Art Director, Contract

New York City, NY (On-site)

$40/hr – $50/hrSenior Level6+ years expContract

Posted 2 months ago

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Job Summary

Own end-to-end creative leadership for multi-channel campaigns, translating briefs into cohesive visual systems, driving concept development, production, QA, and performance-informed adaptations across paid media and client work.

  • Creative leadership: develop and present cohesive visions from mood boards to final executions for pitches and existing clients.
  • Production & QA: manage multi-client production end-to-end, ensure assets meet platform specs and brand standards.
  • Cross-functional impact: align with paid media, strategy, and development teams to optimize creative for performance and campaign goals.

Job Description

Own end-to-end creative leadership for multi-channel campaigns, translating briefs into cohesive visual systems, driving concept development, production, QA, and performance-informed adaptations across paid media and client work.

  • Creative leadership: develop and present cohesive visions from mood boards to final executions for pitches and existing clients.
  • Production & QA: manage multi-client production end-to-end, ensure assets meet platform specs and brand standards.
  • Cross-functional impact: align with paid media, strategy, and development teams to optimize creative for performance and campaign goals.

Responsibilities

  • Lead creative conception and campaign strategy for new business pitches and existing client accounts
  • Work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining project goals, timelines and objectives on track
  • Execute high-level design work across digital, print, motion, and spatial mediums.
  • Experience leading content campaigns at scale— with a clear visual system holding it together.
  • Develop and present cohesive creative visions by translating briefs—from mood boards and wireframes to final executions
  • Stay ahead of design trends, platform-native formats, and cultural moments to bring fresh thinking to every project
  • Own the pitch process for creative—including concept development, deck design, and live presentation
  • Manage the full creative production process across multiple clients simultaneously—from brief through final delivery—keeping timelines, deliverables, and revision cycles on track
  • Lead QA review to ensure all assets meet technical specs, platform requirements, and brand standards before client-facing delivery
  • Maintain project tracking in ClickUp (or equivalent), proactively flagging risks before they impact delivery

Requirements

  • 6+ years of experience in art direction, creative direction, or integrated campaign design—agency experience strongly preferred
  • A strong portfolio demonstrating concept-driven creative across digital, social, paid media, and brand campaigns
  • Deep fluency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects)
  • Proven ability to present and sell creative ideas to internal stakeholders and clients
  • Strong understanding of paid media ecosystems and how creative decisions affect performance
  • Experience managing or mentoring junior designers and directing freelancers
  • Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
  • Active user of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc.) with hands-on experience applying them to creative workflows—from concepting and ideation to production efficiency
  • Familiarity with project management tools (ClickUp, Asana, etc.) and Google Workspace

Preferred

  • Figma experience a plus

Benefits

  • Regular performance reviews with quarterly growth path check-ins
  • Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and mental health benefits (One Medical, Talkspace, KindBody, Health Advocate)
  • 15–24 days PTO/year depending on seniority, plus birthday off, 7 sick/safe days, and up to 12 weeks paid parental leave
  • New MacBook Pro and access to cutting-edge AI tools across the agency
  • Sun-drenched penthouse Acceleration Hub on 5th Avenue in Flatiron—with commuter benefits and Citibike membership
  • Dog-friendly office, regular team events (Field Day, Ski Club, Golf League, holiday celebrations), and a culture built around ownership and ambition
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Direct Agents

3.7 Glassdoor

Direct Agents, celebrating its 22nd year of excellence, is a full-service growth marketing consultancy fueled by a future-focused mindset. As an independent and certified Minority-Owned Business, our team of 75+ professionals across NY and LA brings unique insights and solutions to every project. We specialize in strategic innovation and an AI-integrated approach, consistently providing our clients with a competitive edge in an ever-evolving marketing landscape. To learn more about our services, visit www.directagents.com or email marketing@directagents.com. Subscribe to Digital Transformation for weekly marketing updates, news, and trends: https:Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7019056617816039424

Founded in 2003
New York, New York, US
179 employees (54 in marketing)
57% recommend to a friend
58% CEO approval

Traffic Signals

Monthly Visitors
13.3K
Monthly Google Ads Budget
$20.7K
Traffic Source Mix
Search
33.1%
Direct
50.4%
Referral
7%
Social
8.3%
Paid
1%

Headcount Trend

Current headcount: ~179

Marketing Team

Marketing Team Size
50 (28% of company)
Median Career Experience
5 years
Median Tenure
2 years

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