Director of Creative (Remote US)

Directive • Irvine, CA

2d • $160,000 - $185,000 • Remote

About The Position

Directive Consulting is seeking a Director of Creative to lead its Performance Design department, a team combining creative craft with performance marketing. The role has responsibility for both the strategic and financial direction of the department and the day-to-day development of its people and work. The successful candidate will scale an established team, methodology, and positioning, and will manage designers, project management, and motion contractors. The role reports to senior leadership.

The Director of Creative owns the department’s creative vision and quality standards, ensuring work meets both craft and conversion benchmarks across paid social, display, video, and landing pages. The role develops systems and workflows, promotes campaign-level thinking and testing, and partners with senior leadership to develop a distinctive creative process supporting DiscoverabilityOS. It also leads, coaches, and develops the team; partners with paid media and client success teams; represents the department in pitches, cross-sell opportunities, and client leadership meetings; and communicates Performance Design’s strategic value.

The role owns the department P&L, including budgeting decisions, staffing, technology investments, margins, resourcing, monthly revenue targets, and direct margin goals. It also leads adoption of AI creative tools and integrates emerging technologies into production workflows.

The position is remote-first and operates 100% virtually from a home office. The employee collaborates via Zoom and Slack and needs reliable high-speed internet and a professional setup capable of running Adobe Creative Suite and video production software. The role requires remaining stationary for extended periods, operating design and video software on Mac or PC, and consistently observing and interpreting written and verbal communication. Directive also considers candidates in Canada, Mexico, and the UK where it has established operations, provided they have permanent work authorization in that country.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in creative roles within performance marketing, paid media, or growth-focused agency environments.
• Proven experience managing creative teams and balancing creative quality with business outcomes.
• Ability to present department strategy and financial projections to VPs and CMOs, as well as review creative briefs.
• Strong understanding of how a creative department operates as a business.
• Direct experience managing or having visibility into P&L, margin, and resourcing decisions.
• Strong communicator with executive presence and the ability to translate creative thinking into business language.
• Track record of building trust with creative practitioners and senior leadership.
• Hands-on experience with AI creative tools, such as generative image, AI-powered video, or design analytics tools.
• Ability to integrate AI into production workflows rather than only demonstrating it.
• Permanent work authorization in the country where the candidate is based, if applying from Canada, Mexico, or the UK.
• Ability to remain stationary for extended periods, operate design and video software on Mac or PC, and consistently observe and interpret written and verbal communication.
• Reliable high-speed internet and a professional home-office environment capable of running Adobe Creative Suite and video production software.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with platforms such as EyeQuant, Creatify, or Superside.

Responsibilities

• Own the creative vision and quality standard for the Performance Design department.
• Ensure creative work meets craft and conversion benchmarks across paid social, display, video, and landing page formats.
• Build systems and workflows that support excellent creative output for clients, internally and externally.
• Promote campaign-level creative thinking and a test-and-learn approach.
• Partner with senior leadership to develop an ownable creative process that supports DiscoverabilityOS.
• Lead, coach, and develop designers and motion contractors; set expectations, foster accountability, and support team members’ growth.
• Partner with paid media and client success teams so creative is data-informed from the start.
• Represent the department in new business pitches, cross-sell opportunities, and client conversations, including monthly client leadership meetings about quality and results.
• Articulate the strategic value of Performance Design.
• Own and manage the department P&L, including budgeting for staffing, technology, and other investments.
• Monitor margins, make financially informed resourcing decisions, and meet monthly revenue targets and direct margin goals.
• Lead adoption of AI creative tools and integrate emerging technologies into production workflows.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision plans, plus disability and life insurance coverage for the employee and family.
• A 100% employer-paid plan for the employee and a 50% employer contribution for dependents.
• Access to certified therapists through Spring Health and a Headspace membership.
• Physical therapy through Omada, fertility support through Carrott, Aaptiv virtual workouts, and a complimentary One Medical membership.
• Unlimited PTO with a two-week minimum.
• Paid company holidays, birthday off, and an End of Year Recharge from December 24 through January 1.
• Paid parental leave.
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) with a 3% company match.
• Annual bonus based on tenure, with the total amount scaling over time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed