Associate Creative Director

The Associate Creative Director (ACD) role marks transition from senior individual contribution into holistic creative leadership. It reflects a high level of trust, ownership, and influence, both within internal teams and across global client accounts. As an ACD, you remain a practitioner at heart, staying deeply involved in the craft while taking command of creative direction, high-stakes client stewardship, and team mentorship. Beyond project execution, this role requires a shift in mindset toward representing Active Theory as a future leader. You are expected to champion the studio's vision and values, acting as an ambassador for the studio both internally and externally to the broader industry.

Responsibilities

Take creative ownership of one or more core client accounts, ensuring consistency, quality, and clarity across engagements; Set and maintain creative direction across projects from early concept through execution; Be accountable for the overall creative health of the work; Act as a creative point of continuity for assigned client accounts; Collaborate closely with Production and Tech to shape approaches that balance ambition, feasibility, and craft; Step into a creative lead role on pitches and new client opportunities; Contribute to how the studio positions its creative capabilities externally; Act as a primary ambassador for Active Theory, building a public-facing leadership profile; Lead by example through craft, communication, and collaboration; Provide direction and feedback that helps elevate designers and strengthen the work; Contribute to creative standards, systems, and ways of working that scale across the studio; Foster a design culture and support department process and initiatives

Requirements

Be practiced in core creative competency and intimately familiar with creative execution at the highest level; As needed, be hands-on with conceptual and delivery phases of the creative process; Understand the possibilities, limitations and potential within 2D/3D motion design; Build trust through taste, follow-through, and thoughtful decision-making; Demonstrate being AI native and generally interested in AI; Ability to work PST hours