Associate Creative Director

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About the Role

This is a role for a visual leader whose primary tool is design but whose canvas is the entire digital ecosystem. As an Associate Creative Director (ACD) at Monks, you are a key creative leader, acting as the bridge between high-level strategy and flawless execution. You are a "player-coach"—a master of your craft who can create stunning visuals while also guiding and inspiring a team to do the same.
You’ll partner with copywriters, strategists, and prompt engineers to shape the visual world for campaigns that are natively AI. You understand that a great concept today requires a deep understanding of both human insight and machine capability. This pivotal position requires you to be both a hands-on creator and a sharp supervisor, steering the team toward excellence while building the visual case that sells our most ambitious ideas.

Responsibilities:

• Lead Concept and Visual Development: Drive the creation of innovative visual concepts for integrated digital campaigns. You will be instrumental in defining the look, feel, and overall aesthetic, ensuring it is smart, impactful, and aligned with our clients' advanced technological focus.
• Partner with Copy and Tech: Collaborate deeply with copywriters and other creative partners, providing sharp, constructive feedback to create unified solutions. You will ensure the visuals, copy, and underlying technology work as one cohesive idea.
• Mentor and Guide: Mentor junior designers and art directors, providing clear feedback that elevates their work. You will teach them the craft of design and the art of collaborating with intelligent tools.
• Drive Creative Excellence: Uphold the highest standards of creative excellence from ideation to production. You will be the authority on visual quality, present work confidently to clients, and ensure the final work is innovative and award-worthy.
• Master New Workflows: Embrace and help pioneer new creative processes that integrate AI. This includes guiding teams on everything from prompt crafting for image and video generation to leveraging AI for mood boarding and concept art.

About You

The essentials:

• You have 5-7+ years of professional experience in art direction or design at a top-tier agency or tech company.
• Your portfolio showcases a proven track record of excellent, conceptually driven work with an impeccable eye for craft. It demonstrates a deep understanding of brand systems across multiple formats (digital, video, social, etc.) and a tangible curiosity for technology.
• You have hands-on experience with generative AI platforms. You are fluent in visual generators (e.g., Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, Runway, Gemini, Veo2) and understand the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) in the creative process.
• You are an exceptional designer and a confident presenter, able to build strong client relationships and lead conversations about visual strategy and execution.
• You are a low-ego, constructive, and resilient collaborator. You thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and can manage projects efficiently to minimize friction and maximize productivity.
• You have experience building and implementing brand identity systems. Experience in the automotive or tech industries is highly desired.
• You are an expert in industry-standard tools like Figma and the full Adobe Creative Suite.
• Thrive under pressure, adapting to changing priorities and consistently meeting tight deadlines.
• Possess a strong creative background with an inherent understanding of digital, thinking beyond traditional ad formats and budgets.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a proactive approach to delivering high-quality work.

Your Working Style:

• Exceptionally detail-oriented and organized, with an unwavering commitment to grammatical precision.
• Self-motivated, resilient, and adaptable, thriving in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Adept at handling quick turnarounds as part of a dedicated, collaborative team.
• Constructive, solution-oriented, and client-centric, balancing a strong work ethic with a positive, humble approach, eager to learn from both clients and teammates.
• Manage projects efficiently, minimizing friction and maximizing productivity.
• Collaborate effectively, finding compromises without sacrificing brand voice or integrity.
• Open to feedback, providing clear rationale and alternative solutions while seamlessly transitioning between projects and brands.
• Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively.
• Driven to become a subject matter expert, crafting relatable and engaging product-focused copy.
• Stay ahead of the curve, informed about emerging creative trends, cultures, and technologies.
• Committed to upholding equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of the role.

Working Conditions:

• The role may involve long hours and tight deadlines, requiring flexibility and a commitment to maintaining high standards under pressure. Collaboration with teams across different locations and time zones is frequently necessary.

#LI-hybrid #LI-MJ1

What We Offer

Benefits

• Excellent, full coverage medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer-paid HRA
• Generous PTO and 15 company-wide holidays
• 401k with company contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Work-life balance with an emphasis on personal well-being
• Career growth in a disruptor space & entrepreneurial opportunities within the Monks network 
• A globally diverse & inclusive culture with employee resource groups such as S4 Melanin, Pride.Monks, Cultura.Monks, and more!
• Authentic commitment to DEI efforts and sustainable growth. (Why Sir Martin Sorrell signed The Climate Pledge here!)

 

 

Monks has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what Monks may pay for the position at the time of posting. Monks may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on job-related factors, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

 

Salary Range$110,000—$120,000 USD

About Monks

Monks is the global, purely digital, unitary operating brand of S4Capital plc. With a legacy of innovation and specialized expertise, Monks combines an extraordinary range of global marketing and technology services to accelerate business possibilities and redefine how brands and businesses interact with the world. Its integration of systems and workflows delivers unfettered content production, scaled experiences, enterprise-grade technology and data science fueled by AI—managed by the industry’s best and most diverse digital talent—to help the world’s trailblazing companies outmaneuver and outpace their competition.

Monks was named a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Global Marketing Services. It has remained a constant presence on Adweek’s Fastest Growing lists (2019-23), ranks among Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies (2022-23) and is the only partner to have been placed in AdExchanger’s Programmatic Power Players list every year (2020-24). In addition to being named Adweek’s first AI Agency of the Year (2023), Monks has been recognized by Business Intelligence in its 2024 Excellence in Artificial Intelligence Awards program in three categories: the Individual category, Organizational Winner in AI Strategic Planning and AI Product for its service Monks.Flow. Monks has also garnered the title of Webby Production Company of the Year (2021-24), won a record number of FWAs and has earned a spot on Newsweek’s Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces 2023.

 

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a respectful and empowering work environment for all people to freely express themselves amongst colleagues who embrace diversity in all respects. Including fresh voices and unique points of view in all aspects of our business not only creates an environment where we can all grow and thrive but also increases our potential to produce work that better represents—and resonates with—the world around us.