s why we hire curious, self-driven, talented people who never stop innovating.

Our culture is big enough to cope and small enough to care. Meaning, that with people across 20+ countries, we’re big enough to provide you with the best tools, global opportunities, and benefits that help you thrive. While acting small by investing in you, your growth, your team, and giving you the autonomy to solve our clients' problems, no matter where you are in the world. 

ABOUT YOU

We’re looking for a super talented, team-first, social-media and paid digital media-savvy Creative Director, Copy to lead a large, always-on organic social account for a major e-commerce brand. This person must have previous experience leading an always-on social account in an agency setting. In an ideal world, you have a copywriting/editorial background with deep knowledge in production (spanning from event coverage to live action shoots), community management, influencer work, and extensive full-funnel paid digital media experience. You will be working closely with and guiding a team of social strategists, copywriters, art directors, designers, video editors, influencer managers, and producers—to name a few. Team development will be a priority, so you should have countless rave reviews from past direct reports, with words like supportive, collaborative, driven, inspiring, boundary-pushing, and creative visionary being used to describe you.

Beyond rolling up your sleeves and steering a high volume of content in the day-to-day of an always-on social account, you will serve as conceptual lead for paid digital campaign work—leading ideation and overseeing the rollout of everything from upper funnel creator activation to programmatic performance media. You’ll also be working closely with our Business Director and other key leaders in a more strategic and global capacity, representing creative at the highest level and ensuring brand cohesion and synergy across the many workstreams and teams who touch this key account daily, and globally. Because this particular account has grown so rapidly in the past year, we need someone who can handle both the larger, more strategic bird’s eye view conversations as well as the on-the-ground work. We’re looking for a CD who feels just as confident feedbacking on social concepts and meeting 1:1 with c-suite clients as they are leading global team brainstorms, pitching bold, brief-shaking ideas, and overseeing million-dollar, off-site productions.

Building client relationships should come very natural to you, and you should have a track record of nurturing those partner relationships—earning trust quickly, selling through additional work, and ultimately growing past accounts.

As is the case with every other CD on our dynamic team, this CD will lead with great ideas that cut through the crowded social media landscape. You’ll have a strong POV on what makes for great content with our audience, and you’ll work daily across disciplines to achieve that vision. You’ll be the guiding force behind the overall creative direction and team culture, and will help to define standards and set the team’s tone.

We believe cultural relevance is essential to successful organic content. This CD should have a keen eye for trends on social and behaviors that drive them. You must live and breathe social and stay up to date on best practices, new platform features, and emerging platforms in the industry. 

This CD will manage several direct reports, so we’re looking for someone who has not just led big teams before, but is known for bringing out the best in them. Deep leadership experience and a reputation for nurturing talent is mandatory.

You will report into our Group Director, Creative (Copy).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Creative Director will bring an entrepreneurial spirit to their role, and will unite and inspire teams in order to elevate our overall creative work.

• Lead a day-to-day, multidisciplinary creative team
• Help teams execute a high volume of high-quality, conceptual creative work across social and display on a monthly basis
• Serve as conceptual lead on larger campaign moments
• Guide brand partners and teams as they navigate social and cultural trends
• Exercise vision to identify meaty opportunities for clients and for our business
• Build strong, trusting relationships with key client partners and account and design leads
• Articulate solutions that solve clients’ business challenges
• Creative impeccable decks that tell stories and sell through ideas
• Present flawlessly and impactfully
• Develop content plans that effectively engage audiences 
• Partner with leadership to build project teams that consistently exceed expectations
• Encourage collaboration among disciplines and agency teams
• Implement smooth production processes and ideal ways of working
• Establish clear roles and responsibilities within the team 
• Manage several direct reports
• Invest in developing emerging talent
• Play a key role in new business pitches

SKILLS AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE 

• 3+ years of experience as a CD (or similar creative leadership role) 
• 10+ years of experience at a social or digital creative agency
• Experience leading a multidisciplinary, social-first creative team
• Background in copywriting or social strategy
• Proven experience developing, executing, and winning awards for digital-native campaigns
• Astute copywriting and design sense
• Deep tech experience and understanding of innovative platforms 
• Social native (lives and breathes social media and knows platform best practices by heart) 
• Expert knowledge of community management 
• Expert knowledge of influencer marketing
• Expert knowledge of production
• Experience working with key stakeholders at global brands
• Expert builder of client relationships
• A solutions-oriented, entrepreneurial mindset
• An ability to be hands-on on multiple projects at once
• Experience mentoring and managing direct reports
• Charismatic presentation skills, comfort in client settings
• Expertise at building polished, client-ready presentations in Google Slides
• Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail
• Stellar interpersonal and listening skills

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our  benefits package:

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

The anticipated salary range for this position based on locations are listed below. Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, expertise, physical location, and organizational impact. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and leveling. Keep in mind, we’re flexible.

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step. 

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

DEPT® is a pioneering technology and marketing services company that creates integrated end-to-end digital experiences for brands such as Google, KFC, Philips, Audi, Twitch, Patagonia, eBay and more. Its team of 2,500+ digital specialists across 30+ locations on 5 continents delivers pioneering work on a global scale with a boutique culture. 

Learn more about DEPT®

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. 

We also encourage you  to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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