Creative Director, Design / Art Direction
thelab | Digital Advertising Agency | New York, NY (Hybrid)
The Role
We're looking for a Creative Director with exquisite design sensibility and the strategic thinking to back it up. This is a net-new leadership role dedicated to one of thelab's most prestigious accounts, a luxury brand operating across a fully integrated marketing ecosystem where the creative bar is high and the opportunity is significant.
You'll report to the ECD team and work alongside a cross-capability group that includes paid social strategists, organic social strategists, brand strategists, and a Director of Project Management. You'll be in the room with the client regularly, so presence, a clear point of view, and the ability to articulate creative decisions with confidence are essential.
What You'll Do
Creative Leadership
- Own the full creative direction vision across all channels and touchpoints, including art direction, design, and copy, ensuring a cohesive and elevated brand aesthetic
- Concept, develop, and oversee creative across TV/CTV, paid social, organic social, experiential, retail, and trade environments
- Work with and provide clear, confident direction to copywriters as a true creative partner
- Maintain a high standard of craft at every stage, from early concepting through final execution
- Lead and mentor a small but growing team of designers and copywriters (3-5 direct reports), fostering a culture of ambition, collaboration, and creative rigor
Strategy & Integration
- Think at the account level, with a clear understanding of business objectives, audience dynamics, and how creative drives results across the full marketing ecosystem
- Collaborate closely with paid and organic social strategists, brand strategy, and the ECD team to ensure creative is integrated and purposeful across every channel
- Bring a point of view to briefs, not just an execution, and push thinking upstream when the work calls for it
Client Partnership
- Serve as a primary creative voice in client presentations and ongoing creative reviews, building trust and credibility with the client team
- Articulate creative decisions clearly and confidently, and navigate feedback with both openness and conviction
- Help grow the relationship through the quality of the work and the strength of the partnership
Production
- Lead and oversee shoot production for campaign and content work, with a strong eye for casting, set design, photography, and film direction
- Partner with production and project management to deliver ambitious creative on time and on budget
What You Bring
- 10-12 years of design and art direction experience, with significant time at an agency working on integrated brand campaigns
- A portfolio that demonstrates exquisite design taste, elevated, considered, and channel-fluent
- Deep experience across TV/CTV, paid social, organic social, experiential, and retail
- Proven experience with luxury brands and a clear understanding of the visual language, restraint, and standard of craft that luxury demands
- Strong shoot production experience; comfortable on set and skilled at getting the most out of a production
- A history of thinking strategically at the account level, not just executional excellence
- Experience managing, inspiring, and developing a team of creatives
- Exceptional client-facing skills; confident, compelling, and collaborative in the room
- Comfort working within a cross-capability team and a clear understanding of how design functions within a fully integrated program
Nice to Have
- Experience with luxury appliance, home goods, or premium lifestyle categories
- Familiarity with trade marketing as an audience (designers, architects, specifiers)
Hybrid - in Madison Square office Tues-Thurs
Benefits include health/vision/dental with Anthem BCBS, 401k match, unlimited PTO and pretty great snacks
Salary of $165,000-$175,000 commensurate with experience
