Creative Lead

District of Columbia, USA (Hybrid)

$100K/yr – $125K/yrSenior Level7+ years expSalaried Ft

Posted 1 day ago

Job Summary

Own and lead the creative design and motion work across digital assets, client accounts, pitches, and firm-wide communications, shaping visual identity and expanding creative scope while coordinating with multi-team stakeholders.

  • Own client conversations and presentations
  • Drive cross-team creative initiatives and new-business support

Job Description

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design and animation of digital assets , with a primary focus on animated social content (GIFs, Reels/short-form video) and HTML5/rich-media display advertising, alongside social graphics, email creatives, pitch decks, and print
  • Maintain and evolve visual identity systems, including brand style guides, pitch decks, and scalable design templates
  • Stay ahead of visual and motion trends and proactively propose new formats and content ideas
  • Serve as lead creative point of contact on select client accounts , presenting work directly, articulating creative rationale, and managing feedback and revisions with minimal oversight
  • Participate in new-business pitches and proposals , helping scope creative deliverables, timelines, and budgets for prospective clients
  • Identify opportunities to expand creative scope with existing clients (e.g., proposing new formats, campaigns, or service lines that grow the relationship)
  • Collaborate effectively across strategy, digital, and communications teams within TMG to ensure creative work supports broader campaign goals
  • Serve as the go-to creative resource for teams across TMG , building presentations, pitch decks, reports, infographics, and polished emails for strategy, communications, and firm leadership as needed
  • Translate dense written content (research findings, strategy memos, client reports) into clear, visually compelling decks and documents
  • Maintain a consistent visual standard across firm-wide materials so that decks, reports, and emails feel unmistakably "TMG" regardless of which team produced the request

Requirements

  • Strong motion design skills with demonstrated experience producing animated GIFs, HTML5/rich-media display ads, and short-form animated or video content for paid and organic social
  • Advanced presentation-design skills in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote
  • Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects) and/or Canva
  • Experience developing content for Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and programmatic/display ad platforms
  • Proven track record owning client relationships end-to-end — not just presenting finished work, but leading client conversations, fielding pushback in real time, and being trusted by internal teams to represent TMG's creative point of view without oversight
  • Comfort scoping creative deliverables for proposals — translating a client ask into formats, timelines, and level of effort
  • Ability to work across multiple internal teams and stakeholders at once, prioritizing competing requests without losing quality or missing deadlines
  • Strong portfolio showcasing brand, campaign, motion, digital, and presentation/deck design work
  • Able to work independently and collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders
  • 7+ years of experience in graphic design and motion/animation

Preferred

  • Experience contributing to new-business pitches, proposals, or scopes of work
  • Working knowledge of HTML5 ad-building tools (e.g., Google Web Designer) for building rich-media banners
  • Proficiency in photo editing, retouching, and color correction to enhance asset quality
  • Familiarity with captioning and subtitle standards for accessibility in digital content
  • Working knowledge of Digital Asset Management (DAM) tools for organizing, tagging, and versioning creative files
  • Basic understanding of HTML/CSS and how design translates into front-end development
  • Experience collaborating with web developers, ensuring that creative assets work across devices and platforms
  • Comfort working in fast-paced, sprint-style environments, using project tools like Asana, ClickUp, or Trello

Benefits

  • Healthcare (medical, dental, vision) for you and your family.
  • Paid time off (PTO), federal holidays, and end-of-year break.
  • Paid parental leave.
  • Professional development budget, gym/cell stipend, and 401K with employer match.
The Messina Group logo

The Messina Group

The Messina Group (TMG) is a full-service consulting firm that helps our clients win good fights and change the world, harnessing the power of data-driven, political campaign strategies to achieve victory in the corporate, advocacy, and political spheres.

Founded in 2013
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
34 employees (8 in marketing)

Salaries

Posted range

$100K/yr – $125K/yr

Taken straight from the job posting.

See all The Messina Group salaries

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
7 (21% of company)
Marketing Roles Posted (Last 30 Days)
2

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
4.8K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
28.2%
Direct
47.3%
Referral
5.9%
Social
17.1%
Paid
1.5%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~34
The Messina Group logo

Creative Lead

The Messina Group · District of Columbia, USA · Hybrid