About the Role:We're seeking a Creative Director with a strong track record of strategic brand stewardship and hands-on creative leadership. You will own and evolve our visual identity, lead a small internal studio (designer, video producer, and contract photographer) and supervise an external agency for private-label packaging. This role blends strategic vision with execution across digital/physical touchpoints, including paid and organic social, email design systems, motion graphics, landing pages, photography, and packaging. You'll partner cross-functional teams to define and elevate a cohesive brand vision, foster team growth, and ensure consistent delivery at scale. Weekly presence in our Bushwick photo studio is expected, with a focus on mentorship and scalable processes in a fast-paced startup environment.
Responsibilities:- People Leadership and Career Development
- Directly manage a creative team, overseeing performance, growth, and workloads.
- Coach for career development, provide ongoing feedback, set objectives, and create development plans aligned with company goals.
- Foster a collaborative, inclusive creative culture; mentor direct reports and product design team members (dotted line relationship) and elevate overall design craft and storytelling.
- Brand Stewardship and Creative Leadership
- Own and evolve the visual identity system: brand guidelines, typography, color, grids, imagery, iconography, and motion language; ensure brand consistency across all channels.
- Lead and supervise external creative production partners (including agencies freelancers for TV, OOH and other activations) for private-label packaging, including briefs, milestones, QA, and final approvals.
- Translate brand strategy into compelling concepts and executions that drive business outcomes.
- Creative Direction and Oversight
- Set strategic direction for digital campaigns (organic and paid), email design systems, landing pages, and motion assets; align with Product, Marketing, Merchandising, and overall business goals and collaborate closely with UX designers on the Product team.
- Review, critique, and approve concepts and deliverables across formats; uphold a high standard of polish and consistency.
- Packaging Leadership (Scaled Emphasis)
- Oversee private-label packaging projects as part of a broader brand program; collaborate with external partners and internal teams to ensure packaging aligns with brand narrative and production requirements.
- Ensure package design balances quality shelf impact with the creative needs of a digital first business.
- Visual Design and Execution
- Create and curate high-quality visual assets across digital campaigns, social, storefront, internal comms, and photography.
- Plan and direct photo shoots, including shot lists, prop sourcing, and on-set direction; tell compelling brand stories through imagery.
- Digital and Interactive Design
- Lead design for email systems, landing pages, and motion graphics; collaborate with Product on performance considerations for landing pages (conversion, accessibility, responsive design).
- Maintain consistent design language across motion assets and interactive experiences.
- Collaboration and Leadership
- Partner with the Content Director and other brand marketing team members to develop integrated campaigns and maintain unified branding.
- Lead design reviews, provide actionable feedback, and mentor the design and video team; foster a proactive, collaborative environment.
- Production and Process
- Define and optimize workflows, timelines, and quality controls for internal work and external agencies.
- Maintain asset libraries, version control, and documentation of brand standards.
Skills & Qualifications:- 8-10 years of experience in visual design/creative leadership, with direct-to-consumer brand experience (agency or in-house) and packaging-focused work.
- A standout portfolio demonstrating leadership-level visual design across digital, email, motion, and editorial formats, with a proven track record of elevating brand systems.
- Deep expertise in typography, layout, grids, color theory, and visual storytelling.
- Proven experience designing for paid and organic social, email design systems, landing pages, out-of-home, and motion graphics; interest or experience with packaging regulations, print production, and private label branding is a plus.
- Experience planning and directing photo/food shoots.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma; After Effects or equivalent motion design skills strongly preferred.
- Substantial experience leading and managing external agencies/freelancers, with excellent briefing, milestone management, and QA.
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills; capable of leading cross-functional initiatives and providing/receiving constructive feedback.
- Ability to manage multiple, complex projects with tight timelines in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Motion design fluency (basic to advanced) for social and product storytelling and TV experience is a plus.
- Knowledge of design systems and scalable component libraries for web and email.
What We Offer:- High-impact role shaping the brand's visual identity and production quality across digital surfaces, print and OOH, and packaging, with a clear path to broader leadership.
- Collaborative, purpose-driven culture with opportunities to influence product and brand strategy.
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and room to grow into senior leadership responsibilities.
Details of Position & Benefits:- Salary range: $140k-$150k
- Full-time exempt position
- Salary and employee stock options commensurate with experience
- Unlimited PTO
- Multiple health, dental, and vision plan options
- Life Insurance
- 401K plan
