Creative Director, Brand (Contract)

Accountabilities:: Own creative direction for marketing campaigns and communications from initial concept through launch. Translate business objectives into compelling creative strategies, concepts, platforms, and campaign directions. Establish and maintain a strong creative vision and high standards across paid media, social, retail, launches, partnerships, and other brand initiatives. Develop, challenge, and refine creative concepts to ensure the strongest ideas move forward and remain effective through execution. Stay closely involved in the craft by developing creative directions, mood boards, style frames, visual approaches, and campaign concepts. Art direct creative production across design, motion, illustration, photography, copy, packaging, and other relevant mediums. Provide clear, actionable feedback that materially improves creative work while knowing when to empower the team to own execution. Lead and develop creative talent through coaching, mentorship, candid critique, experimentation, and high standards. Support hiring and help raise the caliber of the creative organization as the team grows. Establish focused and efficient creative review processes that improve decision-making and reduce unnecessary meetings and process. Partner with Marketing and other senior stakeholders to challenge briefs, identify creative opportunities, and connect creative thinking with broader strategy. Present and defend creative concepts with confidence while balancing audience needs, business objectives, timelines, and available resources. Build trust with non-creative stakeholders and help them understand the principles behind effective creative work. Continuously improve creative briefs, development processes, review rituals, and ways of working. Use creative judgment and business awareness to connect brand decisions with outcomes such as sales, retail performance, and market expansion. Requirements: 10+ years of experience in design and creative, including substantial experience directing campaigns, multi-channel initiatives, and creative teams. Proven experience as a Creative Director, Design Lead, or similar senior creative leader in an environment with high standards for creative work. Exceptional visual taste and strong attention to detail across typography, layout, color, composition, and overall craft. Strong conceptual thinking and the ability to translate strategy into distinctive, compelling creative ideas. Demonstrated ability to recognize original ideas, elevate promising concepts, and make sound decisions about creative quality and readiness. Comfortable working hands-on in creative tools such as Figma and contributing directly to design, copy, packaging, or other creative deliverables when needed. Strong ability to work quickly and independently in a small, resource-constrained environment where priorities and information may evolve. Comfortable giving and receiving direct, constructive feedback with a low-ego and collaborative approach. High curiosity and a distinctive perspective, with an ongoing interest in creative culture, design, and innovative work. Ability to connect creative decisions to measurable business outcomes while balancing creative ambition with commercial objectives. Strong ownership, accountability, communication, and organizational skills. Experience building and developing creative teams through coaching, mentorship, hiring, and feedback. Comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment with ambiguity and evolving priorities. Passion for building brands that are distinctive, playful, culturally relevant, and emotionally engaging. Benefits: Annualized compensation of $180,000–$210,000, with final base salary determined by experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location. Six-month contract with potential conversion to a full-time employee. Remote work available across the United States and Canada. Flexible working hours and vacation policy. Opportunities for professional growth and development. Supportive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment. Product-driven culture focused on talent, creativity, and individual growth. Hands-on opportunity to work with emerging technologies in the evolving gaming and interactive entertainment space. Direct opportunity to shape brand strategy, creative cult