Start-Up Creative Director (Player-Coach)
New York, NY (Hybrid/Onsite)
You must have 6-8 years of experience leading experiential/activation creative teams
About the Opportunity
Our client is an in-house creative agency designed to partner with leading brands across fashion, lifestyle, and culture. You will be working with partnerships and brands to create immersive experiences.
This is a rare opportunity to step into a foundational leadership role , shaping the vision, output, and structure of a modern creative agency within a fast-growing, entrepreneurial environment.
Key Responsibilities
Creative Direction & Vision
- Define and establish the creative vision, visual identity, and conceptual framework for the agency
- Set the standard for all creative output across digital, social, experiential, and retail channels
- Ensure work reflects a strong point of view aligned with brand partners and cultural relevance
- Lead concept development and execution of 360° campaigns
- Actively design, iterate, and produce work alongside the team— especially in this early build phase
- Balance strategic thinking with detail-oriented execution
Client & Brand Partnership
- Partner closely with leadership and cross-functional teams to pitch and execute work for major brand partners
- Present ideas confidently in client-facing environments
- Translate brand objectives into compelling, insight-led creative solutions
Agency Build & Operations
- Establish creative processes, workflows, and systems (asset management, approvals, quality control)
- Build scalable infrastructure to support both current partnerships and future growth
- Define best practices across creative development and delivery
- Recruit, mentor, and lead a lean, high-performing creative team as the agency scales
- Foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture grounded in creative excellence
- Provide clear, actionable feedback to elevate team output
Ideal Candidate
Experience
- Working in experiential/activation industry
- 6–10 years of experience in Art Direction, Design, or Creative leadership
- Open to “step-up” talent—Senior Art Directors ready to take on their first Director-level title
- Thrives in startup or build environments with ambiguity and evolving structure
- Comfortable owning both strategy and execution
- Motivated by the opportunity to build and shape something from the ground up
Cultural Perspective
- Strong pulse on fashion, lifestyle, and contemporary culture
- Instinctive understanding of trends, visual storytelling, and brand relevance