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Creative Director, Advertising Design / Art Direction

thelab | Digital Advertising Agency | New York, NY (Hybrid)

About thelab

thelab is an agency of makers with deep expertise in solving creative, production, and technology challenges. Our focus is on making better work to help brands work better, and our production roots ensure that every great idea gets delivered right. From brand campaigns and shoot production to social, experiential, and retail, thelab mixes inspiration and hard work to produce results that mean business.

The Role

We're looking for a Creative Director with exquisite design sensibility and the strategic thinking to back it up. This is a net-new leadership role dedicated to one of thelab's most prestigious accounts, a luxury brand operating across a fully integrated marketing ecosystem where the creative bar is high and the opportunity is significant.

You'll report to the ECD team and work alongside a cross-capability group that includes paid social strategists, organic social strategists, brand strategists, and a Director of Project Management. You'll be in the room with the client regularly, so presence, a clear point of view, and the ability to articulate creative decisions with confidence are essential.

What You'll Do

Creative Leadership

• Own the full creative direction vision across all channels and touchpoints, including art direction, design, and copy, ensuring a cohesive and elevated brand aesthetic
• Concept, develop, and oversee creative across TV/CTV, paid social, organic social, experiential, retail, and trade environments
• Work with and provide clear, confident direction to copywriters as a true creative partner
• Maintain a high standard of craft at every stage, from early concepting through final execution
• Lead and mentor a small but growing team of designers and copywriters (3-5 direct reports), fostering a culture of ambition, collaboration, and creative rigor

Strategy & Integration

• Think at the account level, with a clear understanding of business objectives, audience dynamics, and how creative drives results across the full marketing ecosystem
• Collaborate closely with paid and organic social strategists, brand strategy, and the ECD team to ensure creative is integrated and purposeful across every channel
• Bring a point of view to briefs, not just an execution, and push thinking upstream when the work calls for it

Client Partnership

• Serve as a primary creative voice in client presentations and ongoing creative reviews, building trust and credibility with the client team
• Articulate creative decisions clearly and confidently, and navigate feedback with both openness and conviction
• Help grow the relationship through the quality of the work and the strength of the partnership

Production

• Lead and oversee shoot production for campaign and content work, with a strong eye for casting, set design, photography, and film direction
• Partner with production and project management to deliver ambitious creative on time and on budget

What You Bring

• 10-12 years of design and art direction experience, with significant time at an agency working on integrated brand campaigns
• A portfolio that demonstrates exquisite design taste, elevated, considered, and channel-fluent
• Deep experience across TV/CTV, paid social, organic social, experiential, and retail
• Proven experience with luxury brands and a clear understanding of the visual language, restraint, and standard of craft that luxury demands
• Strong shoot production experience; comfortable on set and skilled at getting the most out of a production
• A history of thinking strategically at the account level, not just executional excellence
• Experience managing, inspiring, and developing a team of creatives
• Exceptional client-facing skills; confident, compelling, and collaborative in the room
• Comfort working within a cross-capability team and a clear understanding of how design functions within a fully integrated program

Nice to Have

• Experience with luxury appliance, home goods, or premium lifestyle categories
• Familiarity with trade marketing as an audience (designers, architects, specifiers)

thelab is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Hybrid - in Madison Square office Tues-Thurs

Benefits include health/vision/dental with Anthem BCBS, 401k match, unlimited PTO and pretty great snacks

Salary of $165,000-$175,000 commensurate with experience