Creative Director

Company: Marks

Reports to: VP, Creative

Location: New York City (Hybrid)

About the Company

Marks, part of the Propelis Group is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum-from brand design and packaging to content and consumer connections. Rooted in a deep understanding of human behavior, we help brands win in an age of constant change.

We are a global, collaborative network of 1,900+ team members across 25+ studios and 20+ countries, partnering with some of the world's most recognized brands to solve complex business challenges through design, strategy, and craft.

About the Role

The Creative Director is a senior creative leader responsible for defining, championing, and delivering big, ownable ideas that translate into smart, scalable design and communication systems across all touchpoints-from packaging and in-store to integrated marketing campaigns, digital, and beyond.

Reporting to the VP, Creative, this role sets the creative vision for a portfolio of brands and leads multidisciplinary teams to bring that vision to life from brief through execution. The Creative Director ensures the work is strategically grounded, creatively bold, and impeccably crafted-while driving the development of innovative solutions that meet and exceed client expectations.

This role requires a confident point of view, the ability to inspire and galvanize teams, and the credibility to lead clients as a trusted creative authority. The Creative Director shapes briefs, pushes ambition, and raises the creative standard across both brand design and marketing communications work.

Role Expectations

Creative Vision & Idea Leadership

• Own and define the creative vision for integrated marketing communications and brand design across your portfolio of clients

• Lead the development of big campaign ideas and design systems that ladder to brand strategy and flex across channels, formats, and moments

• Translate conceptual thinking into cohesive design and messaging systems, rather than one-off executions

• Ensure all work is strategically sound, creatively distinctive, and executed with craft and consistency

• Act as a brand guardian who protects the brand DNA while championing appropriate evolutions to brand voice, tone, and expression

• Drive the definition of the creative brief, creative strategy, and creative solution for each project

Integrated Campaign & Brand Design Expertise

• Lead concepting and execution across packaging, retail, in-store, digital, social, video, motion, and out-of-home

• Develop creative, innovative, and cost-effective design strategies that meet client needs, utilizing market trends, competitor intelligence, and innovative thinking

• Guide teams in developing content ecosystems and design systems that feel connected, intentional, and scalable

• Oversee narrative development for presentations, ensuring ideas are clearly framed, confidently sold, and easy to rally behind

• Lead project review sessions; utilize learnings to recommend best practices for design strategy, concept creation, visual innovation, and execution

Client Leadership

• Serve as a trusted creative partner and senior-level advisor to clients across both brand design and marketing communications engagements

• Bring confidence and clarity to client conversations-articulating ideas, defending creative choices, and pushing ambition when needed

• Partner with strategy and client services to shape briefs, unlock stronger insights, and elevate the work

• Ensure client retention is maximized by delivering custom-tailored solutions that meet client objectives and expectations

• Support new business efforts by contributing to pitches, proposals, kickoffs, and growth opportunities

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, inspire, and mentor teams of Art Directors, Copywriters, and Designers

• Set clear creative direction and expectations; give teams the confidence to do their best work

• Balance high-level vision with hands-on guidance when needed

• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, and creative excellence

• Partner with client services and project managers to plan projects and cast the right team for each assignment

• Partner with recruiting and operations to build and maintain a strong, balanced team

Collaboration & Culture

• Act as a cultural leader and ambassador for Marks

• Champion collaboration across disciplines, studios, and global teams

• Lead effective internal reviews that elevate thinking and push work forward

• Model respect, generosity, and shared ownership-always prioritize the work over ego

Agility & Resourcefulness

• Thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment with multiple streams of work

• Identify opportunities to improve creative processes, workflows, and ways of working

• Maintain high standards while moving with speed and flexibility

• Bring a solutions-oriented, roll-up-your-sleeves mindset to every challenge

Critical Skills & Behaviors

• Proven ability to lead big-idea campaign thinking and brand design, not just execution

• Strong conceptual and strategic thinking paired with exceptional craft

• Confident creative point of view with the ability to inspire teams and clients

• Deep understanding of integrated marketing ecosystems, packaging, and brand systems

• Strong analytical, prioritizing, interpersonal, problem-solving, presentation, and project management skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and accountable

• Passion for design, marketing communications, and storytelling

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Art, Design, Advertising, Marketing, Communications, or related field

• 10+ years of progressive creative experience in marketing communications, brand design, or advertising

• 5+ years in a leadership role

• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing senior-level client relationships

• Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns, packaging, and system-based thinking

• CPG and retail experience strongly preferred

• High degree of proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, MS Office Suite, Keynote, and PowerPoint

• Fluent in iOS

• Periodic travel either locally, nationally, and/or internationally may be required

About Propelis: Propelis is a portfolio of global marketing services and technology companies with a combined legacy of 150+ years, 2,000+ clients, 9,000 employees, and operations across 30 countries. Propelis provides the scale and support of a global organization while preserving the unique culture and identity of each company in its portfolio.

For more information visit: www.MakeMarks.com

EEO Statement: We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. We offer equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled.

We strive to make our employment website and application process accessible to all users and applicants. In doing so, we provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation or assistance completing the application process, please contact a member of our Human Resource Team.

Compensation & Benefits

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $131,000-$147,000 USD annually. Ultimately, in determining pay, we will consider the successful candidate's location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Group benefits currently include a selection of health care plans with prescription drug coverage, dental plan, vision plan, basic and supplemental life insurance, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses or a health savings account based on plan selection, short/long term disability, and 401(k) Savings Plan.

#LI-SM1

Bachelors (required)

5 years: Years in a leadership role (required)
Fluent in iOS (required)
Fluency in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word; familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite a plus (preferred)
CPG and retail experience strongly preferred (preferred)
Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns and system-based thinking (required)
Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing senior-level client relationships (required)
10 years: Years of progressive creative experience in marketing communications, brand design, or advertising (required)