VML

Creative Director, Art and Design

VML$100K — $230K *
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Proven Creative Director experience in an agency environment.
  • High-caliber portfolio showcasing brand identity, packaging, and campaign design.
  • Track record of managing and mentoring large creative teams.
  • Exceptional client-facing skills with experience presenting to C-suite stakeholders.
  • Comfortable working within the highly regulated tobacco industry.
  • Willingness to accommodate occasional travel.

Responsibilities

  • Lead, mentor, and empower a creative team of art directors, designers, and copywriters.
  • Own creative direction and execution across multiple accounts to enhance brand growth.
  • Confidently articulate and defend creative concepts to executive-level clients.
  • Collaborate with strategy, account management, and production to ensure work aligns with objectives.
  • Innovate within regulatory constraints to deliver compliant and standout creative solutions.
  • Maintain premium design standards across all deliverables.
  • Lead the creation of conceptual campaigns across various media to build cohesive brand experiences.

Benefits

  • Competitive benefits package.
  • Hybrid work approach with an average of four days in office per week.
Full Job Description
Who We Are Looking For

Passport Brand Design, a VML company and part of the WPP network, is seeking a forward-thinking Creative Director of Art & Design to lead a talented, large-scale team of art directors and designers. As a globally respected premium brand agency, we rely on this senior leadership role to drive conceptual and design excellence across brand identity, packaging, and campaign design.

As part of the WPP network, Passport Brand Design is committed to a Human First approach. You will bring this to life by deeply investing in the growth of your team, helping them translate technological and creative capabilities into meaningful, high-impact outcomes for our clients.

Please note: This role primarily supports creative work within the tobacco industry. We share this upfront to ensure transparency and alignment with your personal preferences and comfort level.
What You'll Do
  • Lead and Inspire: Mentor, manage, and empower a team of art directors, designers, and copywriters, fostering a culture of creative excellence that elevates the agency's overall output.
  • Drive Creative Vision: Own the creative direction and execution across multiple simultaneous accounts, delivering premium brand identity, packaging, and integrated campaign designs that drive measurable brand growth.
  • Present with Confidence: Articulate and defend creative concepts to executive-level clients with clarity, conviction, and strategic grounding to build trust and consensus.
  • Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner closely with strategy, account management, and production teams to ensure all work is strategically sound, flawlessly executed, and aligned with business objectives.
  • Embrace Constraints: Navigate the nuances of a highly regulated industry, using parameters as a catalyst to deliver innovative, compliant, and standout creative solutions.
  • Champion Standards: Act as a steward of the agency's premium design standards, ensuring consistency, craft, and quality across all deliverables.
  • Execute Conceptually: Lead the creation of strong conceptual campaigns across print, out-of-home, digital, experiential, and activations to build cohesive brand experiences.
Who You Are
  • A strategic, curious problem-solver who can distill complex category rules into elegant, compelling design systems.
  • An empathetic leader who builds trust, champions collaboration, and creates an inclusive space for creatives to do their best work.
  • A bold idea-driver who is comfortable with ambiguity and has the conviction to push for exceptional, high-impact work, even within regulated spaces.
What You'll Need
  • Proven Creative Director experience within an agency environment, with a demonstrated ability to orchestrate and manage creative workflows.
  • A compelling, high-caliber portfolio demonstrating exceptional craft in brand identity, packaging, and campaign design.
  • A proven track record of managing, mentoring, and developing large creative teams.
  • Exceptional client-facing skills, including experience presenting to and aligning with C-suite stakeholders.
  • Comfort and willingness to work on tobacco industry accounts.
  • Willingness and ability to accommodate occasional required travel.


The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click WPP Benefits for more details.

$100,000-$230,000 USD

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we've adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

About VML

VML is a global marketing and advertising agency. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. VML provides a wide range of services including brand strategy, creative design, social media, and e-commerce. The company has worked with several high-profile clients including Ford, PepsiCo, and Wendy's. VML has won numerous awards for its innovative marketing campaigns and has been recognized as one of the top advertising agencies in the world.
Learn more about VML
Size
3,000 employees
Industry

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