Creative Director

Creative Director, MARCOM

Company: Marks Design, NA
Reports to: VP, Creative
Location: Chicago (Hybrid)

About the Company

Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum-from brand design and packaging to content and consumer connections. Rooted in a deep understanding of human behavior, we help brands win in an age of constant change.

We are a global, collaborative network of 1,900+ team members across 25+ studios and 20+ countries, partnering with some of the world's most recognized brands to solve complex business challenges through design, strategy, and craft.

About the Role

The Creative Director, Marketing Communications is a senior creative leader responsible for defining, championing, and delivering big, ownable campaign ideas that translate into smart, scalable design and communication systems across channels.

Reporting to the VP, Creative, this role sets the creative vision for a portfolio of brands and leads multidisciplinary teams to bring that vision to life from early concept through execution. The Creative Director ensures the work is strategically grounded, creatively bold, and impeccably crafted.

This role requires a confident point of view, the ability to inspire and galvanize teams, and the credibility to lead clients as a trusted creative authority. The Creative Director is responsible for shaping briefs, pushing ambition, and raising the creative standard for both clients and the agency.

Role Expectations

Creative Vision & Idea Leadership

• Own and define the creative vision for integrated marketing communications across your portfolio of clients
• Lead the development of big campaign ideas that ladder to brand strategy and flex across channels, formats, and moments across the shopper's journey
• Translate conceptual thinking into cohesive design and messaging systems, vs one-off executions
• Ensure all work is strategically sound, creatively distinctive, and executed with craft and consistency
• Act as a brand guardian who protects the brand DNA while also championing appropriate evolutions to brand voice, tone, and expression

Integrated Campaign Expertise

• Lead concepting and execution across retail, in-store, digital, social, video, motion, and out-of-home
• Guide teams in developing content ecosystems that feel connected, intentional, and scalable
• Oversee narrative development for presentations, ensuring ideas are clearly framed, confidently sold, and easy to rally behind

Client Leadership

• Serve as a trusted creative partner and senior-level advisor to clients
• Bring confidence and clarity to client conversations-articulating ideas, defending creative choices, and pushing ambition when needed
• Partner with strategy and client services to shape briefs, unlock stronger insights, and elevate the work
• Support new business efforts by contributing to pitches, kickoffs, and growth opportunities

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, inspire, and mentor teams of Art Directors, Copywriters, and Designers
• Set clear creative direction and expectations: give teams the confidence to do their best work
• Balance high-level vision with hands-on guidance when needed
• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, and creative excellence
• Partner with client services and project managers to plan each project and cast the right team for the right ask
• Partner with recruiting and operations to build and maintain a strong, balanced team

Collaboration & Culture

• Act as a cultural leader and ambassador for Marks
• Champion collaboration across disciplines, studios, and global teams
• Lead effective internal reviews that elevate thinking and push work forward
• Model respect, generosity, and shared ownership. Always prioritize the work over ego.

Agility & Resourcefulness

• Thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment with multiple streams of work
• Identify opportunities to improve creative processes, workflows, and ways of working
• Maintain high standards while moving with speed and flexibility
• Bring a solutions-oriented, roll-up-your-sleeves mindset to every challenge

Critical Skills & Behaviors

• Proven ability to lead big-idea campaign thinking, not just execution
• Strong conceptual and strategic thinking paired with exceptional craft
• Confident creative point of view with the ability to inspire teams and clients
• Deep understanding of integrated marketing ecosystems and brand systems
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and accountable
• Passion for marketing communications, design, and storytelling

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Advertising, Marketing, Communications, or related field
• 10+ years of experience in marketing communications or advertising
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing senior-level client relationships
• Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns and system-based thinking
• CPG and retail experience strongly preferred
• Fluency in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word; familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite a plus
• Fluent in iOS

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $120,000 USD - $135,000 USD annually. Ultimately, in determining pay, we will consider the successful candidate's location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Group benefits currently include a selection of health care plans with prescription drug coverage, dental plan, vision plan, basic and supplemental life insurance, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses or a health savings account based on plan selection, short/long term disability and 401(k) Savings Plan.

Bachelors (required)

Fluent in iOS (preferred)
Fluency in Keynote, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word; familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite a plus (preferred)
CPG and retail experience strongly preferred (preferred)
Strong portfolio showcasing integrated campaigns and system-based thinking (required)
Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing senior-level client relationships (required)
10 years: Years of experience in marketing communications or advertising (required)