Associate Creative Director, Design

Role overview

Associate Creative Director, Design (US-based) at a partner education-focused organization. The role blends brand storytelling, design leadership, and strategic marketing to shape institutional branding, enrollment campaigns, and visual identity systems that impact how prospective students discover and connect with universities.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of brand identity systems and creative campaigns (institutional branding, enrollment marketing, advancement)
• Oversee end-to-end creative production across digital, print, and video (concept development, storyboarding, video direction, photo shoots, post-production)
• Guide and mentor a team of designers, art directors, and video producers; build a culture of craft excellence and continuous growth
• Partner with cross-functional teams (marketing strategists, copywriters, media, client stakeholders) to define creative direction and execution plans
• Present creative concepts and campaign strategies to partner institutions as a senior creative advisor
• Establish and optimize creative workflows and production pipelines for efficiency, consistency, and scalability
• Use audience insights, performance data, and market trends to inform creative decisions and improve campaign effectiveness

Requirements

• 7+ years experience in marketing or creative roles (agency or higher education preferred)
• 5+ years experience managing and mentoring design/creative teams
• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Visual Communications, or related field
• Strong understanding of brand systems, visual storytelling, and higher education marketing principles
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma; strong design and typographic skills
• Experience leading video production (concepting, directing shoots, managing production logistics)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with senior stakeholders and clients
• Strong strategic thinking with disciplined execution; ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Nice to have

• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizations