Associate Creative Director
Ideas with Intention
zag (that’s right, no capital) is a full-service, marketing and advertising agency that is hell-bent on getting to know brands inside and out. We ensure we capture the perfect blend of creativity, strategy, and management to catapult brands in the right direction with ease. With us, there is always room to grow, and we are currently looking for an Associate Creative Director to do just that.
We come to work every day to solve challenges, and we lean on our teammates to do it. We all have titles, but we’re not defined by them. By working together and bending our disciplines, we bring unique perspectives to the table, learn from each other, and ultimately, stick the landing.
We have six guiding principles that help keep us grounded along the way:
Be Better.
We strive for unicorn-level greatness.
Own It.
We care about what we create.
Think Beyond.
We outsmart challenges with creative and forward thinking.
Get Real.
We dare to show up authentically, together.
Team Up.
We take the carpool lane, working together to achieve the best results.
All In.
We put in the work, and it shows.
The Position
The Associate Creative Director is responsible for spearheading the conceptualization and execution of innovative creative projects, driving strategic development, while ensuring profitability and timeliness. By leveraging strong analytical and communication skills, the Associate Creative Director aims to cultivate a collaborative environment which upholds the zag’s high standards while exceeding client expectations and delivering exceptional value. This position requires aggressive goal commitment, bottom-line accountability, self-motivation, focus on quality, flexibility, and the ability to communicate effectively and clearly within a fast-paced working environment.
Overall Accountability
- Creative Strategic Vision
- Team Leadership and Development
- Client Relationship Management
- Project Execution and Management
- Quality Control and Assurance
- Budget Management
- Industry Knowledge and Trend Analysis
Your responsibilities as an Associate Creative Director at zag:
- Identify key messaging and brand positioning for each project/program.
- Collaborate with strategy and account service teams to integrate creative concepts into an overall campaign plan, while assessing client briefs and developing high-level compelling creative.
- Present and share initial creative concepts to internal stakeholders for feedback, by enabling adaptive creative strategy based on data analytics and performance metrics.
- Recruit, onboard, and mentor team members for direct and indirect reports in Art Direction, Design, and Copy and Content.
- Keep the team focussed on best practices, goals, objectives, management of workloads and assignments.
- Conduct 1:1’s, quarterly, and annual performance reviews for direct reports, and provide oversight on indirect reports while ensuring to address and resolve team conflicts, assuring a harmonious work environment.
- Establish and communicate performance expectations and quality standards, while developing annual performance objectives and key performance indicators (KPI’s) for the creative team.
- Present creative concepts, proposals, and deliverables to clients, ensuring client expectations are met or exceeded at all deliverable stages.
- Lead client meetings focused on creative direction and feedback, ensuring resolution of client concerns or objections in a diplomatic manner, while facilitating the revision process based on client feedback.
- Review and provide direction for all creative outputs for adherence to project specifications by establishing and overseeing project timelines and delegate responsibilities to team members.
- Monitor project progress and adjust creative timelines as necessary and approve final versions of creative work for client presentation.
- Obtain client approvals on final deliverables and develop and enforce quality standards across all creative projects.
- Conduct post-project evaluations for continual improvement.
- Review draft deliverables to ensure they meet internal and client guidelines, while implementing corrective actions to address any quality issues.
- Monitor and evaluate competitive promotional activities and identify opportunities to showcase work and conduct internal audits to assess the quality of creative assets.
- Monitor project expenditure and out of scope requests to ensure it aligns with budget estimates and approve invoices and payments to vendors and freelancers.
- Conduct cost-benefit analyses for major expenditures.
- Conduct competitive analyses to identify creative opportunities, while recommending new tools or software to enhance creative work.
- Participate in industry events to keep abreast of best practices, whilst sharing key industry insights with the creative team and wider agency to foster innovation.
Your strengths and qualifications:
- You have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or related field, or equivalent industry experience.
- You have a minimum of 8 years of professional and marketing experience in creative roles.
- You have experienced a minimum 4-6 years in an agency environment, and a minimum of 4 years is a leadership functional role.
- You understand and are familiar with creative best practices.
- You can present, sell, and defend ideas, through your strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
- An exceptional portfolio demonstrating a wide range of creative skills.
- You have excellent organizational skills and an ability to stay on top of deadlines.
Key relationships:
- Reports to Chief Operating Office.
- Will work closely with Strategy, Sales & Marketing, Account Services, and Digital teams.
- Direct and continuous contact with assigned Agency clients.
- Navigate with vendors and external partners for specialized services.
What we offer you:
- Competitive pay
- Comprehensive Dental and Health benefits
- Competitive holiday time; paid personal days; and zag days.
- Remote flexibility (while you can be located anywhere in Canada, you will be expected to work within an MST time zone)
- Extracurriculars (holiday parties, summer party, Party Planning Committee, etc. – and more!)
- Professional Development opportunities
Applying
To be considered for this position, you will need exceptional verbal and written communication abilities and a strong attention to detail. Agency experience or freelance capabilities will be considered an asset.
Shortlisted applications will receive an email from us requesting a 30-minute phone interview. Following the phone interview, successful applicants will receive a request for a formal interview.
We understand how uncertain the application process can be, so we promise not to leave you hanging. If at any time you are not selected to move forward, you will receive an email from us letting you know.
