Associate Creative Director, Copy at SHADOW | New York, USA | $135K/yr – $170K/yr

Associate Creative Director, Copy

New York, USA (Hybrid)

$135K/yr – $170K/yrSenior Level8+ years expFull time

Posted 3 months ago

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Job Summary

Drive social-ready creative leadership and copy across campaigns as an Associate Creative Director (Copy) with team leadership responsibility.

Own ideation and copy across campaigns to translate culture into concepts
Must-have: 8+ years of multidisciplinary creative experience
Standout: Leadership of a copy team and culture-driven storytelling scope

Job Description

Responsibilities

Creative Development: Lead the development of social-first and culture-driven campaign concepts for new and existing clients in close collaboration with art directors, copywriters, strategists, social leads, and producers. Shape the narrative, voice, and messaging across all creative expressions.
Platform-Native Execution: Oversee copy across integrated campaigns, real-time/reactive moments, video and short-form scripted series, experiential extensions, and digital/web touchpoints. Ensure work feels native, timely, cohesive, and distinct.
Cultural & Editorial Direction: Guide brand participation in cultural moments, trends, and conversations with clarity and authenticity. Balance speed with strategy, ensuring reactive and always-on copy maintains brand voice and creative integrity.
Brand Voice & Messaging Systems: Own and evolve brand voice across social ecosystems. For select clients, help build or refine messaging frameworks, tone-of-voice guidelines, and campaign/social playbooks that empower consistency while leaving room for spontaneity.
Team Leadership & Development: Manage, mentor and develop a team of copywriters. Provide clear, constructive feedback, encourage experimentation, and raise the overall quality and ambition of the creative output.
Client & Creative Relationships: Build trusted creative relationships with clients, acting as a strategic and cultural partner. Grow and maintain a network of writers, editors, creators, and cultural collaborators to support fast, relevant execution when needed.

Requirements

8+ years of multidisciplinary creative experience
Agency environments and consumer brands experience
Fluency writing across formats: scripting, long-form storytelling, campaign narratives, taglines, headlines, captions, memes, and reactive copy
Understanding of social platform nuance and how to write natively for each (TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, Reddit, emerging channels)
Ability to originate big, culture-born ideas and translate strategy and cultural insight into concepts and copy systems
Leadership experience as a senior creative voice for clients and internal teams

Preferred

Experience with reactive copy and real-time moments
Experience building or refining brand voice and messaging systems
Cross-functional collaboration experience
Ability to lead and mentor a team of copywriters beyond the immediate role

Benefits

Medical + dental + vision insurance
Generous PTO and paid holidays
Dedicated mental health days
Unlimited sick time
40 hours of paid VTO annually (voluntary time off)
401(k) retirement plan with matching
Pre-tax commuter and healthcare benefits
12 weeks paid leave for new parents
Individualized career mapping
Summer Fridays (early close Fridays Memorial Day - Labor Day)

SHADOW

SHADOW is a creative marketing and communications agency with integrated disciplines across media relations, influencer marketing, experiential and event production, social media management and content development. Using these services, we shape insights and ideas into stories, animate stories into moments and engineer moments into movements.We are also connectors – we create inter-client synergies to maximize opportunity as well as leverage industry relationships for introductions, partnerships, business development and more. With a robust portfolio of brand campaigns, cross-categorical experience, and a deep rolodex of industry relationships, we have captured the loyalty of some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including luxury and lifestyle brands, retailers, tech start-ups, publishers, personalities, non-profit organizations and hospitality groups. We are a New York-based agency, with a west coast presence made possible through our SHADOWest suite of services.

Founded in 2007

New York, New York, USA

324 employees (64 in marketing)

www.weareshadow.com