Group Creative Director (Future Opportunity)

ICF • Reston, VA

4d • Remote

About The Position

This is a strategic job posting to network for future anticipated opportunities as ICF Next continues to grow. ICF Next brings together strategy, creativity, data, and technology to solve complex challenges and move people when it matters most. They work with organizations tackling important issues such as public health, energy, climate, resilience, and economic opportunity. Their work focuses on helping people understand, make informed decisions, build confidence, and take meaningful action through integrated campaigns and experiences that connect across channels and touchpoints. The Group Creative Director will lead important work, build exceptional teams, and create the conditions for ambitious ideas to thrive. This role is central to the Creative department, responsible for the quality, direction, and creative sensibility of a significant portfolio of work and the teams that create it. The ideal candidate will possess a big-picture perspective while maintaining focus on the idea, craft, and audience, knowing when to push, protect, or simplify. Much of the work will address consequential issues like public health, public safety, education, energy, environmental sustainability, and other mission-driven challenges, often involving diverse audiences, competing priorities, and deeply held beliefs. Experience from consumer, healthcare, technology, or culture sectors is relevant if it demonstrates truly great integrated creative work. The role requires an understanding of how creativity can not only attract attention but also humanize complex information, build confidence, shift perception, and drive action. A strong portfolio showcasing original thinking, exceptional creative judgment, and consistently high standards of craft is essential. While industry recognition and awards are valued, the primary focus is on distinctive, beautifully made, strategically sound, and effective ideas.

Requirements

• 15+ years of agency or equivalent creative experience, including deep experience leading integrated campaigns and multidisciplinary creative teams.
• An exceptional portfolio demonstrating original conceptual thinking, creative leadership, and a consistent ability to produce strategically smart, beautifully crafted work that delivers measurable results.
• A proven track record of building, mentoring, and leading high-performing creative teams while establishing a clear creative vision across a significant portfolio of work.
• Extensive experience developing integrated campaigns across video, digital, social, experiential, print, out-of-home, web, emerging platforms, and connected customer experiences.
• Exceptional creative judgment and the ability to recognize, shape, challenge, and protect powerful ideas from concept through execution.
• Deep understanding of how strategy, audience insight, behavioral science, storytelling, design, technology, and craft come together to create work that moves people.
• Experience translating complex, technical, scientific, regulated, or sensitive subject matter into compelling creative communications that people genuinely engage with.
• Confidence presenting ambitious creative thinking to senior executives, clients, and diverse stakeholder groups while building trust and creative momentum.
• Experience developing campaigns addressing public health, public safety, education, energy, environmental sustainability, climate, or other complex mission-driven challenges is highly valued.
• Applicants needing an accommodation for disability or religious purposes in connection with the application process should contact [email protected] for assistance.
• The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in-person or virtual) is not permitted.

Nice To Haves

• Public-sector experience is welcome but not required.
• Industry recognition is valued, but what matters most is a body of work that demonstrates originality, exceptional craft, strategic thinking, and measurable impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative direction, quality, and vision of a significant portfolio of clients, integrated campaigns, and multidisciplinary creative teams.
• Develop breakthrough integrated campaigns that translate strategy, audience insight, behavioral understanding, and cultural context into ideas that connect with people and create measurable impact.
• Lead creative development from brief through production, ensuring every execution reflects the strength of the original idea and the highest standards of craft.
• Build, mentor, and inspire Creative Directors, Associate Creative Directors, writers, art directors, designers, and other creative specialists, creating an environment where ambitious ideas and exceptional people can thrive.
• Partner closely with strategy, research, behavioral science, media, production, communications, experience design, and technology teams to deliver seamless integrated campaigns across every channel.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients and stakeholders, confidently presenting ambitious creative thinking and guiding complex decision-making while protecting the integrity of the work.
• Lead major productions across film, photography, digital, social, experiential, and emerging platforms, ensuring creative excellence from concept to final delivery.
• Play a significant leadership role in new business, pitches, and agency growth by helping shape winning strategies, creative platforms, and client relationships.
• Champion creative excellence while ensuring work meets the highest standards of accessibility, inclusivity, clarity, effectiveness, and measurable performance.
• Help shape the creative culture, standards, capabilities, and long-term reputation of ICF Next.

Benefits

• Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process.

What This Job Offers

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