Creative Director - Brand Narrative

Mercury•Portland, OR

10h•$170,400 - $236,700

About The Position

Mercury is seeking a Creative Director to build and lead Brand Narrative, a new team within Brand Creative. The role turns company strategy, product truths, customer insight, and cultural observations into original concepts for major launches, campaigns, and brand moments. The Creative Director both originates ideas and stays closely involved as they develop into finished work, with deep experience in film-led storytelling and a strong foundation in art direction, design, or copywriting. The Creative Director partners closely with the leads of Brand Design and Writing, involving their disciplines from the earliest stages through delivery. The role is collaborative and hands-on, working with Motion and Production and remaining involved in film scripts, visual development, production, and final edits. In the first year, approximately 70% of the focus will be leading creative development for priority launches and campaigns, and 30% building the Brand Narrative function. The role also establishes Brand Narrative’s purpose, priorities, creative standards, team structure, and working practices. It includes hiring and developing people, fostering experimentation and constructive critique, and building relationships with external creatives and agencies as needed. The position partners across marketing, product, communications, and insights to identify high-value creative opportunities, recommend investment to senior leadership, and learn from campaign results. Success includes delivering major launches and film-led campaigns from concept through completion, with Brand Design and Writing as partners from the outset; establishing a clear identity and practices for Brand Narrative; and creating a pipeline of proactive opportunities for original, culturally relevant brand expression. Mercury is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations during recruitment. The total rewards package includes base salary, equity (stock options/RSUs), and benefits. Target new-hire base salary ranges vary by location: US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $189,400–$236,700 USD; US employees elsewhere: $170,400–$213,000 USD; Canadian employees: $179,000–$223,700 CAD.

Requirements

Strong creative foundation in art direction, design, or copywriting.
Portfolio demonstrating original concepts developed into ambitious, well-crafted work across multiple formats, with a clear explanation of personal contribution, how ideas evolved, and how collaboration improved the work.
Deep experience developing film-led ideas from concept through production, with strong instincts for story, scripts, performance, pacing, and sound.
Track record leading ambitious multidisciplinary work in close collaboration with design and writing peers from concept through production.
Ability to bring a clear point of view, listen closely, work through creative disagreements constructively, and recognize when another person’s approach strengthens the work.
Strong taste, cultural awareness, and product curiosity; ability to understand complex businesses or products, find the human truth, and express it clearly and memorably.
Experience developing creative people and shaping team practices, including providing specific feedback, setting a high bar with care, and enabling creative risk-taking.
Clear communication and sound judgment; ability to rally stakeholders around concepts, explain investment rationale, navigate competing perspectives, take ownership in ambiguity, and move work forward.

Responsibilities

Originate and lead creative concepts for priority launches and campaigns, partnering with Product Marketing and Brand Marketing to translate agreed audiences, opportunities, and product proof into ideas.
Develop concepts for distinctive expression across film, social, out-of-home, digital, experiences, and partnerships.
Collaborate with Brand Design and Writing leads and teams from early exploration through delivery, using critique and each discipline’s expertise to improve the work.
Stay hands-on in creative development and partner with Motion and Production; for film, remain involved in scripts, visual development, production, and final edit.
Build audience, discovery, viewing-context, and distribution considerations into concepts in partnership with marketing teams.
Lead concept development and critique; use rough scripts, prototypes, and AI tools to test ideas, learn quickly, and advance the strongest work.
Identify proactive ideas and cultural opportunities before briefs arrive, informed by Mercury’s products, customers, and the wider world.
Partner with Product Marketing, Brand Marketing, Product Design, Communications, and Insights to identify moments warranting significant creative investment; present recommendations to senior leadership and use results to inform future work.
Define Brand Narrative’s purpose, priorities, creative standards, and ways of working; help hire and develop the team and shape its structure and capabilities.
Set expectations and coach team members to strengthen their judgment and conceptual abilities.
Foster experimentation, candid feedback, cross-disciplinary contributions, generous collaboration, and shared ownership of the work.
Establish practices for moving from insight and brief through concept and execution, with useful critique and close collaboration.
Build relationships with external creatives and agencies who can provide distinctive perspectives or capabilities.
Provide a portfolio featuring film-led work and broader campaign concepts, explaining personal contributions, production choices, and collaboration.