Executive Creative Director

Job description

**Location:** The Americas (Remote) **Timezone:** West coast is preferred; East coast acceptable if west coast hours can be observed when needed and travel is feasible **Reports to:** CEO The Role Active Theory is seeking an outward-facing, growth-minded Executive Creative Director (ECD) to help drive the business into its next chapter. We are looking for an entrepreneurial storyteller, a natural pitcher, and a relationship-builder who is driven to win high-level US clients. In this role, you will lean confidently on a world-class internal engine of craft and execution led by established peer leadership and our highly talented production team. We want a growth partner, not a status-quo manager. You have a burning ambition to elevate Active Theory's presence in the US and want a true stake in that future. You excel at finding and inspiring bold brands that want to take risks, leveraging our world-class internal capabilities to deliver experiences that redefine what we can produce. Core Responsibilities ### **Company-Level Responsibilities** - Partner with peer leadership to shape and evolve Active Theory’s creative vision and marketpositioning. - Maintain a high bar for creative quality across all projects you pitch and win - Provide creative oversight and feedback to designers across multiple teams - Participate in internal reviews, critiques, and creative forums - Ensure pitch visions are translated smoothly to production - Contribute to studio-wide creative initiatives, experimentation, and thought leadership ### **Project-Level Responsibilities** - Serve as Executive Creative Director and project lead on assigned client work, setting the vision from concept through pitch, and guiding key milestones through to launch - Own the overarching creative vision, narrative, and strategic direction across projects, ensuring work is visually striking, conceptually rigorous, and technically sound. - Lead creative discovery, ideation, initial design direction, and reviews - Be hands-on when needed, contributing directly to design, motion, or visual systems during critical pitch phases to maintain momentum - Present work and creative rationale clearly charismatically and confidently to senior client stakeholders inspiring them to take creative risks - Partner closely with internal production and development leads to balance creative ambition with scope, timelines, and budget ### **Client & Account Leadership** - Act as the primary outward-facing Creative Lead for Clients, developing deep understanding of the brand, creative standards, and long-term vision - Establish trusted client relationships through strong creative leadership, business acumen, and relationship-building - Lead pitches, concept presentations, and creative strategy discussions to actively win and secure high-level US accounts. - Provide creative leadership and client management in partnership with production and account leads ### **Leadership, Mentorship & Growth** - Mentor Creative department members through consistent project feedback, constructive craft-oriented guidance, and development of career-relevant skills and qualities - Participate in hiring by reviewing portfolios, interviewing candidates, and helping define role expectations - Inspire and align the North American Creative Team around growth and bold creative standards. - Represent Active Theory externally through public speaking, events, talks, and industry presence Required Experience & Skills - 15+ years of experience in digital design/creative production, ideally within a creative or digital agency or as an independent studio founder/consultant. - Proven experience leading large-scale, highly interactive projects from concept to launch - Strong conceptual thinking paired with excellent visual and design craft - Strong design sensibility to direct the work; familiarity with modern design tools (like Figma) is expected for tactical agility, but deep hands-on execution in animation/3D tools is not required. - Strong understanding of IRL brand experiences, their value to clients and how they live within marketing ecosystems - Excellent presentation, communication, and storytelling skills, with a proven track record of commanding a room and winning new business. - Ability to lead teams with clarity, empathy, and confidence - Comfortable balancing creative ambition with practical constraints What Success Looks Like - New business efforts are elevated through clear, compelling creative vision, resulting in a scaled pipeline of high-level US accounts. - Clients trust your leadership and see you as a long-term creative partner, and willingly embrace ambitious digital risks. - Projects consistently launch at a high creative bar, leveraging our internal production expertise. - The internal production team feels inspired by the caliber and ambition of the work you bring in. - Active Theory’s design culture continues to mature, evolve, and strengthen - Senior creatives, especially emerging leaders, grow alongside you by stepping up to own project delivery.