Creative Content Director

ERM • Knoxville, TN

6h • Hybrid

About The Position

ERM Shelton—the nation’s leading marketing & communications agency focused solely on sustainability, within the world’s leading sustainability consultancy—is looking for a highly skilled Creative Content Director to elevate our creative product and drive measurable results for clients who are shaping a more sustainable future. This is a strategic leadership role at the intersection of insight, strategy, and execution—where your creative decisions influence business outcomes, strengthen brands, and accelerate real-world impact. See our work: sheltongrp.com Why This Role Matters Sustainability isn’t a “campaign theme” anymore—it’s a business imperative. The brands that win are the ones that communicate with precision, credibility, and boldness—without greenwashing, and with measurable impact. As Creative Director, you’ll own the delivery and effectiveness of market-facing strategies, tactics, and assets that help clients achieve their goals—while setting the creative standard for ERM Shelton across departments and deliverables. You’ll lead teams that deliver both ends of the spectrum—strategy AND execution—and ensure our work is inspiring, effective, accurate, on time, and on budget in a fast-paced environment where smart decisions must be made quickly. What Your Impact Is Own creative effectiveness and quality across ERM Shelton’s market-facing work—ensuring it is rooted in research insights, on strategy, and built to achieve client objectives. Translate client business strategies into compelling creative solutions that drive audience engagement and measurable business results. Establish quantifiable goals and track progress by identifying the metrics that matter most to each client and partnering across Account, Research, and Creative to deliver against them. Lead, mentor, and grow high-performing teams, including developing junior talent and supervising senior leaders responsible for narrative, ESG content, and digital performance. Elevate trust and credibility—internally and externally—by delivering carefully crafted work that is thoughtfully reviewed before client presentation and withstands scrutiny in a sustainability context. What You’ll Bring You’re a creative powerhouse, a business problem solver, and an inspiring leader who isn’t afraid to get your hands dirty. You can zoom out to a client’s full business picture (goals, objectives, market position, and key strategies—what we’re doing and why), then zoom in to ensure every output is executed with excellence. You bring a deep commitment to creating a more sustainable future. In a perfect world, you’re also a sustainability subject matter expert and a highly creative thinker—able to make smart recommendations based on experience, ongoing insights, and human truths.

Requirements

• Degree in advertising, marketing, communications, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in marketing/advertising
• Ability to interpret clients’ business strategies into effective creative solutions
• Ability to maintain a thorough understanding of each client’s market, key audiences, and available channels
• Ability to oversee the creation of creative campaigns, as well as long-form communications tools such as Sustainability Reports, white papers, and sales collateral
• Ability to manage multiple, disparate work streams by effectively managing a team of qualified directors
• Ability to identify and monitor key metrics, establish specific and quantifiable goals, and monitor progress toward those goals
• Ability to foster trust and collaboration while also challenging teams to grow
• Strong capability in selling through bold ideas and bringing new ideas beyond what clients or internal teams asked for
• Strong presentation skills, including captivating your audience during a presentation
• Unwavering attention to detail and dedication to accuracy
• Ability to gracefully manage multiple client needs and deadlines in a flexible, dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Ability to build lasting, meaningful relationships with clients, colleagues, and partners
• Demonstrated mindset of being a learner—curious, collaborative, authentic, and a champion for good, challenging work
• Ability to work extended hours when necessary
• Ability to handle conflict and manage difficult conversations internally and externally
• Integrates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) into leadership culture

Nice To Haves

• Agency experience very highly preferred, especially within a smaller agency
• Sustainability subject matter expertise (not required, but ideal)

Responsibilities

• Strategic & Client Leadership Interpret our clients’ business strategies into effective creative solutions.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of each client’s market, key audiences, and available channels through which to reach them.
• Partner with Account Management to make smart recommendations based on research insights and universal truths—and create great work that helps achieve clients’ goals and maintains a strong image for both ERM Shelton and our clients.
• Build strong and trusted relationships internally and externally.
• Represent the agency at meetings, sometimes serving in the lead role to facilitate the creation of Communication Constructs or to pitch a strategy or concept—including presenting recommendations to clients.
• Business Development & Growth Work with Partners and senior sellers in sales and promotion by identifying opportunities, developing estimates, reviewing and contributing to proposals, and maintaining quality of ERM Shelton portfolio and business development materials.
• Performance, Metrics & Accountability Identify the key metrics most important to our clients, establish specific and quantifiable goals, and monitor teams’ progress toward achieving those goals.
• Maintain a high level of client billable hours, help other team members attain the same goal, and deliver work on time and on budget.
• Creative Excellence (Strategy + Execution) Oversee and ensure the execution of excellent, national quality work in all media for brand and product marketing campaigns, as well as sales support.
• This includes strategic outputs (Communication Constructs, Messaging Matrices, Campaign Concepts, Communication Playbooks, Sustainability Reports) as well as tactical outputs (digital ads and videos, website creation, collateral, sales PowerPoint Decks, infographics).
• Craft thoughtful creative storytelling slides in PowerPoint for clients and directly edit/shape presentations to ensure they’re client-ready.
• Establish and maintain a quality control process to ensure all deliverables are carefully reviewed for accuracy prior to being sent to the client.
• People Leadership Nurture and inspire the Creative Team, including a diverse group of writers, art directors, digital professionals, and designers, led by an Associate Creative Director who directly manages them.
• Hire, train, review, and coach three directors, ensuring productivity and effective management of their teams and outside resources to deliver work that’s inspiring, effective, on strategy, and on schedule.
• Supervise Associate Creative Directors (accountable for compelling, strategic narratives and constructs that don’t greenwash, as well as the quality of visuals and copy across all creative executions), an ESG Content Director (accountable for effectiveness, quality and accuracy of ESG reports and white paper copy), and a Director of Digital Services (accountable for effective, measurable digital and social engagement, as well as website creation and usability).
• Collaboration & Operating Rhythm Attend all internal and external Account Team meetings to which you have been invited—or communicate to reschedule.
• Other All other duties assigned by supervisor or otherwise directed by the Company.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level