Creative Director

Jak Creative Design | Hybrid

Overview

We are Jak Creative Design—a woman-owned, award-winning branding and design agency based in the western suburbs of Chicago. Our diverse team of creative problem solvers partners with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. At Jak, we believe great creative is built on collaboration, curiosity, and mutual respect. We’re a small-but-mighty team that values thoughtful strategy, strong partnerships, and work that delivers real results.

We’re looking for a Creative Director who wants more than a title—someone motivated, career-driven, and excited to help shape the future of the agency and drive its next chapter of growth. Our ideal candidate is a down-to-earth, proactive self-starter eager to jump in—no matter the task. You’re comfortable thinking big, sweating the details, and leading with both clarity and kindness. This hands-on role plays a critical part in nurturing client relationships, protecting brand integrity, and transforming insight-driven ideas into creative campaigns that truly perform.

If you thrive in an all-hands-on-deck, let’s-make-something-memorable environment, are passionate about mentoring talent, and bringing thoughtful creative to life across multiple channels—including direct mail, email, and digital—we’d love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, inspire, and mentor a team of designers and copywriters while remaining a working member of the creative team
• Oversee creative work and provide constructive, actionable feedback that elevates both the work and the people behind it
• Partner with account and project teams to plan, organize, and execute projects across direct mail, email, and digital campaigns
• Drive concept development from the creative brief to product launch
• Translate client goals into clear, compelling creative direction that supports real marketing objectives
• Prepare and present creative materials to clients, confidently articulating ideas, rationale, and results
• Lead and support new business pitches, from discovery and strategic/message development through concept creation and client presentation
• Build strong relationships internally and externally, fostering trust, collaboration, and long-term partnerships

What You Bring

• A refined eye for design, typography, and composition, paired with a strong understanding of marketing fundamentals
• Deep experience in brand development and multi-channel campaign thinking
• A strategic mindset with the ability to connect creative decisions to business outcomes and performance
• Comfort interacting with clients and internal teams at all levels, including senior stakeholders
• A genuine love for the creative process—from ideation and problem-solving to refinement and execution
• Strong time-management skills and the ability to balance leadership responsibilities with hands-on creative work

Your Skillset

• Proficiency in Figma, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• Strong understanding of digital platforms and emerging technologies, with an eye toward how they enhance creative ideas
• Strong social media fluency, with an understanding of how creative and brand storytelling adapt across platforms and evolving digital channels
• Commitment to staying current on industry trends, evolving technology, and AI-driven creative tools
• Familiarity with prompt-based workflows and commonly used generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, DALL·E, etc.) is a plus—particularly for ideation, research, and content development

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience
• Prior creative agency experience strongly preferred
• Proven experience across direct mail, digital, and email channels
• Ability to provide a portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, design excellence, and leadership across integrated campaigns

Why This Role Matters

This is a pivotal leadership role at Jak Creative Design. The right Creative Director will help take the agency to the next level—elevating the quality of the work, strengthening client relationships, and contributing directly to growth and new business.



You’ll have real influence over how the agency shows up in the market, how clients experience our work, and how the team grows.

Interested? Reply to this post or email jobs@jakcd.com with your cover letter, resume, and portfolio. If we think you could be a good fit, we’ll be in touch with you soon!