Associate Creative Director

5 Hundred Degrees Design Studio • Columbus, OH

2d

About The Position

At 500�, we create bold, strategic, and culturally relevant work for some of the biggest brands in the world. We’re looking for an Associate Creative Director who can own exceptional creative work from concept through execution while helping shape the next chapter of our growing team. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives equally as a maker, mentor, and creative operator. You’ll lead projects across brand systems, campaigns, customer experiences, presentations, and integrated marketing initiatives while partnering closely with account, strategy, production, and executive leadership teams. The right person for this role brings elevated design craft, strong creative instincts, and a sharp eye for detail. You know how to guide teams, build client trust, and move work forward in a fast-paced agency environment. You should be comfortable presenting ideas in the boardroom one moment and refining layouts in Adobe the next. This is not a �direct from a distance� creative leadership role. At 500�, all of our creative leaders stay close to the work, helping teams sharpen ideas, strengthen execution, and raise the creative standard across all touchpoints.

Requirements

• 10+ years of related experience with 3+ years in creative leadership
• Strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design craft and conceptual thinking. Strong typography, composition, hierarchy, and storytelling skills.
• Deep understanding of consumer-facing brands, integrated marketing, and customer experience
• Experience leading projects from concept through production and launch, with a proven ability to move fluidly between strategic leadership and hands-on execution
• Confidence presenting to clients and senior stakeholders
• Strong attention to detail and high standards for creative quality
• Expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Keynote
• Experience collaborating with photo/video production teams
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% as needed for clients, shoots, production, or industry events

Nice To Haves

• QSR or restaurant category experience
• Experience with merchandising, environmental design systems, motion/ animation, or experiential campaign experience
• Familiarity with emerging technologies and AI-assisted workflows

Responsibilities

• Lead creative work. Develop strategic concepts, campaigns, and experiences while leading projects from kickoff through execution. Ensure work is both creatively ambitious and grounded in business objectives.
• Lead through craft. Stay deeply involved by contributing to design execution, elevating visual quality and attention to detail, and setting the creative standard through hands-on guidance and feedback.
• Lead teams. This is a managerial role. You’ll mentor and support creative talent through thoughtful direction, collaboration, and accountability.
• Own client relationships. Partner directly with key stakeholders and cross-functional teams to solve business challenges, present work persuasively, and build trust through strategic thinking and creative leadership.
• Drive operational excellence. Manage multiple priorities while maintaining visibility into both the big picture and executional details, ensuring work is polished, organized, and delivered to a high standard.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed