Associate Creative Director / Creative Director

Deeplocal • Pittsburgh, PA

9h • Hybrid

About The Position

Deeplocal creates inspiring moments for brands in the real world, specializing in strategizing, imagining, designing, and fabricating ambitious physical experiences, including immersive installations, interactive environments, and large-scale activations from concept to execution. Their work blends inventive technology, spatial design, and human connection. As part of WPP since 2017, Deeplocal offers a hands-on, culturally-tuned approach to brand experience. The company is seeking an Associate Creative Director / Creative Director to deliver aesthetically beautiful and meaningful physical experiences. The ideal candidate thinks in terms of space, materials, and motion, and has experience building or directing real-world projects. Candidates may come from 3D design, environmental design, strategy, or UX, with a strong understanding of how people interact with designed spaces. While the position is ideally based in their Pittsburgh, PA studio, remote candidates will be considered. This role is suited for someone passionate about culture, eager to experiment with new technologies in physical space, and deeply committed to design quality. The individual should be an exceptional leader of interdisciplinary teams from concept to production, capable of providing critical creative feedback, leading pitches, and solving creative and business challenges with innovative solutions. They should be able to express ideas through physical mockups, mood boards, style-frames, and motion prototypes, delivering highly polished projects. The role requires comfort working on both conceptual and defined briefs, under tight deadlines, and in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Strategic thinking, aesthetic agility for various brands, and a willingness to engage in rapid prototyping and low-fidelity prototypes are also key. The role involves contributing across disciplines such as Physical Design, Brand Strategy, Interactive Design, Experience Design, UI Design, UX Design, Motion Design, Animation, 3D Modeling, Graphic Design, Art Direction, and 2D + 3D Visualization.

Requirements

• A minimum of 8-10 years of experience is typically required for this role
• Advanced proficiency across multiple design disciplines, including 3D modeling, UI/UX, motion design, animation, graphic design, and experience design
• Proven ability to lead interdisciplinary teams from concept through production
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and teams simultaneously while maintaining quality and timelines
• Strong concept development and storytelling skills
• Ability to integrate business objectives and strategic thinking into creative solutions
• Skilled in art direction and experience direction, making key decisions throughout project lifecycles
• Capable of driving big-picture creative vision while ensuring executional excellence
• Ability to lead client presentations, pitches, and workshops
• Skilled at delivering clear, constructive, and actionable creative feedback
• Strong listening skills with the ability to adapt based on client feedback
• Ability to align diverse perspectives into a unified creative vision
• Ability to experiment and push boundaries while staying aligned with project goals and constraints.
• Strong mentorship skills with experience developing and guiding creative talent
• Comfortable acting as both a hands-on contributor and strategic leader

Nice To Haves

• Preference for experience gained in a creative agency or a similar setting

Responsibilities

• Big picture creative that can own and drive complex, multi-disciplinary projects
• Champion the ideas in the room. Inspire and collaborate with Producers, Designers, Engineers and Creative Technologists to create and pitch concepts that are inventive, strategic, help define culture and create meaningful experiences for audiences.
• Flawless oversight of multiple creative teams and projects simultaneously
• Captivating speaker who can own a room, clearly articulate complicated concepts, listen to client feedback and redirect as necessary.
• Lead with the team and make key decisions around experience and visual direction throughout the duration of a project.
• Lead concepting discussions with internal teams and clients, thoroughly explain decisions and processes so that clients not only approve them, but understand why they were made and can share them with colleagues to get further internal buy-in.
• Contribute to the project needs at every stage, including pre-production, production, and on-going engagement.
• Foster emerging and established talent to consistently improve the team.
• Tap into culture and stay up-to-date on emerging trends and technologies.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees