Senior Art Director
Direct Agents is looking for a Senior Art Director to lead the visual and creative direction across a portfolio of client accounts and internal brand initiatives. This role sits at the intersection of strategy and craft-you'll concept, direct, and execute work that moves the needle for ambitious brands, while helping build and scale our in-house creative practice. If you think in campaigns, lead with ideas, and know how to translate business objectives into compelling creative, we want to hear from you. This is a full-time, in-office role based in our NYC headquarters.
CompensationThis contract, NYC based role, pays $40-50/hour depending on experience. Hours are Monday- Thursday 10:00am - 6:30pm.
Key Responsibilities
Creative Strategy and Direction
- Lead creative conception and campaign strategy for new business pitches and existing client accounts
- Work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining project goals, timelines and objectives on track
- Execute high-level design work across digital, print, motion, and spatial mediums.
- Experience leading content campaigns at scale- with a clear visual system holding it together.
- Develop and present cohesive creative visions by translating briefs-from mood boards and wireframes to final executions
- Stay ahead of design trends, platform-native formats, and cultural moments to bring fresh thinking to every project
- Own the pitch process for creative-including concept development, deck design, and live presentation
Production and Quality
- Manage the full creative production process across multiple clients simultaneously-from brief through final delivery-keeping timelines, deliverables, and revision cycles on track
- Lead QA review to ensure all assets meet technical specs, platform requirements, and brand standards before client-facing delivery
- Maintain project tracking in ClickUp (or equivalent), proactively flagging risks before they impact delivery
- Bridge the gap between paid media performance and creative-understanding metrics, budgets, and platform best practices to inform design decisions and adapt assets for performance
Reporting & Insights
- Review monthly client creative performance against KPIs; synthesize findings into clear, actionable client-ready decks
- Develop monthly design trend reports to highlight key opportunities for Direct Agents' clients and inform forward-looking creative strategy
- Work closely with paid media, account, strategy, and development teams to ensure creative is seamlessly executed and aligned with campaign goals
- Represent the creative team on client pitches and presentations as a senior voice for the work
What We're Looking For
- 6+ years of experience in art direction, creative direction, or integrated campaign design-agency experience strongly preferred
- A strong portfolio demonstrating concept-driven creative across digital, social, paid media, and brand campaigns
- Deep fluency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects); Figma experience a plus
- Proven ability to present and sell creative ideas to internal stakeholders and clients
- Strong understanding of paid media ecosystems and how creative decisions affect performance
- Experience managing or mentoring junior designers and directing freelancers
- Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
- Active user of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc.) with hands-on experience applying them to creative workflows-from concepting and ideation to production efficiency
- Familiarity with project management tools (ClickUp, Asana, etc.) and Google Workspace
Benefits- Regular performance reviews with quarterly growth path check-ins
- Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and mental health benefits (One Medical, Talkspace, KindBody, Health Advocate)
- 15-24 days PTO/year depending on seniority, plus birthday off, 7 sick/safe days, and up to 12 weeks paid parental leave
- New MacBook Pro and access to cutting-edge AI tools across the agency
- Sun-drenched penthouse Acceleration Hub on 5th Avenue in Flatiron-with commuter benefits and Citibike membership
- Dog-friendly office, regular team events (Field Day, Ski Club, Golf League, holiday celebrations), and a culture built around ownership and ambition
Location: This role is based in our NYC headquarters. You must reside or be willing to relocate within commuting distance.
