Creative Director, Video & Design

Kikoff•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Kikoff is seeking a Creative Director to lead its video and visual design teams and shape the company’s creative direction. The role combines exceptional creative judgment and advertising instincts with a strong understanding of performance advertising. The Creative Director will help define Kikoff’s visual identity and lead evergreen performance creative across TV, paid social, and other marketing channels to increase brand recognition and drive efficient acquisition. The position calls for someone who can recognize an idea’s potential and provide specific direction to strengthen it, while also developing creative talent and helping team members build judgment, sharpen their craft, and take on greater ownership. Applicants should include a portfolio featuring TV and paid social advertising, measurable results, and examples of a visual identity they helped define or evolve. The Creative Director will work closely with Brand leadership, Growth Marketing, Creative Strategy, Copy, Product Marketing, Legal and Compliance, production leads, internal teams, freelancers, contract resources, and an editing agency. The role also involves practical use of AI tools to improve creative exploration or workflows.

Requirements

10+ years in advertising, design, or creative roles.
5+ years managing and developing creative teams.
Exceptional taste and strong art direction skills across video and visual design.
Experience defining or significantly evolving a brand’s visual identity and applying it consistently across channels.
Deep expertise in evergreen performance creative, especially paid social, with a track record of driving measurable business results.
TV advertising experience and a strong portfolio spanning TV and paid social, with clear examples of the applicant’s role and impact.
Strong post-production experience, including directing editors and giving actionable feedback on edits, motion, sound, and finishing.
A strategic approach that connects creative choices to consumer needs, product benefits, and business objectives.
Proven ability to coach talent at different career stages and give specific feedback that develops craft and judgment.
Experience overseeing high-volume creative across multiple brands or products and a mix of internal and external resources.
Ability to translate performance insights into stronger creative and collaborate effectively with Growth Marketing.
Practical experience using AI tools to improve creative exploration or workflows.
Portfolio featuring TV and paid social advertising, measurable results, and examples of a visual identity the applicant helped define or evolve.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with video production and experience collaborating with producers and production teams.
Experience with UGC and creator-led advertising.
Experience in consumer fintech or other regulated categories.

Responsibilities

Lead creative direction for evergreen performance advertising across video and visual design.
Turn consumer needs and product benefits into clear, compelling creative that drives acquisition and conversion.
Partner with Brand leadership to define and evolve Kikoff’s visual identity and translate brand strategy into a distinctive, practical system of design, imagery, and motion.
Oversee creative across multiple brands and products, maintaining distinct expressions while preserving appropriate connections across the portfolio.
Manage and coach the internal video and visual design teams, developing individual strengths, creative judgment, and ownership through clear expectations, regular feedback, and thoughtful delegation.
Set creative standards for internal teams, freelance and contract resources, and the editing agency; align priorities and capacity with business needs to deliver a high volume of effective work.
Give specific, strategic feedback that strengthens ideas and execution and connects messaging, design, and storytelling choices to audience, consumer benefit, and desired action.
Guide design across paid social, digital marketing, and other brand touchpoints, strengthening layout, typography, and visual hierarchy to clarify product benefits and drive action.
Help shape the creative vision for TV and video shoots in partnership with brand and production leads.
Guide post-production across internal editors and the editing agency, directing narrative, pacing, motion, sound, and finishing.
Partner with Growth Marketing to understand priorities and apply performance learnings to continually improve creative concepts, messaging, and formats.
Collaborate with Creative Strategy, Copy, and Product Marketing to translate insights into effective advertising, and with Legal and Compliance to keep creative clear, accurate, and compliant.