Associate Creative Director

Adelphi Group•New York, NY

8d•$130,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Some creative leaders direct from a distance. You don't. As an Associate Creative Director at Critical Mass, you're in it — concepting, art directing, refining, and making the work better at every stage. You sell ideas you believe in. You push back when the work deserves better. You lead with taste and intention, bringing a high visual standard and a genuine point of view to every project. And you do all of it with a deep visual vocabulary shaped by genuine curiosity about culture, design, art, and the world. You build creative leadership the same way you build great work: through craft, through standards, and through the people you bring up alongside you.

Requirements

5+ years of creative experience in an agency or equivalent environment, with a focus on art direction, design, and campaign work
A portfolio that leads with visual craft and conceptual thinking: strong, distinctive work across brand, campaign, digital experience, and content, showing how your art direction serves the idea
A sharp, informed aesthetic sensibility shaped by genuine engagement with design, culture, and the world around you
Experience presenting and selling creative work to clients, with the communication skills and confidence to bring a room along
A working command of design systems at the visual and campaign level. You know how to apply and elevate them, not just follow them
Strong working knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
Experience with motion design tools a plus
Hands-on experience with AI creative tools and a thoughtful, critical approach to integrating them into your practice
Experience directing and mentoring other creatives, giving clear, constructive feedback that makes the work and the people better
A genuine passion for the craft and the standards to protect it

Nice To Haves

Experience with motion design tools

Responsibilities

Concept and develop ideas across brand, campaign, and experience design: from the big creative thought to the final visual execution, with the depth and originality to hold up under scrutiny
Collaborate closely with an ACD copy partner, building the kind of creative duo where ideas get sharper because of the partnership
Lead and direct the creative team. Guide art directors, designers, and motion artists toward the right solution rather than handing it to them
Bring a clear creative and visual point of view into cross-discipline work, translating strategy, UX thinking, and content direction into ideas that hold together visually and conceptually
Present and sell creative ideas directly to clients with clarity, confidence, and the conviction to get great work made
Push back on briefs that need challenging. Defend work that deserves defending. Not occasionally — as a consistent standard
Draw on everything your art background has taught you. Ensure the art direction serves the overarching idea, strengthens the creative platform, and never lets the visual quality slip. Be the uncompromising eye in the room: detail-obsessed, standard-setting, and relentless about every visual decision
Own the work all the way through production — attending shoots, directing production teams, and ensuring the results match or improve on your intention
Know your formats intimately. Understand how great art direction shifts and adapts across experiences, platforms, and mediums without ever losing the idea
Work with design directors and creative engineering teams on the visual expression of design systems, knowing where your contribution ends and theirs begins
Use AI tools as a genuine part of your creative practice and bring that approach into how your team works. Push the output further, not cut corners
Earn client trust by showing up with strong work, clear thinking, and the ability to communicate both at every level of the relationship
Drive projects from briefing through delivery: maintaining creative momentum, protecting quality, and keeping the team focused on what matters
Bring proactive creative thinking to every account. Look for opportunities to do more interesting work, not just fulfill the brief
Mentor and develop junior and mid-level creatives, giving feedback with rigor, generosity, and a genuine investment in their growth
Set the creative temperature for the team. Bring energy, high standards, and a culture where good isn't good enough
Stay deeply current on culture, design, fashion, film, art, music, and technology — and bring that into the work