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Founder And Creative Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Sauna

Creative Director / Story Crafter

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $220K/yr

Someone who owns the narrative of what Sauna is in the world: pulls it out of the founder's head ... Creative pipelines that output at volume : build repeatable systems (Sauna itself, Claude Code, AI ...

Avoca AI

Creative Producer

New York, NY · On-site

$165K - $190K/yr

About the Role As Creative Producer, you will produce every moving-image moment Avoca ships, owning ... Direct cinematography across customer site shoots, founder portraits, event capture, and ...

Dairy Boy

Head of Marketing

Saugatuck, CT · On-site

$120K - $195K/yr

Reporting directly to the Founder & Creative Director, Paige Lorenze, you'll oversee a dynamic team, craft innovative strategies, and drive brand awareness, customer acquisition, and loyalty. This is ...

Sundays for Dogs

Director of Performance Creative

The Director of Performance Creative is a brand new role - the first of its kind at Sundays - built ... About Sundays for Dogs Sundays for Dogs is a founder-led brand reimagining pet food so dog owners ...

Doist

Creative Director / Head of Design

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$140 - $230/hr

The best creative leaders we've seen can go from a brand direction conversation with a founder to opening Figma and making it real themselves. We need both, and we need them in the same person. Do ...

New

Nen Creative

Video Director

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$70K - $120K/yr

About Nen Creative Nen Creative partners with tech startups to launch bold ideas into the world ... Write, refine, and support scripts for founder-led videos, commercials, brand films, launch content ...

Nen Creative

Video Director

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$70K - $120K/yr

About Nen Creative Nen Creative partners with tech startups to launch bold ideas into the world ... Write, refine, and support scripts for founder-led videos, commercials, brand films, launch content ...

SUP3RNOVA

PR · On-site

Were on the hunt for an Associate Creative Director with the taste of a curator, the brain of a strategist, and the drive of a startup founder. This isnt a "manage the team and sign off decks" kind ...

sup3rnova

ACD

San Juan, PR

We're on the hunt for an Associate Creative Director with the taste of a curator, the brain of a strategist, and the drive of a startup founder. This isn't a "manage the team and sign off decks" kind ...

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Founder And Creative Director information

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How much do founder and creative director jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for founder and creative director in the United States is $120,057.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $87,500.00 and $149,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

Do founder and creative directors get paid well?

Founder and creative directors often earn high salaries, especially in successful companies or industries like advertising, fashion, and media. Compensation varies based on company size, location, experience, and profit sharing, with many earning six-figure incomes or more. However, startup founders may initially earn less or reinvest profits into the business.

How does a founder and creative director balance hands-on creative work with broader business responsibilities?

As a Founder and Creative Director, balancing creative vision with business leadership is a common challenge. Typically, you’ll split your time between developing creative concepts, overseeing project execution, and managing business operations such as budgeting, client relations, and team leadership. Collaboration with other department heads, like marketing and operations, is essential to ensure creative goals align with overall business objectives. Flexibility, strong delegation skills, and effective time management are key to thriving in this dual role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a founder and creative director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founder and Creative Director, you need a strong background in creative concept development, business strategy, and leadership, often supported by experience in design, marketing, or entrepreneurship. Familiarity with design software (such as Adobe Creative Suite), project management tools, and digital marketing platforms is typically required. Exceptional communication, vision, resilience, and the ability to inspire and lead teams are standout soft skills in this role. These skills are essential for driving business growth, delivering innovative work, and successfully leading teams in a competitive creative industry.

What is a founder and creative director?

Founder and Creative Directors are individuals who both establish a company or creative venture and lead its creative vision. As founders, they are responsible for setting up the business, defining its mission, and overseeing overall operations. As creative directors, they guide the artistic direction, brand identity, and creative projects, ensuring that the company's output aligns with its vision. This dual role requires a blend of business acumen, leadership, and creative expertise. Founder and Creative Directors often work in industries like design, advertising, fashion, or media.

What is the difference between Founder And Creative Director vs Creative Director?

AspectFounder And Creative DirectorCreative Director
CredentialsTypically entrepreneurial experience, industry knowledge, possibly a degree in design or related fieldDesign or art degrees, extensive portfolio, leadership skills
Work EnvironmentLeads the overall vision, manages business and creative teams, involved in strategic decisionsFocuses on creative vision, oversees design teams, ensures project quality
Industry UsageCommon in startups, branding agencies, fashion, and media companiesFound in advertising agencies, media firms, fashion brands

While both roles involve creative leadership, the Founder And Creative Director typically has an entrepreneurial role, establishing the brand and overseeing its creative direction, whereas a Creative Director primarily focuses on managing creative teams and projects within an existing organization.

More about Founder And Creative Director jobs
What cities are hiring for Founder And Creative Director jobs? Cities with the most Founder And Creative Director job openings:
What states have the most Founder And Creative Director jobs? States with the most job openings for Founder And Creative Director jobs include:
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Founder And Creative Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founder And Creative Director job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 12% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,057 per year, or $57.7 per hour.

Creative Director / Story Crafter

Sauna

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$120K - $220K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement, PTO

Posted 26 days ago

Job description

⚠ Please read first
  • This is a full-time, in-person role based in San Francisco (Presidio) - we work from the office 5 days a week.
  • You must be based in the Bay Area or willing to relocate before starting.
  • We require US work authorisation, but are open to O-1 or J-1 visa sponsorship for exceptional candidates.
About Sauna by Wordware
Most AI products hand you a coworker on day one and hope you trust it. Sauna is the coworker you raise: it starts by learning how you work, earns autonomy task by task, and ends up running hours of work on its own while you keep taste, review, and the final say. Wordware is the ~20-person team behind it, backed by Spark Capital, Felicis, and Y Combinator with a $30M seed, the largest in YC history. We build from a San Francisco office in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, and we work absurdly hard because we can see and feel the outcome every day.
About the Role:
We're the first multiplayer AI, and our product is years ahead of how we tell its story. We ship something remarkable most weeks and it barely leaves the building. That's the gap you close.
We're looking for a story crafter. Not a video editor, not a social manager, not a brand cop. Someone who owns the narrative of what Sauna is in the world: pulls it out of the founder's head, adds their own taste, and pushes it out until people feel it. You tell that story beautifully with visuals: motion, film, and the whole creative surface.
What You'll Do:
  • The narrative of Sauna, in the world: extract the story from the founder + product, sharpen it with your own POV, make it land everywhere.
  • The story, told in visuals: find the human reason anyone should care, then make it move people. The heart of the role.
  • Motion + video, end to end: concept, shoot, motion design, edit, publish. Hands-on in the timeline.
  • Instagram + our social presence: set the visual/editorial direction and keep it coherent.
  • Creative pipelines that output at volume: build repeatable systems (Sauna itself, Claude Code, AI tooling) so we ship a lot, fast. Volume with taste.

Who You Are:
  • Crafts stories that move people; can point to work that traveled and say why it worked.
  • Real motion-design chops - and in the AI era that now includes HTML/CSS/code, not just After Effects/C4D/Blender.
  • Could be the creator, not just the director (Johnny Harris style), or cast + direct one. Either way knows what makes that video work.
  • Has built with Claude Code (or similar) + AI creative tooling - wired up their own pipelines, not just prompted once.
  • Takes an idea from zero to published without being managed there.

Compensation & Benefits:
Base salary: $120K-$220K + meaningful early-stage equity + health, dental, 401(k), considerable PTO, gym budget, lunch.
The Process:
We keep our process simple. Exceptional candidates go from first touch to offer within 2 weeks.
1. Application: Submit your resume and answer a few short questions.
2. 15-minute intro call: Quick check to align on location, motivation, and logistics. If it's a go, we move fast from here.
3. Portfolio review & craft interview: Walk us through your work and the decisions behind it.
4. Final conversation: We answer your questions and scope out the work trial.
5. Work trial: Paid, in person, usually a few days to two weeks. You work on a real project with us. See how we work, see if it fits, both sides.

Apply