Group Director, Creative

Dept•San Diego, NY

6d•Remote

About The Position

WHY DEPT®? We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA. We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sht done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter. At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build. THE ROLE: The Group Director, Creative is a senior strategic and operational leader responsible for elevating the creative practice across key client groups and business units. This role is crucial in defining the creative vision and inspiration for the agency's highest-level output, ensuring world-class, commercially impactful work. They are the creative consultant and strategic leader who can sell a high-level vision to C-suite executives using data-backed strategy on high-stakes accounts, while balancing inspirational leadership with strong operational and commercial acumen to drive both creative excellence and business growth. This role requires an expert grasp of all core creative disciplines (Copywriting, Art Direction, Content Creation, etc.) and knows how to strategically combine them with Design, Media, Product, and Experience methodologies to deliver integrated, impactful client solutions across the entire Americas region.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in creative, design, or digital environments, including leadership experience in multidisciplinary teams.
Proven success in building teams, managing performance, and mentoring across levels and specialties.
Strong operational and commercial acumen with the ability to balance creative excellence and business performance.
Ability to bring strategic vision and creative inspiration to foster a cohesive and motivated team from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to present complex ideas professionally and effectively to all levels of stakeholders.
Platforms: Figma, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, AI Workflows (Weevie)

Responsibilities

Mentor and develop senior leaders and individual contributors in craft and leadership, building a connected, high-performing team.
Partner with Talent Acquisition and craft leaders to identify, hire, and retain top creative talent across various disciplines.
Act as a key cultural ambassador and connector, actively working to unify teams and elevate morale by promoting a positive, shared vision.
Create an inclusive culture where exceptional creative work can thrive, promoting shared learning, collaboration, and accountability across teams and disciplines.
Lead performance management and growth conversations, offering feedback that builds clarity, confidence, and supports career development.
Drive strategic priorities for the creative discipline and business units, acting as a strategic partner to the business to drive commercially impactful creative solutions that unlock growth.
Serve as a creative leader on high-value and high-stakes accounts.
Take ownership of the end-to-end creative quality and execution, stepping into a hands-on capacity as required by the project scale and complexity.
Lead complex, integrated productions internationally, orchestrate large-scale, big-budget physical productions, and manage simultaneous workstreams for video (TVC/Social) and campaigns.
Lead and inspire the highest level of creative output.
Shape and oversee pitches, flagship work, and case-defining projects.
Lead and contribute to new business efforts, client growth opportunities, and senior client relationships.
Oversee portfolio health, capacity, and profitability, monitoring project health and delivery quality across active engagements, intervening early to address challenges.
Assist in developing and clearly articulating the company's and the craft's vision to teams and clients, translating it into scalable systems and practices that support future growth.
Establish and evolve philosophy, process, and quality standards, ensuring all work meets the highest bar for quality, clarity, and craft across disciplines.
Act as the ultimate standard-bearer and final creative authority on key deliverables.
Assess and balance creative resources across the Americas, ensuring optimal capacity, utilization, and skill-matching for client needs and career growth
Represent the agency's creative excellence in the market and industry.
Identify emerging trends, technologies, and skill gaps to keep the creative team future-ready.