Associate Creative Director or Creative Director

JDO Global•New York, NY

143d•$120,000 - $220,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re growing our JDO New York team – and we’re looking for exceptional talent to join us. Our Brand Design studio sits on sunny Madison Avenue, home to a tight-knit, high-performing team that combines boutique energy with global impact. JDO may feel intimate day-to-day – collaborative, hands-on, creatively ambitious – but we’re also part of one of the world’s most respected independent creative networks. That means big thinking, global reach, and serious opportunity, without the constraints of shareholder-led decision making. We work with some of the world’s best-loved and most trusted brands, from billion-dollar global icons to ambitious craft start-ups. Our portfolio spans household names in spirits, beauty, and personal care, alongside emerging challengers shaping the future of their categories. It’s the kind of client mix that demands world-class thinking and gives you the chance to make work that genuinely lands in culture. We're small but mighty! Our North America business has strong foundations and real momentum. We’re not starting from scratch; we’re building from strength. And as we grow, we’re being incredibly selective about who joins us. We’re looking for the very best US talent: people who want to do outstanding work in a team where every individual truly matters. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who thrives in a close, ambitious environment – someone excited by the idea of being a big fish in a small pond. You’ll have visibility, influence, and the chance to shape what comes next. As the agency grows, so will your career. A genuine opportunity to be part of a team on the ascent: ambitious, restless, and uncompromising about the talent we bring in. You could be an emerging ACD or an established CD (hence the wide salary band) – if you’re driven, creatively sharp, and ready to build something special, we’d love to talk. We’re looking for a branding and packaging creative powerhouse to lead our New York studio through bold thinking and crafted excellence. As confident on the tools as you are directing work across time zones and geographies, you’ll thrive in a small, ambitious team and enjoy working with innovative clients on projects across CPG, beauty, regulated industries and alcohol. You’ll play a key role in shaping our culture, defining brand futures and strengthening JDO’s creative reputation in the industry. You’re a magnetic creative leader: bold in your thinking, generous in your leadership and trusted across the board. You drive creative excellence by holding the vision and lifting others to reach it with you. You see further – beyond the brief, beyond the project – and you bring people with you through clarity, care and conviction. You’re as emotionally intelligent as you are creatively astute, and you lead by inspiring belief in what’s possible.

Requirements

Standout portfolio of branding and packaging work.
Ambition to grow your impact, motivated by the opportunity to help grow a studio and its reputation.
Experience leading projects end to end.
Experience setting creative direction.
Earned trust from both clients and teams.
Significant packaging experience.
Confidence on the tools.
Ability to direct work across time zones and geographies.
Experience working with innovative clients on projects across CPG, beauty, regulated industries and alcohol.

Nice To Haves

Established Creative Director level experience.

Responsibilities

Creative thinking & crafting excellence: Lead from the centre, setting the tone for creative output across key projects and accounts. Guide teams toward big ideas, brave executions and design that leaves a mark. Uphold the creative bar while creating space for others to contribute and grow. Lead by example in AI integration, guiding teams in its use for speed, scale and distinction, while protecting the soul of the work.
Strategic & brand alignment: Connect brand ambition to creative expression. Hold the client’s broader goals in view and steer creative thinking to meet them with impact and imagination. Bring perspective, challenge constructively and help clarify the real opportunity behind the brief.
Studio process & project delivery: Help shape how work moves: setting up teams for flow, reviewing with purpose, and stepping in where leadership is needed most. Work closely with Studio Management, Strategy and Client Partnership to ensure the creative process is structured to deliver clarity, energy and excellence.
Team collaboration & contribution: Set the tone, creating an environment where creativity, respect and energy thrive. Be visible, approachable and generous with your time. Help the team feel proud of the work and proud of how we work together.
Leadership & mentoring: Support and develop your team by offering clarity, coaching and belief. Empower others to take ownership, while staying present and supportive. Make space for growth and bring people with you.
Commercial acumen: Guide the commercial shape of creative delivery, from fee structure and resourcing to scoping and growth planning. Balance creative ambition with viability, and help your teams understand the value they’re creating. Protect space for great work by managing scope smartly and advocating for creative integrity with commercial understanding.