Associate Creative Director or Creative Director

JDO Global•New York, NY

37d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an Associate Creative Director or Creative Director to join our growing JDO New York team. Our Brand Design studio, located on Madison Avenue, is a collaborative, high-performing team with a boutique feel and global reach as part of a respected independent creative network. We work with a diverse range of clients, from global icons to craft start-ups, across spirits, beauty, personal care, and emerging categories. This role offers the opportunity to be a significant player in a growing North American business, contributing to shaping the studio's culture and creative reputation. We are looking for talented individuals who thrive in ambitious environments and are ready to build something special.

Requirements

Creative powerhouse to lead our New York studio through bold thinking and crafted excellence.
Confident on the tools.
Able to direct work across time zones and geographies.
Thrive in a small, ambitious team.
Enjoy working with innovative clients on branding and packaging projects across CPG, beauty, regulated industries, and alcohol.
Play a key role in shaping our culture, defining brand futures, and strengthening JDO’s creative reputation in the industry.
Magnetic creative leader: bold in your thinking, generous in your leadership, and trusted across the board.
Drive creative excellence by holding the vision and lifting others to reach it.
See further – beyond the brief, beyond the project – and bring people with you through clarity, care, and conviction.
Emotionally intelligent as you are creatively astute.
Lead by inspiring belief in what’s possible.
Operating at Associate Creative Director level, with a standout portfolio and the ambition to grow your impact.
Motivated by the opportunity to help grow a studio and its reputation.
Led projects end to end.
Set creative direction.
Earned trust from both clients and teams.
Established Creative Directors are also welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

Lead from the center, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.