Associate Creative Director, Design

Our client is seeking a skilled Associate Creative Director, Design to join their team with a focus on Auto, Renters, Home, and Specialty Insurance. Insurance experience is a nice-to-have skill. The role is Contract-to-Hire and is on a hybrid schedule (3 days in office; 2 remote).
This role blends hands-on design leadership with creative direction, partnering closely with marketing and cross-functional teams to deliver impactful brand and campaign work across channels to produce high-impact, high-quality content that drives traffic, engagement, and conversions for our Auto, Renters, Home, and Specialty Insurance initiatives. This is a direct hire role with our client and is on a hybrid schedule (3 days in office; 2 remote).
W2 hourly rate range is $70.00 - $80.00 | Manhattan, NY
Salary range upon conversion is : $135K - $150K | Manhattan, NY

SUMMARY:
Join the team behind one of the most beloved brands in the country. Organization sets a high bar for excellence, bringing together business acumen, strategic insights, and collaborative culture to develop best-in-class work that is disruptive, resonant, and built to perform.
Within that organization, the Creative Studio brings the brand to life through bold, insight-driven storytelling and design that shape how millions experience it every day. Wherever the brand shows up, our designers and writers pair strong ideas with exceptional craft to create work that is compelling, consistent, and impactful, whether in a major campaign or an everyday expression.
As an Associate Creative Director, Design, you will both create and guide high-quality design that supports the brand in powerful and effective ways. You will contribute directly to key projects while also providing direction, feedback, and support that help elevate the work of the broader Creative Studio team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Lead the development of thoughtful, high-quality design solutions across a wide range of marketing and business needs.
* Contribute directly to key creative projects, concepting and designing work that is strategically grounded, visually compelling, and aligned to brand standards.
* Provide day-to-day creative direction, feedback, and support to designers, helping elevate the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of work across and beyond the team.
* Partner with marketing and internal clients to understand business goals, clarify project needs, and translate them into clear, actionable creative approaches.
* Guide design across multiple projects at once, balancing priorities, maintaining momentum, and ensuring strong execution from concept through final delivery.
* Help uphold and evolve brand standards, contributing to the ongoing development of brand guidelines, design systems, and best practices across the brand.
* Review and refine creative work to ensure it meets a high bar for craft, clarity, consistency, and strategic impact before escalating for senior creative review.
* Collaborate closely with writers and other creative partners to develop integrated ideas and cohesive brand expressions.
* Partner with cross-functional stakeholders beyond marketing as needed to support high-visibility initiatives that benefit from strong creative thinking.
* Identify opportunities to improve creative workflows, strengthen team efficiency, and enhance how design work is developed and delivered.
* Explore new tools, technologies, and emerging creative tech - in addition to the adoption of AI - that can improve creative output, streamline processes, and support team effectiveness.

REQUIREMENTS:
* BA/BS degree in graphic design, visual communications, or a related field.
* 7+ years of experience in design or art direction, preferably within an in-house creative team, agency, or brand-led organization.
* Strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design craft, strategic thinking, and the ability to develop compelling brand work across a range of formats and channels.
* Proven experience leading design across multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining a high standard of quality and consistency.
* Experience providing creative direction and actionable feedback to designers or other creative contributors.
* Strong understanding of brand systems, campaign development, and digital design.
* Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite & Figma, and familiarity with AI prompt writing and collaboration tools used to develop and review creative work.

QUALIFICATIONS:
* Ability to translate business objectives and marketing strategies into clear, effective visual solutions.
* Familiarity with performance marketing, campaign development, and digital-first creative.
* Sound creative judgment, with the ability to make thoughtful decisions, manage tradeoffs, and know when to escalate for alignment.
* Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a proven ability to partner effectively with marketing teams, internal clients, and creative peers.
* Comfort working in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and a high volume of projects.
* Adept at providing meaningful creative feedback that elevates the work and those that do it.
* A hands-on approach to design, with the ability to both create strong work personally and help elevate the work of others.

PREFERRED:
* Experience working within a large enterprise marketing or brand environment.
* Experience working within enterprise project management tools such as Wrike or Workfront.
* Experience helping uphold and evolve brand guidelines, visual systems, or design standards across a complex organization.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.