Associate Creative Director

IW Group Inc.•Los Angeles, CA

17h•$110,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

IW Group is looking for an Associate Creative Director with a copywriting background who is passionate about advertising, culture and finding unexpected ways for brands to connect with people. This is a hands-on creative role for someone who can develop strong ideas, write sharp copy and help lead campaigns from early concept through execution. You’ll primarily work on social-first and integrated campaigns, with opportunities to develop work across commercial, video, digital and radio. You follow social platforms, creators, entertainment, technology and emerging behaviors, and you’re able to distinguish between simply participating in a trend and finding an original, brand-relevant way into it. Working closely with the Creative Director, art directors, designers, strategists, account teams and producers, you’ll help raise the quality of the work, mentor more junior creatives and contribute to a creative culture built around curiosity, collaboration and experimentation.

Requirements

6+ years of professional creative experience, with a strong foundation in copywriting and conceptual advertising.
Previous experience working at an advertising agency or similarly fast-paced creative environment required.
Portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking and copywriting across campaigns, particularly social, video and integrated work.
Experience developing ideas from initial brief through presentation, production and launch.
Experience presenting creative work internally and to clients.
Experience mentoring or providing creative direction to junior team members.
Exceptional conceptual thinking and copywriting skills.
A genuine passion for advertising, creativity and culture.
Strong understanding of social media platforms and social-first creative.
Naturally curious about people, culture, technology and why audiences behave the way they do.
Highly detail-oriented, with strong proofreading instincts and an ability to catch inconsistencies before work reaches the client.
Able to manage multiple projects at different stages of development without losing track of details, deadlines or deliverables.
Responsive, adaptable and comfortable working through multiple rounds of client feedback.
Able to distinguish between subjective feedback and a larger strategic or creative issue, then find the strongest solution.
Strong grasp of brand voice, storytelling and campaign development.
Fluency with—or enthusiasm for learning—generative AI and emerging creative tools. Ability to generate or direct rough visual mockups using AI in order to communicate an idea; traditional design software expertise is not required.
Strong presentation and communication skills.
Self-motivated, collaborative and comfortable taking initiative.
Willingness to experiment, learn new things and challenge familiar approaches.
Work well as part of a team, with a diverse array of people
Cultural awareness, acuity, and sensitivity
Flexibility
Ability to work under pressure and manage stress efficiently
Highly motivated
Demonstrate sound work ethic
Ability to understand other people's points of view with empathy and compassion
Accept constructive criticism

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Advertising, Communications, Journalism, Marketing or a related field preferred, or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

Develop big, original creative ideas rooted in strategy, audience insight and culture.
Concept and write social-first campaigns designed for the way people actually consume and share content today.
Write across a range of formats including social content, video, commercials, radio, digital experiences, presentations and occasional print or collateral.
Help ensure ideas remain strong from initial concept through production and final delivery.
Understand the nuances of creating work for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other emerging social environments.
Bring a strong understanding of Gen Z culture and behavior, particularly how younger audiences engage with brands and advertising.
Have an awareness of—or genuine curiosity about—AAPI audiences, communities and culture, and a desire to continually deepen that understanding.
Identify cultural opportunities that can inspire timely, relevant and original creative ideas without relying on stereotypes or surface-level trends.
Actively use generative AI tools as part of the creative process to brainstorm, visualize, prototype and communicate ideas.
Be comfortable generating rough visual mockups, storyboards, treatments or other creative explorations using AI tools—you do not need traditional design software expertise.
Provide clear, thoughtful creative direction and feedback to writers, art directors, designers and other members of the creative team.
Mentor junior creatives and help them strengthen their conceptual thinking, craft and presentation skills.
Be responsive to client and internal feedback, able to quickly understand what is being asked, identify the underlying issue and evolve the work.
Manage multiple projects and workstreams simultaneously, balancing competing priorities, deadlines and rounds of feedback while maintaining creative quality.
Maintain a high level of attention to detail across copy, presentations, scripts, social content and final deliverables.
Present creative concepts internally and to clients with clarity, confidence and persuasive storytelling.