Please do not apply unless you have proven experience with all of the following:

• Managing and mentoring teams and/or junior designers, including remote teams.
• Client-facing experience and strong strategic thinking skills.
• Experience with PR mailers, packaging, and gifting
• Extensive knowledge of print and packaging production techniques, including working with domestic and overseas suppliers.
• Thriving in fast-paced, high-pressure environments that require agility, accountability, and proactive communication.
• Availability to commute to our Los Angeles (Culver City) or New York City (Manhattan) office. This position is open to candidates based in either location.

Another Box Story

Another Box Story is a design-led agency creating and producing bespoke gifting experiences and custom products for the world’s most iconic brands. Like our clients, innovation and ‘’out of the box thinking’’ is in our DNA. We offer an end-to-end service, bringing together strategy & design, sourcing, production, and global fulfilment. The company has an office in London, New York, and Los Angeles, with a presence in Dubai, Miami, and Paris. The team of 15+ consists of designers, producers, coordinators, and a finance and operations team.

Job Title: Associate Creative Director

Reporting Into: VP Business + Creative

Working With: Designers + Production Teams

About The Role:

The Associate Creative Director (ACD) plays a pivotal role in shaping and elevating the creative output of Another Box Story. Working closely with the VP Business + Creative and cross-functional teams, the ACD ensures that all packaging, mailers, and experiential projects align with ABS’s design-led, storytelling-driven ethos. This role balances conceptual creativity, hands-on design direction, and team leadership, ensuring that projects meet the highest standards of craft, innovation, and client impact.

Responsibilities:

Creative Leadership & Direction

• Partner with the VP Business + Creative to translate brand and client briefs into compelling creative concepts, focusing on packaging, unboxing, and experiential activations.
• Lead brainstorms, moodboarding, and ideation sessions, ensuring a balance of innovation and feasibility.
• Ensure all creative deliverables are aligned with Another Box Story’s DNA: design-driven, luxury-oriented, detail-obsessed.
• Act as a brand guardian for ABS and client brands, maintaining consistency and quality across touchpoints.

Project Ownership

• Oversee multiple projects simultaneously—from pitch to production—ensuring timelines, budgets, and creative excellence are achieved.
• Work closely with production, client services, and experiential design teams to integrate creative concepts into practical, flawless execution.
• Translate big creative ideas into designs and formats that can be feasibly produced within budget and timelines, leveraging strong knowledge of packaging materials, techniques, and industry innovations.
• Review and approve design iterations, prototypes, and samples before presentation to clients.
• Present concepts internally and externally with confidence, storytelling, and clarity.

Creative Resourcing, Staffing and Talent

• Resource and staff the creative team across live and upcoming projects, matching the right creative talent to the right project needs, timelines, and budgets.
• Spot staffing gaps early and flag capacity issues before they become a problem.
• Proactively identify and connect with new creative talent through LinkedIn, Instagram, referrals, and industry networks.
• Build and maintain a strong pool of freelancers, collaborators, and specialist creative profiles.
• Ensure project hours are logged correctly and followed up on when missing.
• Support accurate tracking of billable hours so time can be properly billed and managed against project budgets.

Team Management & Mentorship

• Provide guidance, feedback, and mentorship to designers in-house and freelancers within the creative team.
• Foster a collaborative and inspiring studio culture that encourages innovation and attention to detail.
• Delegate effectively while remaining hands-on with high-stakes projects.
• Identify talent needs and contribute to the recruitment and onboarding of creative staff.

Client Engagement

• Partner with client services to understand client objectives and translate them into strong creative strategies.
• Participate in client presentations, pitches, and workshops, articulating the “why” behind creative decisions.
• Build strong relationships with clients, positioning ABS as a trusted creative partner.

Innovations & Trend Research

• Stay ahead of design, packaging, sustainability, and luxury experience trends to bring fresh, relevant ideas to projects.
• Contribute to innovation workshops, creative R&D, and ABS’s internal library of inspiration.
• Push boundaries with materials, finishes, and formats to elevate unboxing and event experiences.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual arts, or a related field
• End-to-end experience (from design to production) with custom packaging and product
• Proficiency in design software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite – Photoshop, Illustrator)
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Word)
• A strong portfolio showcasing a range of design projects, including packaging and product design
• Understanding of the influencer marketing landscape, with insight into the power of storytelling to create an impactful unboxing experience
• Proven ability to lead creative teams and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to inspire both clients and internal teams.
• Deep understanding of production processes (paper, print finishes, sustainability, logistics).
• Clear knowledge of bespoke packaging and product development—materials, production techniques, and innovation—ensuring creative ideas can be translated into feasible solutions that balance design ambition with budget and timeline realities.
• Strong aesthetic sensibility with obsessive attention to detail.

Skills & Attributes

• Efficient, solutions-driven, and highly organized
• A positive and proactive attitude – welcomes new opportunities
• Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to prioritize tasks according to immediate business/project needs
• A compassionate and empathetic team player

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Class pass membership
• Masterclass membership
• Monthly culture reimbursement
• Vacation allowance + paid time off

Why join Another Box Story?

• Be part of a creative and dynamic team that pushes the boundaries of experiential mailer design.
• Work with top-tier brands and exciting projects.
• Opportunity for career growth and professional development.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.

Join The Team

To apply for this position, please submit your CV and cover letter outlining your relevant experience and qualifications to careers (careers@anotherboxstory.com). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.