Associate Creative Director

We are looking for an Associate Creative Director to join our creative team in our Columbus, Ohio office. As the Associate Creative Director, you will be responsible for providing creative direction and feedback while ensuring that business objectives are met. You will partner with the Creative Director to lead creative development and enhance the quality of the final creative deliverables.

The ideal candidate is someone who puts their team before themselves, putting a strong focus on team success and collaboration, while still getting into the weeds of the design work. An ACD at 500° is someone who loves learning, teaching and sharing the latest in design tech & trends.

What You'll Do:

• Develop creative ideas, concepts, campaigns, and insights that drive consumers to act
• Influence, oversee, and participate in the creative process and artistic direction; ability to give great direction and push conceptual thinking
• Translate ideas across multiple channels when necessary, including but not limited to print, digital, and social
• Be a leader on the creative team to build a culture of innovation, excellence, and accountability
• Collaborate closely with clients and account leaders to understand their creative needs, presenting concepts and solutions that address their objectives. Manage client relationships from a creative perspective alongside internal creative senior leadership
• Maintain collaborative relationships with all internal stakeholders; be seen as a trusted creative partner within the agency
• General oversight and management of direct reports, providing direction, mentorship, and performance feedback;
  Including owning onboarding plan and assigning out mentorship responsibility as needed
• Review all key project deliverables and all creative briefs to ensure the correct level of project aspiration
• Manage multiple projects at once, ensuring deliverables and milestones are being met up to agency quality standards
• Present creative concepts to clients and internal stakeholders in a compelling and persuasive manner

What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Marketing, or a related field preferred, and/or equivalent work experience
• 10+ years of industry experience
• 5+ years team management
• A strong background working in the QSR marketing space
• A strong working knowledge of consumer-centric design
• Excellent typographic and design skills
• Strong knowledge of the production process
• Ability to manage multiple projects with at times demanding deadlines
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skill
• Comfortable working with photographers and directing photoshoots
• Proven leadership skills - can move a project forward while still taking the time to foster our teams' talents and encourage team camaraderie
• Ability to work off a creative brief & the ability to help write a brief.
• Attention to detail, attention to detail, and attention to detail
• Expert use of Adobe CS (Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator) and Keynote (you will build presentations)
• Strong focus on team success and collaboration
• Must demonstrate a strong working knowledge of all social platforms as it relates to marketing, including email campaigns
• Someone who puts their team before themselves - big egos not welcome
• Someone who loves learning, teaching and sharing the latest in design trends

* 500° is an equal opportunity employer and fully supports and maintains compliance with all state, federal, and local regulations.